Camping de Zeehoeve & Seijsener: towards sustainable camping

Located in Harlingen, on the Elfstedenroute and the Wadden Sea, Camping de Zeehoeve has won a special place in the hearts of holidaymakers over the years. Together with Mr. Lammert Kleefstra, we discuss what makes this campsite so unique and how Seijsener has contributed to its sustainable growth.

Can you tell us about Camping de Zeehoeve and what makes this place so special for campers and holidaymakers?

“Camping de Zeehoeve is located in a fantastic location in Harlingen, on the Elfstedenroute and the Wadden Sea. In addition, the ferries to Terschelling and Vlieland are only 2 km away, making us an ideal base for island hopping. But not only that, our location also makes it easy for guests to explore Friesland, from other Frisian cities to the iconic Afsluitdijk. We host guests who stay here for both short and long periods, giving us a diverse audience.”

At the campsite, you offer various accommodations. Can you tell us more about that?

“We have a varied range of accommodations at Camping de Zeehoeve. Our main building houses B & B (hotel rooms) with a restaurant where guests can have breakfast and dinner. In addition, we also have Tiny Houses, Lodges and hiker cabins for our guests. We offer an alternative for guests who don't have their own camping equipment but want to enjoy the camping experience. We often notice that people with motorhomes or caravans bring friends or family who do not have camping equipment. That way, they can still go on vacation together. Our restaurant is also open throughout the season, from April to the end of September, which means that early and late season guests can also benefit.”

How did Seijsener contribute to the development of Camping de Zeehoeve? What products and expertise did they provide?

“In recent years, we have responded quickly to the changing needs of our guests, especially when it comes to motorhome tourism. The wish lists of modern recreation companies are sometimes challenging to keep track of, with requirements such as excellent WiFi, car charging stations and a reliable power network.

In order to develop a strong and stable internet connection, we first tried to get connections, but after four years of waiting, we decided that this was no longer possible. We then spoke to Seijsener to explore solutions. We finally chose to lay a fiber optic cable from the city to the campsite in cooperation with Vodafone Ziggo Business, so that we were able to achieve a stable connection.

In 2020, due to the growing demand for electric vehicle charging stations, we started installing the first 8 car charging stations, with Seijsener advising and helping us achieve this. Although there were other options, we chose to keep everything in-house. In addition, we have started developing a motorhome park with 65 places and are preparing to build a chalet park with 50 chalets. We want to keep up with the times and that's why we've looked at what steps we can take. When building the new parking facilities, we immediately took into account the preparation of 16 additional charging points, 6 of which have already been built.

For the motorhome park, we have ensured that all motorhome parks have electricity, water and a sewer connection and we will charge guests who want to use electricity. This is particularly important given the growing power consumption, for example through heating and in modern motorhomes. We have opted for heavier connections to charge electric motorhomes on site, and we have installed smart meters to monitor consumption per site, so that guests are aware of their consumption and associated costs.

When planning the motorhome park, we also took into account the possibility of installing a fully electric sanitary building in the future, and we have laid fiber optic cables throughout the area, resulting in an excellent Wi-Fi network. In addition, we have pulled fiber cables to all power cabinets in order to be able to monitor power consumption via fiber in the future.”

“Organizing an entire site like this is a complex task, especially because everything has to be carefully calculated with regard to energy consumption. We are therefore very grateful for the support that Seijsener has provided, so that we are well prepared for the coming years.”

For the chalet park, we will ensure that all houses run on electricity, with an eye for guests with electric cars. Here, charging stations are installed at various locations. The chalet park is located right behind the camper park, and when building it, we already installed the necessary cabling to prevent us from digging into the newly built camper park again.

It is interesting to hear that you have installed Seijsener products at the campsite yourself. Can you tell us more about your experience with the installation process?

“In cooperation with the contractor Westra from Franeker, we built everything ourselves. Before we started the installation, we drew up technical drawings in collaboration with Seijsener. Thanks to these drawings and Seijsener's support, we were able to carry out the installation ourselves.”

We understand that there have been certain challenges with regard to the limited capacity of the network. Can you tell us how Seijsener helped resolve these issues?

“Seijsener supported us in requesting a reinforced power connection from Liander, and they also provided assistance in requesting a transformer.”

Sustainability is playing an increasingly prominent role in the recreation industry. How did using Seijsener products contribute to a more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient approach at Camping de Zeehoeve?

“At the campsite, we implemented charging stations and smart meters in the power cabinets, so that we can better manage energy consumption.”

Finally, what would you recommend to other campsite owners who are considering using Seijsener products? Do you have any advice for them?

“Seijsener offers a pleasant service in all phases. They think along with you, are helpful, also when it comes to communication. In addition, they are knowledgeable and solution-oriented. They also take you into account the state of affairs during implementation. In addition, they can switch quickly and you are assured of quality at all times. In other words: a party you would like to work with.”