Morning Swim at Jan Thiel Bay
2 h€ 0-10 Active
In the water before six, no crowds and coffee in hand. A short morning ritual with a snorkel, before the rest of the villa wakes up.
Before six the light in Jan Thiel is soft and the beach is still empty. From Villa Casa Blanca it's a five-minute drive to the bay, coffee in the thermos between your knees. A few early joggers on the boulevard, nobody else. You kick off your flip-flops and walk into the water, which is warmer than you expect and clear enough to see your feet.
Just behind the buoys you put your mask on. Below you: small schools of sergeant majors, a parrotfish if you're lucky, sometimes a turtle heading toward the buoy line. Twenty minutes later you're back on the sand, dripping, happy. Back at the villa everyone is still quiet. You've already had a full morning.
Checklist
0 of 5
Snorkelset klaar bij voordeur
Thermos koffie gevuld
Handdoek in de auto
Cash voor strandentree
Zwemkleding al aan
Handy & partners
Some links may earn us a small commission. It costs you nothing extra.
Leave the villa before six. Snorkel set, towel, thermos of coffee, flip-flops.
Park at the boulevard, the beach is still empty. Salt air instead of coffee air.
Step into the water without overthinking it. Just float for a moment, eyes closed.
Mask on and snorkel along the buoy line. Stay within the markers.
Dry off on the towel. No phone, just the bay waking up.
On the way back, take a loop along the boulevard and see what's opening up.
Related playbooks
Snorkel Day at Playa Cas Abou
A day on the west side of the island: clear water, a reef just off the shore, and a beach bar for a midday break. About an hour's drive from Jan Thiel.
Midsummer Evening on the Water
Spending a long June evening on a lake or pond, with a rowing boat or rental boat, food on board, and dusk lasting well past ten.
SUP clinic on the Spaarne Haarlem
An instructor, a board, two hours of paddling through the old city. A SUP clinic on the Spaarne teaches you the basics against a backdrop of step-gabled facades and drawbridges.
Renting a sloop on the Vinkeveense Plassen for half a day
Three to four hours of self-skippered sailing on clear open water, with a short swimming stop at a sandy islet and plenty of time for a terrace or picnic on board.
Utrecht Canal Ritual
A morning ritual along Utrecht's sunken canals. Coffee, quiet water, and the most beautiful wharf cellars in the Netherlands.
Silent Morning on the Vechtplassen
Early on the water near Loenen aan de Vecht, a whisper boat or canoe through the reeds, and breakfast in the cockpit while the mist lifts.
Arrival Evening at Villa Casa Blanca
First evening in Curacao, bags down, dive into the private pool and a simple bite on the terrace. A relaxed start before the week really begins.
Day Charter on the Veerse Meer
A relaxed sailing day on a sheltered Zeeland lake with small islands, creeks, and low banks. No sailing licence needed when booking a charter with a skipper or instructor.
One Week in Zakynthos, from Navagio to Porto Limnionas
Seven days on Zakynthos, from the famous Navagio Beach and the Blue Caves to sea turtles at Laganas and hidden bays.
For anyone copying this
Do as we did
Suggestions
- Fill the thermos the night before and you're out the door in ten minutes.
- Put your swim shorts on under your clothes, nobody at the bay at half past five.
- There's a small entrance fee for the boulevard, bring cash.
- Snorkel along the buoy line, not beyond it, a jet ski sometimes comes through there.
- Check the current before swimming further out from shore.
Variations
- - In plaats van zwemmen een korte hardloop over de boulevard en terug.
- - Met twee, een zwemt, een blijft op het strand met de spullen.
- - Na het zwemmen ontbijt bij een tent op de boulevard die om zeven uur opent.
Atmosphere
by PlayTryBe team