Overnight in the famous cube houses in Rotterdam
The cube houses in Rotterdam are famous all over the world because of their striking design. Always been curious about what it’s like to sleep in a cube house? In this article I will tell you why I enjoyed staying at the cube houses in Rotterdam. Hopefully this information helps you to better decide on an accommodation in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Cube houses Rotterdam
Designed by Dutch architect Piet Blom in the mid-1970s, the 38 cube houses are literally cubes, tilted over by 45 degrees. This results in buildings that look, feel and behave unlike anything you’ll find elsewhere in the world. The whole cube house site is in fact constructed as part of a pedestrian bridge. While you walk along the beautiful houses, you cross a busy road. The cubes don’t have any straight walls inside, so this gives residents a headache when they need to buy their furniture.
The cube houses have been the definitive eye catcher of Rotterdam for 30 years now. Tourists from all over the world visit Rotterdam to see the cube houses. You can make beautiful pictures from the outside but you also have the opportunity to visit one of the houses inside (kijkkubus) or even spend the night (Stay okay or Airbnb). I’ve stayed in a cube house via the hostel-chain Stay okay and would like to tell you more about it below.
Tip: you can make great pictures of the Old Harbour between the cube houses but also the other way around.
Location: Cube houses Rotterdam
The Cube Houses are located within the Blaak area where you can find some other striking designs like the underground Blaak railway station or the city library. The cube houses are located opposite the popular Market hall, so it’s easy to combine your visit. Prepare to be charmed by neighborhoods full of fresh-faced bikers, exquisite architecture, cute cafes, and lots of cultural activity.
Station Rotterdam Blaak is just a stone’s throw away (tram/metro/train). To travel by bus or by metro in Rotterdam area you need a ticket. You can buy a ticket directly on the tram/bus or one of the machines at the Blaak station. There are different kinds of tickets (OV-chipcard available). Need more tips on traveling by public transportation in the Netherlands? Click here!
If you like to visit the cube houses by car, you can park in the Kiphof, Oude Haven Public Parking or in the surrounding streets. Please note that almost everywhere you park, a fee is applicable.
Stayokay Rotterdam has an excellent location for trips to Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Leiden, Delft, Den Haag, or Utrecht.
Address:
Overblaak 85-87
3011 MH Rotterdam
Nederland
Rooms inside a cube house
Do you want to experience what it´s like to sleep in a cube house? You can book a shared or private room in the StayOkay Hostel Rotterdam (budget accommodation) which is located in one of the megacubes. There are rooms available for 2, 4, 6 and 9 persons, all with private bathrooms. Simple, quiet, and clean rooms. Criticisms: The room was very light due to the missing curtains. It must be hard to place something in front of the roof windows, but placing nothing isn’t really a solution. This disrupted my sleep pattern and caused me to wake in the early morning (05.00 am).
The hostel has no straight walls. The cool thing is: each room is unique! It was great to stay in a cube room with the angled walls.
The hostel’s restaurant
You can enjoy a breakfast buffet from 07:30 until 9:30 on weekdays, and from 08:00 until 10:00 on weekends. There is a variety of baked breads, eggs, different kinds of cheeses and meat slices, fruit, selection of cereals and much more! Good coffee machine that made cappuccino and strong coffees too. Pizza & snacks were available daily at the bar until 11:00 pm.
The hostel’s facilities
The entrance is in the lovely sheltered area between the cube houses. This is really nice! The common areas mostly has chairs, which are not comfortable to stay after your day out. There is fast & free WI-FI available for you in the whole hostel.
The hostel offers a bike rental. Getting around Rotterdam by bike is the best way possible.
There is a luggage room available. Even tough the website says that lockers in rooms need to be locked with a padlock, I couldn’t find any locker at all. Staff at the reception was courteous although somewhat disinterested and unprofessional.
Price of staying in a cube house in Rotterdam
The price per night in a 3-person room starts around €85,- and for a 6-person room you pay around €135,- per room. When you stay in a shared room prices start around €22,- (bed in 8-bedded room) and end around €26,- (bed in 4-bedded room). Of course the price depends on the period in which you’re traveling to Rotterdam and if you stay during weekdays or in the weekend. You can book a stay directly at the website of the hostel.
Contact details:
+31(0)104365763
ro*******@st******.com
You can also book your cube house stay via Airbnb!
Summary of my cube house stay
The location couldn’t be more convenient: right on top of a major train/metro station, but despite that, pretty quiet for city center. Staff was courteous although somewhat disinterested and unprofessional. Facilities were charming and the breakfast was good. The light in the room was annoying, but the rooms were overall simple, quiet, and clean. Just stay there for the location and the fact that you can say you slept in the Cube Houses. I hope this information helps you to better decide on an accommodation in Rotterdam.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about this accommodation, feel free to reach out!
NOTE: this post is not sponsored and contains my personal and honest experience!
Author: Daphne
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