SLEEPING out the night on the beach is often a taboo. But on the strands of northern Germany, a new trend sleeping in beach chairs is taking hold. Until now there had been few official places where a guest could book a night to sleep on a beach. But now several across Germany are offering the chance to sleep at the shore.
For a night out under the stars, with the hiss of the sea lapping in over the sand, thousands of guests have been showing their readiness to sacrifice the familiar comforts of a night in a hotel. But just so we’re clear: This is by no means a flimsy deckchair. German beach chairs, which are famously sturdy and are more like a small, cushioned hut with a roof that offers shade, offer quite the level of comfort.
The overnight chairs are generously sized and some can turn into a fully-fledged tent in case of a midnight spell of rain. Visitors in the beach at Dangast at the Baltic Sea even get a torch and a bottle of sparkling wine. Meanwhile in the beach town of Wangerooge, the beds are protected against wind and rain by a weatherproof cover and the openings can be closed against curious onlookers.
The price, including bed linen, for an overnight stay for the 1.3-metre wide basket in Dangast is US$88, roughly half the price of a peak-season room at a nearby beach hotel. Other beach beds can be found for as little as 49 euros.
For that price you get to be the first into the water in the morning when the sun rises. But this bed with a view comes with one serious warning: Don’t swim at night, when the currents are strong. “In case of an emergency, there is nobody there to help you,” warn the operators on the island of Norderney. – dpa
