When was the last time you spent the night at the beach? If you’re like me, the answer is: far too long ago. Imagine falling asleep under the glittering starry sky. The night is filled with the gentle sound of the surf. In the early morning, you wake up on a deserted beach and see the sunrise over the Bay of Lübeck.
For some years now, this has no longer been a dream. An overnight stay in a sleeping beach chair is possible in Travemünde and some other seaside resorts. On the last weekend in September, we made this unique accommodation option available to the Lübeck ZWISCHENZEILEN tested.
The history of the beach chair
Beach chairs are an integral part of the German coastline. They are as old as our bathing culture. The first written evidence of their existence dates back to 1871. The basket maker Ernst Karl Nikolaus Freese described a
beach chair with a canopy made of willow and cane, whose oil-lacquered roof protected against wind and weather. At the same time, it also offered a certain amount of privacy, because towards the end of the 19th century, people were bathing buttoned up, so to speak.
From 1883, commercial rentals began along the German Baltic coast. It was not long before the baskets also appeared on Dutch and Flemish North Sea beaches. Various patents were registered. Beach chairs that could be folded into a suitcase or used as a boat. As early as 1897, “half-loungers” were created – two-seater beach chairs with adjustable backrests in which you could sleep.
The classic beach chair has hardly changed in the last hundred years. However, there are some small but subtle differences between those on the Baltic Sea coast and those on the North Sea coast.
The woman and the sea
The beach season in Travemünde begins on May 1 and lasts until the end of September. We were late. I like the peace and quiet of the off-season. The cool nights and the crisp, clear fall days with ground fog and sea smoke.
On September 27, we have an appointment with Charlotte at 5 pm. You can tell she spends a lot of time outside in the fresh air. When we meet, she is wearing a warm, soft wool sweater. Two alert, clear blue eyes shine in her face, tanned by the summer sun. We quickly realize that Charlotte is not a mouthful. The lines of her face bear witness to an eventful life and her hearty laugh. I immediately feel sympathy for Charlotte. Even before we discover our shared passion for Iceland.
At the age of 30, she moved to Travemünde for love and married into the Seipel family. It was also her start in the beach chair rental business, which the Seipel family company is now running in the third generation. Charlotte will celebrate the company’s ninetieth anniversary on May 28 next year.
Apart from us, there are two other couples on the beach on this Friday evening. The sky is gloomy and overcast. A north German breeze creates an autumnal atmosphere. We lose no time in settling into our sleeping quarters, the “Seepferdchen” basket. Measuring 1.4 m x 2 m, it offers enough space for two adults. A tarpaulin protects against wind and rain, but can be folded up like the top of a convertible in good weather. There is a porthole at cushion height on both sides of the basket, which can be closed off from prying eyes with a flap. There is a small shelf above the headboard for storage.
Charlotte hands us a large carrier bag in which we find two covered blankets and pillows. In front of our beach chair is a lockable box in which we find a folding table and two wooden chairs. Now nothing stands in the way of a romantic dinner or breakfast by the sea.
We also receive a bunch of keys: for the sleeping beach chair, the crate and the toilets at the Brügmanngarten. As an overnight guest, you also have access to the showers in the Nivea Haus at the aja Resort for half an hour. Depending on your budget and expectations, you can reserve your sleeping beach basket with or without bedding, with a moonlight snack basket and a hearty breakfast. Everything has been thought of.
A fall night by the sea
After a short briefing, we move into our accommodation and close the canopy. I feel safe and secure. Who would have thought that our basket would be so comfortable and spacious? I feel a downright childlike joy about our cozy place to sleep. A little adventure, a short vacation at home.
We lie stretched out on our comfortable bed and look out at the sea through the front window. I’m reminded of all the camping trips of my youth. Why has so much time passed since then?
Night gradually falls. That suits us well. We have nothing else planned for today. The cloudy sky runs through all shades from gray to dark blue. The wind tugs at our beach chair from all sides. We drink hot tea from a thermos flask. I walk to the Nordermole and watch the big “pots” pass the pier light. As always, I am seized by wanderlust and wish I was on board.
After dark, we visit one of the restaurants on the Vorderreihe and treat ourselves to a good dinner. On warm summer evenings, you can also enjoy your dinner at a folding table right in front of your beach chair. On this autumnal September 27, we are glad to have a heated restaurant.
It’s not even 10 p.m. when we bury ourselves in our pillows in almost complete darkness. The lights of a few boats and buoys glimmer on the sea. The beach is deserted. Only the gentle sound of the wind and the sea fill the night. We sleep soundly.
At dawn
My friend wakes me up shortly after 6:00 in the morning. A narrow blue strip of twilight appears on the horizon. Around us, the shadowy outlines of the other beach chairs peel out of the darkness. The morning is cold and windless. The first ship of the day drifts leisurely, silently and in full festive lighting towards the harbor entrance. Its lights are reflected in the calm sea. As it gets lighter, we open our canopy and enjoy the spectacle of a perfect fall morning. As we had booked our overnight stay without breakfast, I head for the nearest bakery. If you book the overnight stay with breakfast, it will be served directly at the sleeping beach chair.
I like these early morning walks. The seaside resort is just waking up. Crows patrol in droves along the promenade. They watch me suspiciously from their vantage points on the lampposts. Their harsh cawing seems to herald the arrival of the cold season. Apart from me, there are other early birds out and about: a jogger runs light-footedly towards the sunrise. A dog enthusiastically walks its drowsy mistress. A couple of anglers are almost up to their chests in the sea.
Back in the beach chair, we snuggle back under our blankets and enjoy the hot, steaming coffee and freshly baked French rolls. They are perfect: warm and crispy on the outside, sweet and soft on the inside. That alone makes getting up early worthwhile. Then there’s the natural spectacle: the sky turns from dark blue to silver and finally golden. The sun climbs the horizon, bathing everything in orange light and making the sea sparkle.
Around 9:00 am, the beach gradually comes to life. Our neighbors crawl out of their baskets. Tables and chairs are set up in front of their beach chairs and breakfast is served. We, on the other hand, pack our things and join Charlotte. It seems that she has also spent the night in her little cottage on the beach. In the meantime, she is directing her team, giving instructions on how to dismantle her beach chairs and getting her business ready for winter. We were the last overnight guests of the season.
After our night in the sleeping beach chair, I feel very relaxed and, by my standards, talkative on this sunny fall morning. We take the opportunity to have a chat with Charlotte. She loves these early mornings the most, she says. A sunrise on the beach is the perfect start to the day. She looks back on a successful season. The prospects for next year are good. However, it is not an easy life: 12-hour working days are not unusual in the summer season. And in all weathers. In winter, it’s all about basket care. After that, however, she will take a vacation and travel to Iceland for at least a month. She has family there. She loves the rugged landscapes and the warm people up there in the far north. I can understand her very well. There are certainly no beach chairs there.
Our conclusion
An overnight stay in a sleeping beach chair is a unique experience. A mini-adventure that is somewhere between an overnight stay in a hotel and a camping vacation. You get to experience our wonderful nature up close and feel yourself consciously. At least that’s how I felt.
On this page you will find the answers to your questions. Here you can book your overnight stay in the Schlafstrandkorb or order a voucher. Wouldn’t that make a great Christmas present?
