Crane swung in to action as hotel

GO NICHE: TIME WAS when we used to count the cranes on the skyline as a barometer of economic activity. How about looking at them as something else?

The Crane Hotel in Harlingen Harbour, an hour from Amsterdam, might prove inspirational.

The decommissioned crane still overlooks the dockside, but these days has been converted into a luxury, if bijou, hotel.

Original ladders are replaced by lifts which get guests up to the main cabin, 17m high and fitted with a double bed, shower and minibar.

Up top there’s a terrace on which to enjoy your sundowners. But best of all are the fully operational crane controls, midway between the two.

Not only do you get full run of the crane’s 45m high jib but, when you tire of the coastal view, simply turn your hotel around to face the town instead.

The same company has turned a former lifeboat into a hotel room too, offering it up for those in need of rescue not from the stormy sea but the daily grind.

The boat, which was in active use from 1955 to 1979, still runs smoothly and guests here have the option of commissioning a private captain to take them out round the harbour for a two-hour trip, as part of their stay.

Alternatively, you can opt to stay at the lighthouse in Harlingen, decommissioned in 1998 and now a unique spot to stay, with a VHF radio in the kitchen allowing you listen in to the conversations of passing boats and the harbour authorities.

A night at the Crane Hotel costs €319 including breakfast. The lifeboat and the lighthouse cost €229 each.

* vuurtoren-harlingen.nl