Jeroen and Johanneke

AKQA Beach: a touch of southern France on de Binnenschelde

From luxury beach beds and Mediterranean food to e-foiling, yoga on the jetty and children's parties on the water. At AKQA Beach, everything is about experience. Jeroen and Johanneke built a beach club on de Binnenschelde where families, groups of friends and water sports enthusiasts feel like they are on holiday.

On the waters of de Binnenschelde is a place where visitors immediately experience the holiday feeling. As soon as you step into AKQA Beach, you feel like you are on the Côte d'Azur. With French music in the background, luxurious beach beds, umbrella pines from Tuscany and the smell of freshly prepared dishes with Mediterranean influences.

Total concept and experience
Johanneke studied at Artemis Academy, a creative design school focused on total concepts and experience. This is where her fascination for community living and the question: what do people really need? When she met Jeroen, she already had an idea for a water sports centre. Only the soul was still missing.
"It didn't have to become a standard water sports place," Johanneke explains. "I immediately thought: make it a complete concept for the whole family. A place where a working mother can relax while her children have fun. That feeling of southern France, but just here on the Boulevard."
From that thought, the foundation of AKQA Beach was born. Not just a place for supping, e-foiling or swimming, but a complete daytime experience. A beach club where you can have a quiet breakfast, an extensive lunch and where children play safely in the water park.

From steak frites to salmon tartare
Even the smallest details are deliberately chosen. The nachos disappeared from the menu because they do not fit within the Mediterranean concept. Instead, the menu revolves around quality, origin and taste. From steak frites to salmon tartare and spaghetti bolognese with organic minced meat for children.
"Everything has to be right," Johanneke says. "That's my role here: quality control and concept monitoring." Water sports enthusiasts are also surprised by the catering offerings. After a morning on the water, guests slide in for a healthy breakfast, a good coffee or a sumptuous lunch. From matcha to fresh bowls. Guests can also dine there.

A beach club built from scratch
For Jeroen, the adventure began elsewhere. After leaving school, he left for Dubai, where he worked in real estate for more than 20 years. "I know Dubai better than Bergen op Zoom," he says with a laugh. Yet the desire grew to build something tangible in his own area. Something where people come together ánd where he gets energy from.
As a wind and kite surfing enthusiast, he came up with the idea of a water sports site on de Binnenschelde. That plan quickly grew into something much bigger. The municipality initially saw few possibilities, until Johanneke presented a fully worked-out 3D concept. "From then on, things suddenly went fast," Jeroen explains. "The plan we submitted then, now stands almost exactly as it does."

Southern French atmospheres on the boulevard
That vision can be seen everywhere. The beach will have the appearance of a sheltered bay. A jetty runs into the water. Luxury beach beds with towel service. Heated outdoor showers. A boutique with Italian fashion. Yoga on the jetty on Sunday mornings, including breakfast. Everything is about comfort, relaxation and experience. "When people come in here, they should feel like they are away for a while," Johanneke says.
The first reaction is almost always the same: 'Wow'. "Many people don't expect this feeling in Bergen op Zoom" she says. Meanwhile, visitors from all over the Netherlands and Belgium know how to find AKQA Beach. From Breda, Brasschaat, Utrecht, Nijmegen and even Germany, people drive to Bergen op Zoom for a day at the waterfront. On sunny days, the seventy luxury beach beds are sometimes fully booked a week in advance.

A place for families and water sports enthusiasts
Yet it's not all about luxury. The heart of AKQA Beach is experiencing together. This is reflected, for example, in the children's parties. Children are picked up across the water in a sloop and sail to the AKQA Beach jetty. There, a long picnic table awaits under a private tent, followed by swimming, supping, farmer's fries and organic ice creams. The experience begins even before they set foot on shore.
Businesses, groups of friends and sporty visitors also find their way to the beach club. From a group of friends celebrating a 50th anniversary with e-foiling to families who stay here all day between lunch, beach bed and water activities. "We really built it from our own needs," Johanneke explains. "We want to be active on the water, but also be able to lie comfortably, eat good food and relax for a whole day."

Bergen op Zoom as an international attraction
What makes AKQA Beach special is that it is much more than just hospitality or recreation. This summer, the beach club is hosting an international delegation of Aquaglide distributors from all over the world. While the annual meeting normally takes place in Paris, they are now deliberately choosing Bergen op Zoom. Because they are impressed by what has been built here on de Binnenschelde .
The cooperation with local partners also plays an important role in this. AKQA Beach, for instance, collaborates a lot with Grand Hotel De Draak, with guests using each other's facilities.

The ambition? Not bigger, but better
Despite all the growth, Jeroen and Johanneke continue to look critically at the future. Their biggest dream? Not necessarily bigger, but better. Even stronger in hospitality and even better trained staff. "When people come here," says Johanneke, "we want them to really get away for a while. As if they are on holiday, without having to travel for hours."

View the AKQA Beach website.

Photo: Sanne Brusselaars

June 2026