Marten Knol

I met Marten at six o'clock on my balcony! Cheers :)

marten is open minded, kind and very easygoing. we surfed in haifa together, spent the day in akko, then hitchhiked to a small village for the week-end. he's a good hitch partner and very clever - he got us a great ride cos he's so friendly:)

it's amazing to hear the stories about how he's opened his home to so many! my only complaint about marten is that it will probably take him months to add me as a friend on here cos he's got about 50 people in line before me:P

Marten is really nice, funny and interesting person, it was great meeting him and hanging out. he reminded me how fun it is to travel the world.

 

It was awesome to meet a fellow Ambassador from a superb part of the world and a fellow drink appreciator :) Marten like myself is fully committed to the ideals of Couchsurfing and he is very approachable and easy to chat to, an all round good egg as we say in Blighty :)

It was one of the best persons I have met in BBC he was very smiley and sympathic and u cant imagine him trying to speak in German:)Its a pity that we didnt met before the last day:(I really miss him sometime but I am sure that we will meet somehow:)kisses

 

I can't beleive I hadn't left a reference for Marten until now. Very active in CS, and an incredible guy. He opened his home not just to me, but to several CS at the same time. The host with the most. Thanks man. Have a great trip to Israel....

 

we first met in Dordrecht for the birthday party of a common friend after that we met again in Berlin beach Camp where we shared some drinks and good time
where will be the next common party?

Marten's so cooool :) He came to our meeting hitch-hiking 10 hours without panic and keeping his smile, just lovely sunburned!!!
We truly appreciated sharing time with him... and hoping we'll have new chances to meet!

Stayed at Marten to catch an airplane to Maastricht the next day. We spend a nice evening together, talking untill the fridge was empty. Marten is a very experienced cs-er, so it is nice to hear his stories about it.

Marten ist völlig unkompliziert. Vielen Dank für die Couch.

Marten was my my first host and was a great introduction into the couchsurfing community. In addition to hosting me and showing me around town, he invited me out to a CS meeting in Liège to meet fellow CSers. It was a wonderful first experience and I look forward to many more.

Marten is Marten ! active, laid-black, fun ... We met at CS meeting to Maastricht and Liege and probably we'll continue to meet us at some others.

Marten is an angel!!!, so generous, happy, trusly person, my experience was so great!!! I only want spend 2 days, and I stayed 2 more with him in his home!

Marten was great hosting the party in his place. The vibe was very cool and I was the last one to leave (and I left to his attic, where he keeps several mattresses for those he host - he is just a great host!).

I like very much found Marten in Maastricht , the summer of 2007 by Hospitality Club .
He show me the real hospitality and he teach me a lot of things about the new friends that you can meet in CS or HC, I liked very much the little trip with your bike and how you trust in us , you show me to trust in the new people that come to my home, and I love it.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SHOW AND TEACH me the real HOSPITALITY ... we see in the future in somewhere , I know...
Have a wonderful life
THANK YOU

Marten is a great person: cheerful, nice, funny, generous, warm... We have share some parties and he is also very crazyy! and I have had a lot of fun with him and I am sure that we will have more ;-)

 

I partied and surfed at Marten's place during Carnival. He is one of the most generous,hospitable and friendly people i ever met.
Party at Matten's house is must-to-do during stay in the Netherlands.

Person who knows what the hospitality spirit is and how to have big party's.
I had a cool time in Martens place with loads of beers at Carnival.

He was my first host! and I didnt know what to expect!!! He completely exceeded my expectations! He would be smiling and sweet and funny ... all the time!

THANK YOU!!!

He is a real exapmle of CS Hospitality!!! And his house during the Carnaval in Maastricht is the best place you can fing yourself
Marten THANKS FOR ALL! It is always so good to see you!

Maarten is just lovely! We had such WONDERFUL time with him on carnaval! Really.. the LIVE EXAMPLE of the couchsurfing spirit!

Marten is such a sweet guy! He opened his whole house to a bunch of crazy carnaval people and was a great host! The weekend was a lot of fun, we partied a lot, had delicious food made by him and I hope to go visit him again!

 

During carnaval Marten’s house functioned as a base to gather, converse, eat, rest, and sleep. I guess that his house had at peak times at least 30 people. Imagine this for 5 days! Amazing hospitality!

Marten is a great example of the CS vibe man ;) He had an ass kickin party in Maastrict---3 days in a row---cooked 22 people suuuper LeKKer dinners and let them all crash at his house!! Plus, his place is very to easy to find when arriving in Maastrict...an extra bonus!!

We will come back and visit you for sho' and don't think I forgot about the ART of the TART!!

This year was the first time when I celebrated awesome Dutch carnaval and that was sooo great! Gewoon geweldig! Thank you for the dancing till the morning! Hopefully we can repeat it next year!

Very nice host :D

Marten hosted me during carnival in Maastricht....I think it's so cool that person who doesn't even like carnival opens his home for all the people who want to celebrate it! That's the spirit! Marten made me instantly feel like home at his place and took care of me when I was a bit sick. Sweet. Dank je wel!

I had a fantastic stay at Marten´s house during the Carnival in Maastricht. We were lots of people and everything was simply great! Thank you once again!!!

Marten is my maaaan!!! A wonderful soul in a great body ;-)... jokes appart he is an extremely cheerful guy, a briliant host that kicks your ass with awesome parties and makes you chill the day after with cool piano songs -just great! and I even love his cat!!!! See ya soon!

Marten should be voted Couchsurfing host of the year! He hosted dozens of people throughout carnival and cooked lots of yummy food! He is very relaxed and open and just an all around great person! I can't wait to visit him again!

 

He is a really good host and very generous to host a lot of people in a special event like carnaval. I didnt really satyed at his place but I felt like I surfed there because I spent 2 nights partying and meeting many people. He likes to party a lot for what i could see in one weekend

I didn't stayed at his place but I was was there at a couch surfing party. So many awesome people and Marten was the cool host. He let 22 people stay at his place that night and that's just Awesome! I had a greeeat night in Maastricht!

first cs experience, marten went out of his way to make our first experience really great and he succeeded!!! thanks a mil...

I stayed at Marten's during new year's eve and it was great. Reason enough for me to sign up :)

 

Thanks Marten for the couch after CS meeting at your place. I would be very pleased if you gave me the formula on how to get as cool and confident as you are ... ;-)

The Maastricht meeting was at his place, and I got the opportunity to crash his couch (or, more truthfully, one of his many mattresses). I felt really guilty about leaving early without helping to clean or even say goodbye, but my family would have lynched me. All in all he's a pretty flexible host, who will accomodate without hesitating if he has the space.

 

Marten was really hospitable organizing the CS meeting at his place in Maastricht. I met him three times but I can state his best intentions and good vibrations he brings to the CS people in NL. Do not hesitate to contact him!

I met Marten at one of our CS events and I must tell that he quickly gives a decent feeling of good company and cool things to talk about. I'm always glad to see him again. And he plays the piano!! isn't this fact alone just great?!?!

 

This lost Brabander in Limburg hosted us during the "11th of the 11th" carnival meetup. I also saw him at other events and it's always great to run into him. He lives at a great location, a rowhouse with a lot of space, near the station of Maastricht. Although he didn't join us to the carnival event during the day, he was a top-class host, we (= me and 4 other surfers I didn't know before) felt really welcome and had great conversations till late at night, beer, snacks... we were spoiled! Even with breakfast, and always a smile and open door. Truly great guy and topclass city amb! Thanks a lot!

Marten is cheerful and friendly person, it is easy to talk with him about different things, traveling, Maastricht life :) I am happy to know him

Marten hosted me when I visited my beloved Maastricht.
He has a good taste for food - thank's for those great pancakes, likes good music and plays the piano pretty well!!
And don't forget to give us a taste of one of the best things in life: chocolate!
Thank's for the Nutella! ahahha

Next step is convince him to visit Brasil and also make the train trip Vitoria - Belo Horizonte.

 

Marten is an enthusiastic and open person + a great host!!

Thanks for organizing this super event!!!
I really enjoyed it!
The photos I made are visible on my profile.

Big thank you, Marten is the very good host. I had a wonderful time in Maastricth. I met lots of new friends. My fisrt Carnival is very grestfull. Marten took a good care of everybody....I won't forget the good time at his house....

Grests,
Pia

Marten was not my host during the CSinterklaas event in Rotterdam but he acted like one. As soon as I got in the speed dating party he was there to welcome my friend and me.
Gentleman as he can be he helped us around, cooked a Dutch dish and partied with us.

Marten, you definitely should go to Brazil: people there will never dare to point you a gun. Instead, they will show you where the train station is.

Train in Brazil? Wablieft?

 

I meet him twice. He is very very funny and nice person. You don´t miss to meet him..

Dance dance dance & soulmate in being happy single. ;-)

Thanks Marten for this week end! I will certainly come again this year! I hope to see you again!

Marten was a very friendly and gracious host. He prepared our beds, provided us with food and BEER, and prepped us in the morning for the celebrations with breakfast. All in all a great experience. Thanks again Marten!

Marten is an awesome host and an even better friend. We met ages ago, but recently got to spend some quality time. Which included some great nights out partying and just having fun. He is very smart, and has the tru CS spirit. Look forward to some good times ahead, Carnival perhaps ;)

 

He's one of the most professional CouchSurfers I've met so far. His hospitality is just amazing: Even when he already had guests he let me and a friend stay at his place. With fresh hot coffee and cheese bread we left the town next morning after a great party. Thank you, Marten, hope to see you again soon.

Marten is an amazing host and a really cool guy!He also is a really good chef and has a great spare room for guests.

 

Marten was a great host - he took us on a walking tour and showed us the sights, cooked tasty food, and let us drink him out of house and home! A great time all around.

During my first week in Maastricht I went to a CS party and met Marten. He hugged my so warm and welcomed me to the CS community (which can better be called family) in Maastricht. It's a pleasure to see him everytime we meet. I'm not going to discribe his cooking talent and great hospitality, because it's something to be experienced. I'm glad to know him!

Marten is the personification of hospitality. And he makes very good spring rolls.

 

Our request was last minute, we ended up being two hours late, we stayed just one night, we were really tired after driving 900 kms, only one of three was a couchsurfer. Yet Marten took fantasticslly good care of me and my friends. This is a man who has really understood was couchsurfing is about. It's hard to say exactly why it feels so good to be at Marten's spacious place, but I couldn't imagine that anyone would not feel very welcome there.

A. Genuine. Person. You. Should. Try. To. Stay. With. Him. Full Stop.

He's a very friendly person and I enjoyed meeting him at the Maastricht meetup. He always makes you feel welcome when you visit.

Marten is an excellent host. He really treats you well, and wants to show you the best part of his city.

I have found Martin a very pleasant person. He is so generous and good for the ladies ( giving them icescream haha) He invited me and my surfer Monika to have diner with him and his friends and surfers. Amazing guy! See you at Eds cafe the end of the month, xx

What can I say? you have to be Marten to be able to organize such an incredible event and to be such an excellent host! I enjoyed immensely my time in maastricht thanks to Marten. See you! And regards to Pijo:-)

Marten is a great guy, really relaxed and always looks in a good mood, I have met him in many CS meeting and he is always ready to help, he is very involved and helping in CS!

 

I really enjoyed Marten's "joyful outgoingness" :-), and we had quite a few chats during the paella meeting, inspite of my difficulties to understand his Amsterdam accent when speaking Dutch together - I knew you couldn't be originally from Maastricht ;-) !
I really look forward to meeting again this well-mannered, talkative, and fun Dutch guy!
PS: how come we didn't realize we shared the love of piano-playing??? Another good reason to meet again ;-) !

 

Hi Marten it was very good to meet you now in person and believe me when you meet Martin you know that he is a very friendly, honest and good guy to talk with...See you Martin.

Marten, you did a great job co-organising the maastricht summer meeting!

Marten is a really nice guy and when you're with him you can feel the calm lay-back kind of atmosphere, you'll feel comfortable right away.

 

He's a really nice, warm and friendly person. He knows his city, and can show the most beautiful places that are really hard to find. Thanks for organizing the meeting. I know it was a lot of work for you, but it was so much fun!

 

nice positive guy who would do everything to hold a very large group together. very social person, who laughs a lot when he's feeling good. hope to see you again bro !

I know, a little bit late, sorry:P
I staid 1 night by him, he is a great host, very sweet, I laughed with him, he´s osome.......!!!! He can also cook very well, thank you a lot for the nice day. I´ll see you soon again, see ya Marten. greetings from Barcalona :D

He's just a great guy, very intelligent and very gifted, with a great learning ability, good listener and talker, good sense of humor, and a great pianist, who also loves relaxing just like me ;) That is a good wine or smoke, good food and good company, do nice things or just hang on the couch. I learned a lot from him, as could anyone I believe. We lived in studenthouses together for 6 years and shared many a beer and talk there, and he is one of the guys you wanna hold on to as a friend.

 

Marten is a open-minded and extremely cool and nice guy. I was very happy to meet and host him and his friend Reka. I hope I'll meet them again and again! :-)

 

Marten and I met in Switzerland at Paella 08 and he invited me to come visit his beautiful city. Six weeks later I went to Maastricht. He is a generous host, showing me the city, cooked an amazing Thai dish and introduced me to other surfers. He is very knowledgeable of his town and it history. His place is so nice and comfortable and his cat is very friendly ; ) We have had many wonderful conversations and I believe we have built a friendship that will last. Thanks for everything Marten!

 

We are talking about a very experienced traveller and hichhiker!
It was great riding back from CS Paella with you and share stories with you!

I was about to host him for his last days in Lyon and finally he could surf in his first place. We met at random in place des Terreaux, where he was having a drink with his couch surfer and the 2 girls from Hospitality I've just hosted! We talked a few, he's a nice person. See you a next time Lyon or may be there, if I decide to come back to Netherlands

He met me at the train station, invited me over for a delicious dinner, and even lent me his bike. I am a bad guest as I showed my appreciation by staying with another host. But Marten succeeded and it was not long before I decided to extend my stay in Maastricht and surf his couch. I am so glad as we had some great city walks, talks and raw herring. Thank you so much!

Marten is a very openminded and friendly person. I really loved to stay at his house. Made me feel like home.
He is funny and such a good piano player..so we loved to sit on his balcony and just listen to his piano playing. I wish that more people would be like Marten! Thank you for your trust!! :-) Hope to see you again one day!

My Experience with Marten was very nice, he is a great Person, kind, sociable, worker, enthusiastic, applied. He has many talents and skills, like play the Piano, he plays very very well! You have to hear to him.
We had a nice Pianonight, one day before to my Piano-examination in Maastricht Conservatorium, he loves the Romanthic Music,like Chopin, Mendelshon, etc. I guess that he is the best CS in Maastricht, he has a lot of good a ideas for that. I felt very comfortable in his home. Thank you Marten for your hospitality! I hope see you soon. Greetings, Paris.

 

Marten Is an amazing meatball and curry chef. He is a generous and knowledgable host and a knack for the piano. He also has a cool cat.

He is a crazy dedicated cser! What an hospitalitiy he has! Well organized home, ideas, plans for visitors,friends and having fun!
thanks for hosting us in ms underground!
hope to meet more in other cs meetings!
cheers!

Wow,
His house, his life seems to be totally in line with the Couchsurfing philosophy:
Why having 1 matress in your house if you can have 10? With ten of course you can help way more people.
So nice dude, interesting way of living, hospitable.
We had a great night in Maastricht playing the piano's.
Last but not least: the Egg-Tortilla's were even better than the ones i had had in Spain.

 

well, Marten is one of the funniest, more amazing and friendly persons that u can ever meet. always happy, always laughing, always ready to party, always ready to chat, drink, eat, dance, stay with u; one of the standards of BBC, one of the pilars of BBC, one of the most important and basic members in BBC. friendly, hospitable, easygoing, helpful, opened and more and more good adjectives can describe how is him:) but i just finish telling all of u that he is a nice guy, a good person, a great member but most of all an excellent friend. no had the oportunity but i believe that like a host will be perfect! totally trustworthy and 100% recomended:D Marten, it was really a great pleasure to meet u again, sorry for not going to Maastrich but it was impossible, but dont worry, we'll meet again, there or next year again in BBC:D take care, Juanjo

05.2009
Marten is the spider in the Limbourgian web when it comes to let the local CS-members melt in a bowl, together with the usual CS-visitors, CS-tourists and CS-party people. I really enjoyed co-organising Vastelaovend 2007-2009 with Marten, Henri, Yuan, Marcel and am looking forward to the next one.

05.2008
Marten is a good and smart guy and he's got a very good and social heart. Met him already lots of times since I got to know him about two years ago, he's probably the most active CS-er in Maastricht, a very good and enthousiastic tour guide, a very enthousiastic cook, with good networking skills within the CS-community, I value him as a friend, organisor / co-organisor and as a good host for Maastricht city for the travellers, friends and as a "mass host" during our bigger CS-meetings and events.

I know him from Berlin Beach Camp 2007.
We party and talked a lot so as this year. Always have fun with him.

Nice happy neighbour! maybe see u in maastricht!

Wow, this is a bit late huh! well anyway had a great time at martins place in 2007, both of us a little on the side of the carnival crazy madness but still enjoying ourselves. It was a pleasure to meet, i would look forward to returning oneday for carnival again. You are allways welcome in Riga.

 

My friend Rich and I stayed for one night. We called him at 9pm and he took us in as we couldn't get in contact with our original host. He fed us wine and took Rich out clubbing (I flaked out!). He was ver hospitable, especially at such short notice. He is very obviousl a party person and I am sad I missed out on that!

I know Marten from serveral meetings and I always have a great time with him. He loves meeting all sorts of people. Drinks, party, hitchhiking, carnival, .. doesn't miss anything

Marten is lots of fun. He organises lots of meetings, his house is always full of couchsurfers and he gives massages whenever he gets the chance, what's not to like?

Whenever I hang with Martin, it's such a good time. He seems to me that he certainly has the token CS mentaility, whatever that's supposed to be.... Recently he let me spend the night at his place on a whim. I might possibly hold the record for the shortest time actually CSing over at his place, but he didn't appear to hold it against me. Ummm... oh. + his house is way cool and you should go to the disco with him because that's fun times.

 

I met Marten on several CS related meetings and he always seems to enjoy himself. He's dedicated to CS and tries to get regular meetings going in Maastricht so we hope he will succeed. Hope to be able to talk to you a bit more in the future but it was nice seeing you again in Maastricht.

Marten’s such a cool guy. Really easy-going and hospitable. An awesome cook! A great person to chat to, hang out with or party with until dawn…

 

Marten is one of the reason I cancelled all wknd appointments and travelled 230 km's down south! We had an excellent time, getting lost in Liege, party till dawn in maastricht club Ala to teethless certified beerologists. I was starring at out train window on the way back home from all the kindness, good times we shared. Marten is one of a kind! Conio! :)

Martin was very easy to talk to and found him to be a very open person. I just don't remember either what we talked about...the beers were kickin' in shamely :):) but I remember having a good impresion of him and fun moments. We will meet again maybe at queens night, peace chavo!

Update: Met Marten again in Oporto! So much laughing that my stomach hurted and tears where flying and some cola(?) was coming through my nose! Can't wait for another meet!

Update: Since the carnival meet this guy has been adopted as my dutch brother! Yee! :P.

This guy has a perfect CS-house: close to central station and city center and lots of space. He was totally cool with me showing up at his doorstep totally unannounced :) There was a dinner (HOT) meeting and going out after but I was just too tired, sorry :( Thanks for letting me stay, man. Great host!

Kedeng Kedeng, nice man, always smiling, and giving me tips for songs in Dutch. Always a pleasure to see him

A great guy! Such a gentleman!
We met at the Fallas in Valencia and he was taking care of me all the time making sure I wouldn´t get lost :) It was nice meeting you! Whenever u want to come to Cordoba, mi casa es su casa :)

Marten was the most hospitable host I've experienced! He picked me and Britt up @ the train station, cooked yummi curry and brought us around Maastricht till 6 in the morning- next day up at 10 for a bit of city tour!! We couldn't ask for more-
Lovely!

 

I knew Marten (and Elke) in the meeting Fallas (Valencia). They participated actively in the meeting. His smile and his look caught my attention at first glance! The whole meeting he was smiling! Polite, friendly, good mood, easygoing, he radiates harmony and you feel you can trust him. He was very kind of trying to communicate with me in my language ( I promise to learn English again). It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope make up your mind to make a trip to Madrid.

A very sociable and kind guy, we met in the Valencia Fallas meeting.

The most social Maastricht inhabitant I've ever seen! He organised a sushi-night for CSurfers that I met really nice people including him! Absolutely a real CS supporter and a lovely person..

 

Marten is a very fun-loving person you'll never be bored with! Very amusing and open minded but also a very intelligent conversation partner and an interested listener!He is a great organiser and a perfect host! Marten lives couchsurfing from the bottom of his heart! Great guy!

I really enjoyed talking to Marten and I hope to meet him again soon!

Great host, great cook, but first of all great person. When he has hosts he seems a host in his own house. It makes you feel at home. And what a piano player...

He's truly a CS Ambassador, nice host during CS Gathering in Maastricht Carnaval, a wonderful host with surprising cooking expertise. Thanks Marten for my enjoyable stay at your place

 

Maarten and some other CSers dropped by at my place after a long walk. Maarten seems to be an easy going and helpful guy. He claims to make good quiche, but unfortunately I was too slow to get hands on a piece, so I couldn't judge... I'll update this reference as soon as I know more about Maarten and the quiche :)

I literally showed up on Marten's doorstep and asked if I could stay and even though that was really cheeky and not even my style, he let me stay at his place for the entire Carnaval weekend and it was such a great time at his place! There were so many people at his house, even the CSers who didn't sleep there came by for (really really good) dinner and parties, we went grocery shopping and it was fun (I normally hate grocery shopping), it was really good talking to him about all kinds of things. Marten is a good guy, absolutely trustworthy and a lot of fun!

Marten is a fabulous host and Carnival would not have been the same without him and all of his guests. He did an amazing job of making everyone feel welcome and as an added bonus is a wonderful cook and plays the piano beautifully. Thank you!

Marten in a excellent host; he really open to you his home. Great cook and pianist, he can show you the beautiful Maastricht. Bring him some Porto!

Thanks to Marten I had a superb time at Carnaval. Because of him it was a great success. He created an atmosphere in his house where at least 10 nationalities were enjoying each other and having fun together. He is so cool and nothing can ruin his day. Couchsurfing.com should be proud having Marten as a member!

Marten is so hospitable!!! He hosted 17 people at the same time, including me, for the Maastricht Carnaval. His house was full of CS-ers at any time during the day and the night, and he still had the strength and patience to smile, advice and speak to everybody. And he's a great piano player! Waking up every morning on his songs was just lovely!!! Thanks Marten! Hope to see you soon!

verry nice guy. have a good time there verry friendly

Marten is one of those things that make this little muddy land (NL) one of the greatest contries on Earth.
I spent 3 days of Carnival at his place and all I just can talk good about him, friendly, warm and an excellent cook!

Marten is a super host. I am amazed by his ability to host people. And he still pays attention to you. His place is like a shelter when you are cold, tired, hungry...

Marten was so kind to join me for a nice walking trip in Maastricht today. According to the plan it would take just a few hours. But we spend just about the whole afternoon exploring really wonderful places in and around Maastricht. Marten knew a lot to say about .. just everything. Thank you Marten for the lovely day. I think we will probably meet some time soon in Maastricht.

Marten is a really great host and person! He made me and Clara feel very welcome and showed us beautiful Maastricht, so we had a good time there. Thank you so much!

Maarten is a great guy!
It seems like he is addicted to surf couches. ;) He told so many stories about people visiting him. It's great to meet somebody so open to meet people and open to get to know more about their culture and experiences.
Thanks for the nice meeting Maarten!

Marten was a wonderful host, and with a lot of interesting stories to tell, some of them related to my country! :) I was overwhelmed with his kindness the whole time, not only visible in his attitude, but also in the fact that he offered me a very nice dinner, breakfast, cookies, etc. He is very active in HC/Couchsurfing, and he's certainly an example of how all members of these communities should be.

I dropped at his place after my appointment in Maastricht.It was very spontaneous visit,but he welcomed me.We shared sushi-lunchbox,talked about his experiences in Japan,travelling,and music.He is a real Pianist, plays very sensitive and softly.It was a fantastic afternoon.Hope to hear his piano again!

Marten is a really nice, friendly and talkactive guy. I enjoyed a lot my stay at his place with a lot of people over!! he is an excellent cook as well...and he gave us one of the best tour i ever had through the charming maastricht! hope to meet you soon again dear marten, ciao
elisa

 

I have meet Marten in Liege and Brugge at a meeting and after clara and me had host him. It's always nice to meet him.

 

I was quite curious about him as I had watched the video he had linked on his profile several times ... I then heard more amazing stories about him: his passion for the piano, how he hosted 20 persons at a time, that he's a good cook, that he's very charming ...
When I talked to him on our way down the Citadelle in the dark, during the Liège meeting, I could imagine that all of this was true and that he is a real enthusiastic and big supporter of the whole Euregio-Rhein-Maas-CS-community, but also a reflecting, social and sensitive guy and caring host. I then crashed on his couch for the carnival meeting. Even more than "extremely positive"!!! Some months later I gave him a lift back home from the Paella in Gossau/CH, then met him again at another amazing meeting he organized and helped him out a bit, got to know him even a bit more ... Hope to see you again soon ...

staying with marten was a brilliant first couch surfing experience, we had a blast at carnaval and the next day he gave us a wonderful guided tour, a brilliant host and a really nice guy!

my two friends and i surfed on martens couch for our first couch surfing experience, he was a really kind and wonderful host and made us feel incredibly welcome. he has a nice cat too:)

We had a great time with Marten! He was so friendly and welcoming and gives a fantastic city tour.

Only one comment: Marten is the nicest dutchman I've ever known. A great person, a trustful friend and a wonderful host. Just read all his reference, listen what the world say.....

 

Met Marten in Portugal-Porto,hosted by same Cs host. Didnt get to talk much to Marten as i was sick, mentioned aboved.Through our little journey he is that kind of person who will try to "break the ice" initiate into a conversation, knowlegeable and a gentlemen. stay in touch!

Meet Marten in the Liege meeting in october...really a great guy! funny positive and interesting!!
i hope i'll see him soon!

What a nice guy, I had an amazing time at the Maastricht meeting . Marten is so laid back and easy to talk to, he knows how to have a good time and is a great planner. Of course he is great at piano too =)

Great Surf and Great evening out!!

Ough Marten, Marten, I cannot find the words to describe how much fun I had with him. If you're looking for a perfect host in Maastricht, Marten is the one:)

Great host and awesome person, very nice and extremely hospitable. It was awesome staying at his pad and meeting people Marten definately knows how to throw a good party!

We enjoyed a lot the 2 nights we spend at Marten's home, with him and Cristina, it was so funny to interchange conversations. Moreover preparing Agua de Valencia and sangria for dinner. And the food... What I missed it was to listen you playing the pianooo... ohh, only I can imagine how good you play it!. And... the funny and biiig cat he has, who "arrapó" victor's legs with his nails! hhehehhe.
Muy buen ambiente en la casa de Marten.

Marten is so great. We had a great tme on his meetin and at his place as well. It was so excellent and the fact that I love Holland made it a very excitng day. I always feel like shouting out "Holland I'm HERE" any time I clime to a hight leveled ground, but I wasn't able. I will surely come to your next meeting. It was a very special day for me.

Marten has the energy of 4. Was so enthusiastic during the CS-meeting in his house and just wanted everyone to have a great time! I only stayed for 1 night with the group, but it really was a lot of fun! I hope the rest of the weekend was equally fun! Then you surely had a blast! Take care, and let me know when you ever want to come to Ghent!

This guy was a life saver. A wonderful host, superb tour guide, and tons of fun. Hosted me on very short notice. We even went out and danced the night away.

 

We met at the meeting in Brugge. After that he had 5 girls for dinner for Christina's birthday. He cooked himself, didn't want any help and guess what : it was amazing ! 4 different plates, so delicious ! Wonderful cooker, so and of course kind and nice guy ! Oh, I almost forgot : he plays piano aswell. I'm not a musician but it sounded he plays very well.

Stayed at Martens place during the Maastricht meeting he organised. We had a picknick in the Park and went up the St. Pieter to have a view over the city. Everything was just great!
Marten is extremely relaxed. He takes it as it comes and does not waste time with bothering about his futher. He just follows his dreams.
Want to do him a favour? Make cous cous!
MARTEN; thanks for the great weekend!!!

He invited me to a great meeting in his house!He his the best tour guide of the city and he showed us the best places you cant find in any book!4 Days only Party and Fun in his house and in Mastricht!He is the best Piano Player in Maastricht. The best Couchsurfing Meeting!muchas gracias,espero k vienen muchas mas!

 

He realy is into couchsurfing. Hosted a bunch of people while I've been there. Had loads to eat and drink and even some spare keys for the people getting back earlier.

For me that should be the city ambassador of Maastricht

 

I met Marten several times and its always great to meet, go around and have fun with him.
He Hosted me We went to berlin and hosted me again.
He is perfectly OK

Marten prepared a wonderful meal for me and some other couchsurfing guests. We bumped into each other again in the market and if I had spent more time in Maastricht I would have liked to spend some more time with Marten for sure, a great friendly host.

I can't believe I forgot to put "extremely positive" on Marten's reference.I have great things to say about Marten. You'll have to get back to me though. Just kidding. He's a wonderful host and has unknowingly given me tips on how to better my skills as a host in Ecuador. I'm actually going to live with him in the months of July-August; so we can host surfers together. I will update my reference as soon as I discover that he is a terrible person to live with. Just a joke. Marten, come home soon! I have to make you those empanadas I promised. Even now, when I get home from the lab, it's the best thing in the world to just lie on the couch and listen to Marten play beautiful music on the PIANO. You guys better come to the Maastricht meeting!

Despite perpetual rainy weather, my stay in Maastricht was a joy thanks to Marten. His passion for hosting and meeting new people is evident, and I really enjoyed our chats :) Dank u wel!

I went to Marten's place in Maastricht for Cristina's birthday ans we had a very good evening! He's a real great cooker! It was amazing to be 5 girls chatting and drinking while one guy was cooking, I'm pretty sure I hadn't seen that before ;-) And the important point: it was delicious! He's very pleasant, welcoming and kind person!

 

We had a great time together at Berlin Beach Camp. I like Marten coz he´s a very friendly, open-minded, interesting guy, has versatile interests in life and is very pleasant in conversations. Would be just great to meet him again. :-)

we had a lot of fun together and good talks together. altough he sometimes forgot that I was also dutch. :D

 

We can not say enough good things about Marten. He hosted us two different times during our holiday and the second time was very last minute. Marten has a heart of gold! No matter what some people might say about his cat, Pijo, is very sweet. We hope he comes to stay with us some time. Thanks for everything Marten!

we met in madrid for a few hours when he had to change a plane here. he seems an inteligent and friendly guy. we had nice conversations, some beer, some ganja, some laugh, a mini tour around madrid.. i feel sorry i couldn't stay out later.. but we'll surely meet next time you come here!!!

 

I met Marten at the Berlin Beach Camp 2007 with the Netherlands gang :=) We spend the days together exploring a bit Berlin and have fun on the camp. He has good hospitality spirit and is for sure a great host. If you have the possibility to met him, do it and you won't reget it :=) Cu soon at next camp/meeting or when you pass by here!

 

I met Marten in Porto, he was also a guest of Rui. He is a really nice guy, with lots of stories to explain, so you will not get bored with him...
Last day he joined Phoebe and me on our way back to Lisbon.
If you have the chance and want to spend some good time, meet him.

I enjoyed meeting him very much... and was happy every time I saw him again. He is such an incredibly nice guy, easy to talk to and get along with, intelligent, open minded, a valuable addition to any discussion ...
UPDATE: It took only two years to finally make it to not-so-far-away Maastricht. Marten is an excellent host who shares all he has with his guests. Thanks!

I know Marten for quite a while know. We've been going true a lot together: I lived with him for two months during my internship, we traveled together, and recently i hosted him in Salamanca. For me he is a really special friend, always in for having fun and give me guidance when i need it. He is a friendly,thoughtfull and interesting person,a great cook,... so just the perfect host!

Marten is a big hoster as you can see in his page. I had the pleasure to be the 1st one hosting him. We had great time toguether and i think he felt in love by Porto. He came back and i think he will do it again in the future. So, i´m just waiting to host him again. He also does a great dutch soup! Thanks.

I stayed at Marten's place in Maastricht for 5 days and it was just perfect.
Marten is a genuinely kind, open and friendly person, with whom i had a delightful time: i enjoyed the conversations, the beautiful piano playing (i just listened), the original and GOOD cooking and the entire atmosphere (including the gorgeous cat!). Marten made me feel at home; i hope to meet him again.

marten is a cool guy, he saved elisabeth and I when we missed the last trai from masstricht and gave up his bed! we met again in liege discovering the merits of the infamous "carré"...!!

Great host. Made me feel right at home with his easy going attitude and good home cooking. On top of that were the conversations, the piano playing, the drinks......

Marten was a great host! He showed us around town, gave us more red wine than we should have drunk ;-) and he insisted on cooking us dinner: make sure to ask for his couscous dish when you get the chance :D

Marten hosted an invasion of revelers during Carnival in Maastricht, even though he himself did not intend to join in (but did anyway). He loves hosting and is very easy going and open minded. I felt very welcome and free to go as I pleased. Making my stay in Maastricht just perfect! Thanks, Marten.

Marten is a nice guy! We had good fun with him !

Very nice and cool dude...! His piano playing and wine made me want to stay home the whole weekend.. instead we went partying and mountain biking around his home town.

I had a great time and much of it is thanks to Marten...

His house is very close to everything and there's more than enough room so be sure to stop by his couch when you are in the neighbourhood. Also: host him! you won't regret it.

marten really enjoy having people in his place. he is very generous.