Imagine returning to your hotel room after a day of seaside relaxation, only to find an unexpected guest snoring by the bed — one with flippers and a genuine love for fish.
That’s exactly what happened to a traveler in the Netherlands, where a wild grey seal turned a routine getaway into a whimsical tale of interspecies hospitality. According to the Zeeland Animal Welfare Foundation, the sleepy stowaway was discovered curled up near the bed of a beachfront room at Vlissingen’s Pier 7 hotel.
“We often receive strange reports and are not easily surprised anymore, but when we received a report tonight, we could not believe it at first,” the foundation posted on Facebook. The guest, peering through the window to spot the whiskered intruder mid-snooze, opted to grant the seal some solo nap time. Instead of shooing the marine mammal away, they alerted hotel staff, who promptly called animal rescuers.
A grey seal makes himself at home in a hotel room. Photo from Facebook/Stichting Dierenwelzijn Zeeland
The Reddingsteam Zeedieren Nederland RTZ (Marine Animals Rescue Team Netherlands RTZ) arrived to handle the drowsy trespasser. “The RTZ employees have enough experience and put the seal, who had become quite grumpy due to his disturbed beauty sleep, in a seal basket and he was relocated to a safe, quieter place,” the Zeeland Animal Welfare Foundation said. Though unharmed, the seal reportedly objected to its abrupt wake-up call, showcasing what rescuers described as a ‘comically sour mood’.
Authorities speculated the cheeky pinniped waddled into the room after the guest accidentally left their beach-facing door ajar. Grey seals, known for their quirky napping habits, “look for a resting place and sometimes lie in the middle of a terrace or on the road,” animal welfare experts said. “A grey seal [can find] you in the craziest places,” they added, emphasizing that while the animals may appear cuddly, they’re best admired from a distance.
The grey seal likes to bite and is not an animal, despite its cute appearance, to be touched,” the foundation warned.
The guest’s patience and the rescue team’s expertise ensured a smooth eviction. “Fortunately, our valued colleagues from Reddingsteam Zeedieren Nederland RTZ were quickly there to assist our ambulance workers,” the Zeeland Animal Welfare Foundation said. The seal, deemed “completely relaxed” once relocated, resumed its nap in a more suitable spot, far from human foot traffic.
As for the hotel’s staff and the bewildered traveler, the incident became a charming reminder of Vlissingen’s coastal magic. “These guests’ holiday became an adventure to never forget,” officials said. “You only experience this in our beautiful Vlissingen, right?”
So, next time you leave a door open by the beach, remember: you might not just let in the ocean breeze. A grumpy, nap-loving seal could waddle in next — proving that sometimes, the best travel stories involve unexpected roommates needing their beauty rest.
