“Vreugd & Rust”: Peace and rest. It’s the name of the park situated in the Voorburg suburb of The Hague, and a perfect descriptor of the ambience when wandering around this leafy neighbourhood, located just a short bus/train journey from the largest city on the North Sea coast of the Netherlands. And right in the middle – a bastion of relaxation – is Central Park Voorburg, a hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant located in an 18th century country house in the grounds of the park.
Although we’re just a couple of miles from the centre of The Hague, visiting Central Park Voorburg gives the impression of stepping into a scene from a Jane Austen novel.
The first record of the Peace and Rest estate dates back to 1658 when it was sold as a farmstead in what would have been a rural area of Dutch countryside. The main house – a stately mansion in French baroque style – was built in 1751 and first opened to the public as a hotel and restaurant in the ’20s. Over the years, the building was repurposed for various uses, including as a school and a nursing academy, before it returned to hospitality in the late 1980s.
The façade is plastered in dove grey, with accents of gold that reflect the hues of yellow daffodils in the front garden. The main house is flanked at both sides by east and west wings, and driveways from both sides curve around a garden with bird bath, meeting in the middle at the hotel’s grand entrance. It’s easy to imagine the estate in its illustrious 1700s golden age, providing a first-class hospitality experience then as it still does now.
Today, Central Park Voorburg is a luxury escape for visitors near and far, and member of the renowned Relais & Châteaux group of hotels. R&C hotels are generally boutique, independently-run luxury options with strong emphasis on personalisation, and Central Park is no exception. The property was bought by Joey De Kruijf and Tamara Holwerda, who have painstakingly updated it, ensuring a level of quality that has impressed some of the most influential players in the industry (Michelin, Relais & Châteaux and WineSpectator to name a few).
No sooner have we walked through the grand entrance, passing under the ‘Vreugd & Rust’ signage over the threshold, we’re met by a member of the team who greets us by name. The surroundings imbue the sort of grandeur you would expect from a property with a legacy like this one, from the regal teal of the walls to the lavish beaded chandeliers.
We will be staying in room two – the Royal Terrace Suite. It’s a huge room on the first floor with full-length sash windows that flood the room with sunlight. Through French doors, the pièce de resistance is a huge balcony that stretches the entire length of the room and extends out several metres towards the park. This balcony, bordered by a white stone balustrade, easily doubles the overall footage of the suite. From here you’re fully immersed in nature, surrounded by trees, well-groomed lawns, and the first daffodils of spring. This suite has well succeeded in its mission to make guests feel like royalty.
Back inside, the distinctive patterned mattress on the bed is immediately identifiable as VIP furniture brand Hästens, which almost guarantees us a deep sleep this evening. The king-sized bed is topped with linens that feel heavy with high-quality down. At its base, a flat-screen television is cleverly concealed within the bed frame, appearing and disappearing at the click of a button.
The suite’s bathroom is a warm space of generous proportions, incorporating a large bath and separate shower. The vanity unit is stocked with products from Atelier Rebul, a brand from Istanbul with a delicious musky scent that conveys balmy nights and spice markets.
We make ourselves more comfortable in the monogrammed robes that are hanging up in the bathroom, and head for the balcony to take in the last light of the afternoon with a coffee, freshly made from the in-room Nespresso machine.
Downstairs, the atmosphere is abuzz as white tablecloths are smoothed in readiness for evening service at the hotel’s restaurant. Central Park Voorburg is proud home to an exceptional one Michelin star restaurant, headed up by chefs Tim Bood and Hette Hettema.
The Michelin guide described the culinary offering at Central Park Voorburg as a “finely crafted take on classic, coherent dishes”. It’s a menu that exudes freshness; full of seasonal vegetables, plenty of locally-sourced seafood, and unexpected combinations thoughtfully constructed by the chefs, who bring experience including from former Dutch favourites Zwethheul and Fouquet. At the time of our visit, the chef’s selection menu (available as five or seven courses) includes Skrei codfish with smoked butter sauce, a Sri Lankan curry with veal sweetbreads, and a pear, champagne and tonka bean pre-dessert. The Prestige menu takes decadence to a new level with ingredients such as Canadian lobster, Wagyu steak and baba au limoncello.
To complement the stellar culinary offering, the hotel also carries a wine list that absolutely deserves a mention, having been named “wine list of the year” by Gault & Millau in 2023, and recognised by WineSpectator. The list runs to 132 pages, covering all the key grapes and provenances: sweet pinot gris from the Netherlands, pinot noir from the Adelaide hills, Syrah from Casablanca. With such an extensive list, you’d be forgiven for not knowing where to start. Fortunately, Joey is on hand to advise, equipped with a prestigious Master Host qualification from Dutch hospitality training school SVH.
The menu and wine list are absolutely reason enough to visit the restaurant at Central Park, but a notable added bonus is the beautiful setting in which dinner is served. The dining room is a grand ballroom at the back the house, kept brightly-lit by huge sash windows that look out over the Vreugd & Rust park. Dotted at intervals along the central aisle of the room are wine stations ready-stocked with glasses to suit the huge variety of wines on offer. The ceiling drips with crystal chandeliers.
When dinner is over, guests can retire to the bar next door – a whimsical space bringing together classic and kitsch, from intricate crown moulding on the ceilings to a playful zebra head erected above the fireplace.
The classic chandeliers have been swapped out for a more abstract alternative, and an oversized vase atop the bar is filled to the brim with fresh flowers. The shelves are stacked high with an impressive collection of spirits, and the entire mantlepiece is laden with bottles of champagne.
The Royal Terrace Suite is the perfect place to spend the remainder of the evening, either taking a night cap (the mini bar contains wines, spirits and softs) at our sitting area or sinking into those luxurious bed linens and getting settled for the night. We don’t hesitate to tuck in to the verbena-flavoured handmade chocolates that have been kindly left for us in the room along with a fruit platter.
We wake up the next morning feeling so well-rested, the Hästens mattress having delivered, and make our way to a drawing room at the front of the house where breakfast is served. We’ve been looking forward to the experience, having filled out the menu card and submitted our choices to the kitchen the previous evening. Central Park Voorburg offers two types of breakfast: ‘Easy’ – an assortment of standard continental breakfast items – or ‘deluxe’, which contains everything from eggs Benedict to fresh pastries, seasonal cheeses, detox juices, and sparkling wine. On the table sits a menu specifically dedicated to different varieties of tea.
The breakfast room has an air of early morning calm, with soft cover music playing over the speakers and hushed conversation from other tables. We choose a table by the window, warmed by the gentle spring sunlight, and enjoy our coffee with views of the flower garden.
There is something about this specific limitless à la carte approach to breakfast that seems to be particular to high-quality hotels in the Netherlands; Guests are not made to feel limited in their choices, and there is a certain decadence that comes with ordering breakfast as you would dinner.
We happily work our way through fresh wholemeal bread with moreish salted butter, French bakery-level croissants, eggs Benedict, crispy bacon, and – just when we think we’re too full to manage anything else – a platter of madeleines, oozing buttery warmth from the oven.
At the centre of the dining room, a table is dedicated to different varieties of spreads, jams, toppings, and other sweet accompaniments.
Another pleasant feature that often comes with staying in a Relais & Châteaux property is the provision of a goodie bag when you leave; a nice touch allowing you to a little piece of your stay home with you. Laden with a book about the hotel, water, and some coffee-flavoured sweets from the Hague that are well-loved throughout the Netherlands, it’s time to say goodbye. The service at Central Park has been professional and attentive, and the team is on hand to wish us well and send us on our way.
This has been a really special stay in a location that offers a view of The Hague from a local’s perspective, and the experience has embodied attention to detail at every touchpoint. As we make our way down the grand driveway, towards the green expanse of the Vreugd & Rust park, we steal one final look back at the impressive house in white where we’ve been made to feel like royalty for the night.
We stayed
in Room 2 – the Royal Terrace Suite – priced at €430 per night, including the excellent Deluxe breakfast.
For best rates, book directly through the hotel’s website.
This was a press stay – all opinions are our own.
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