This converted water tower dates back to 1882. There’s a terrific restaurant in the former pump station next door, a beautiful ornamental garden, a vegetable patch and a market shop. The flowers that decorate the breakfast tables will have been cut that morning, the teatime cakes are baked daily and the delicious dishes in the restaurant are flavoured with home-grown herbs, so everything is full of flavour, from the goat’s cheese salad starter to homemade ice cream with pears for pudding.
Of the 37 bedrooms, 10 have stunning views of the Wantij River in front of the hotel and there are 12 equally lovely ground-floor Garden Rooms. All have interesting design elements, such as a vintage cabinet or large industrial locker for your clothes. The big reading table in the restaurant, topped with piles of international magazines and newspapers, is a great place to start the day with a fresh orange juice and delicious poached eggs. There’s also a boat with a skipper for day trips to de Biesbosch nature reserve.
Oranjelaan 7 (+31 78 639 3111; www.villa-augustus.nl).
