A wonderful getaway in your own country: Hotel Haarhuis in Arnhem is the perfect place to stay
Amsterdammers often suffer from ring-road anxiety. As in: why on earth would you leave the A10 ring road when there’s so much to do in the city itself? Do you recognize yourself in this phenomenon? Then I’d say: just do it, leave the A10 and speed off to the completely renovated Hotel Haarhuis in Arnhem.
Most exciting toilet in the country
This Amsterdammer loves stepping off the beaten track. Sure, the Randstad is buzzing, but so is everywhere beyond it! And you immediately get that instant holiday feeling, too. That’s why I drove to Hotel Haarhuis last weekend. This hotel opposite Arnhem Central Station recently turned 100 years old, and to celebrate, it has been completely renovated.
Several new suites and a wellness area have been added to the hotel, and last year BLOU also opened: Arnhem’s rooftop bar, with—believe me—the most exciting toilet in the country. BLOU isn’t covered, so when the weather is nice, it’s a wonderful place to sit. Is the weather absolutely dreadful? Then BLOU is closed. When you’re at BLOU, be sure to order the house gin, made with Turkish apple, orange and lime.
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- Hoogtevrees in de wc
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- Champagne (niet om mee door trekken)
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- Blou: heerlijk plek met uitzicht op de stad
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- De BLOU-gin
LOCALS
Of course, I came for the food, and the LOCALS hotel restaurant is truly a green oasis in the city center. The name isn’t a coincidence: on the one hand, the restaurant isn’t just for hotel guests but also for Arnhem residents. On the other, it uses local products wherever possible.
Vertical farming
At LOCALS, the 80/20 principle is central, with an emphasis on cooking with vegetables and products from the area. All the vegetables and herbs are grown in the restaurant itself, using vertical farming in stacked vertical growing cabinets. It’s a beautiful sight and unique in Arnhem. And fun: you can also eat in the vertical farm among the different types of basil, lettuce, coriander, oregano, endive and beetroot sprouts.
Dutch Cuisine
All the dishes on LOCALS’ menu were created in collaboration with the Netherlands’ leading vegetable chef, Niven Kunz. Frank Bregman is at the helm in the kitchen. Frank previously worked at Oud Sluis and Sergio Herman’s Pure C, and ran his own Bib Gourmand restaurant in Renkum. Together with his team, he makes the most delicious Dutch Cuisine dishes. We had a fresh potato salad with my favorite potato, Opperdoezer ronde. Alongside it: Dutch asparagus, dill and grapefruit, plus a delicious cannelloni with spinach and rocket vinaigrette.
Saffron jus
The main courses were excellent too: North Sea cod with fennel and saffron jus, and Dutch-water turbot with Arnhem oyster mushrooms, green asparagus and mustard. Served with those delicious thick-cut fries and mayo.
For wine and whisky lovers
For a nightcap, you literally head downstairs; during lockdown, the staff at Hotel Haarhuis didn’t solve Sudokus at home but instead worked together to transform the hotel’s basement into a wine cellar & whisky bar called The Storage. Here, you can pour wine from one of the many wine barrels or sip whisky in one of the lounge chairs in the Executive lounge.
After a night in the most comfortable hotel beds, we had coffee at the in-house HOEK Koffie & Patisserie, Arnhem’s coziest coffee bar, along with a delicious pastry. In short: cross that ring road and let yourself be surprised!
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