At the new Flora Batava by the water, you’ll want to get a table as soon as possible

Every now and then, you come across one: a gem just a half-hour’s drive from the busy capital, where you can completely unwind. And if you can also eat and drink well there, you really don’t want to leave, do you? At the new Flora Batava, you don’t have to, because at this beautiful country estate on the Vecht, you can simply stay the night.

Beautiful country estate

In the past, affluent city dwellers left the city in summer to escape the stench, plague and crowds. They headed to the Vecht region, where they could relax wonderfully at one of the beautiful country estates. I’m not affluent, but in need of some peace and quiet, so I did the same and drove to the beautiful, newly renovated Flora Batava on the Vecht. When I arrived, I couldn’t believe my eyes! What beauty and grandeur! The 155-year-old listed monument is surrounded by a large garden with a terrace and a waterside tea house.

Hotel owner Inge van de Ven had been dreaming for years of restoring the old, dilapidated country estate to its former glory and turning it into a hotel. Renovation began in 2019. Inge can tell you all about it, because just like any other renovation, the renovation of Flora Batava was certainly no walk in the park. But, like the horror of childbirth, you forget all about it when you see the end result.

Tea house on the Vecht

I was almost blinded by the copper roof of the beautiful new tea house in the garden—highly recommended for anyone who loves afternoon tea—but I had come for lunch at the new Bloei restaurant. And believe me when I say that you should do that soon too. It’s a half-hour drive from Amsterdam, and then you’re sitting there, looking out over the river, with a glass of wine and something delicious and local on your plate (‘we source everything from the immediate area as much as possible,’ says the chef), and it’s genuinely wonderful!

And if you don’t have to go home because you still have work to do, laundry to wash or ironing to tackle—or the deadly cocktail of all three—then you can stay overnight, because there are also plenty of beautiful rooms. Make the most of it! And don’t forget to order that lemon tart: homemade and outrageously delicious!

Europe’s first pineapple

And are you wondering where the name and the pineapple you see here and there, such as in the logo, come from? It has to do with Flora Batava’s rich botanical history. Agnes Block, who established the country estate in 1670, became a skilled grower of rare and exotic plants. Through exchanges and trade with merchants and botanists, she collected hundreds of plant and flower species from all over the world in her gardens. This led to the nickname Flora Batava. At the country estate, Agnes was the first person in Europe to bring a pineapple into bloom—hence the name of the restaurant, Bloei. And the interior is also a wonderful place to sit, in the spectacular conservatory.

Flora Batava, Rijksstraatweg 6, 3631 AC Nieuwersluis

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