Test Sleeping: De Zon Hotel & Restaurant in Ommen
Hotel restaurants, once the neglected child of the hospitality industry, have suddenly become the only places where we can still eat out. And completely safely, too! The only downside is an advantage: you have to stay the night. In the coming weeks, we’ll be test sleeping in hotels. In search of the best restaurant hotel, but also to give the hospitality industry a helping hand. Today: De Zon Hotel & Restaurant in Ommen.
If you don’t find peace here…
The orange evening sun illuminates the wide Vecht Valley like a film set. I drive between expansive meadows and windmills. The stately De Zon hotel has stood since 1893 beside the soothing river that flows from Münsterland to Zwolle. I park the car next to a sign warning of fluctuating water levels. Nature is given room here. ‘Your parents are already having a drink,’ says the hotel manager, who walks towards me in the lobby. ‘Would you like a glass of champagne later?’ He carries my bag to the room.
Cats are welcome
The spacious, modern room overlooks the Overijsselse Vecht. A hanging basket has been placed by the sliding door for my travelling cat, with a V.I.C. sign — Very Important Cat. There’s a welcome note with a bag of coconut macaroons. Behind the half-open wall is a large bathroom with a whirlpool and separate shower. Puccini walks around with an approving look, then jumps, purring, onto a chair. She loves hotel rooms.
Fresh game
Downstairs, around the fireplace, my family is having drinks among the other guests. The hotel’s two new owners join us for a moment and enthusiastically tell us about their acquisitions. ‘The products used by our restaurant come from nearby. Hunters come here themselves with fresh game. This week we discovered a new mushroom farm. We make as much as possible ourselves, such as the coconut macaroons made by our Kris. Come on, take a seat at the table.’
Classic dishes, elegantly presented
The eel starter is a surprising combination of flavours, as is the beautiful intermediate course of fish. In the main course — venison Beef Wellington and an incredibly tender venison steak — you taste the beauty of the surroundings. It is paired with a lovely Malbec. Classic dishes with modern twists, elegantly presented. Later, in the kitchen, I briefly see how freshly delivered birds and rabbits are lying peacefully on the counter, ready to be skinned.
This is a holiday
‘No, son. That’s a dog,’ my father says. ‘We have to go back to the hotel because it’s lunchtime.’ Large bowls of linguine, fresh mushrooms, Parmesan and truffle are set on the table.
Top deal!
De Zon Hotel Restaurant has just been taken over — like Hotel Paping and the operation of the dream wedding venue Het Laer — by two enthusiastic top hoteliers who will gradually modernise it while preserving what is good. The beautifully situated hotel restaurant by the water offers plenty of space to safely enjoy classic, flavourful dishes made with exceptionally fresh regional produce, prepared under the guidance of the young and experienced Nick van Swaal. The perfect place for a weekend of walking or cycling around the Vecht Valley, while enjoying the exceptional cuisine and the hospitality of the extraordinarily attentive staff. You can book a room from just 65 euros, and a four-course menu costs 49 euros. You can hardly cook for that.
De Zon, Voorbrug 1, Ommen
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