When Martin told me that he had found a hotel that was open and served dinner/breakfast in the room (because of the lockdown), you can probably understand my enthusiasm. A mini holiday to Drenthe during Valentine’s weekend with lots of snow! We haven’t seen this much snow in the Netherlands in years.
Traveling is really one of the things I miss the most since we got into the COVID-19 pandemic. But one vivacious is that since the restrictions we travel within our own country and get to know and appreciate it in a very different way. Holidays in our own country is not something we’ve ever done before. This time we went to Drenthe, a province in the Netherlands known from the village of Giethoorn (the Venice of the Netherlands).
The History of De Havixhorst
History is alive here. The stresses and strains of the 21st century seem a million miles away. The environment is quiet, nature typically Dutch, meadows with cows and sheep, farms and small villages. Despite its venerable past, De Havixhorst is not a museum; The hotel is modernly furnished and fully equipped. The old De Havixhorst manor (built-in 1753) didn’t start out life as a decorative castle; it was once a fortified farmhouse, a substantial building surrounded by plenty of lands.
De Havixhorst was noted as far back as 1371 as a populated place in the Reestdal, not far from Meppel. In 1618 its official recognition as a ‘havezate’ followed, the old East Dutch name for a knightly residence. Havezates are traditionally found in the rural stretch between Zutphen and Assen. From the 15th century onwards, the gentlemen of Havixhorst were awarded ‘collation rights’: the right to appoint a clergyman to the nearby church in the village of IJhorst, right on the border of Drenthe and Overijssel.
The noble de Vos van Steenwijk family lived here for nearly 300 years, from 1658 to 1939. The family-owned the castle until 1963. It served various public functions for a few years, including being a retirement home and holiday resort for young people.
Comfortable rooms & delicous meals
The hotel has 13 beautiful rooms. What they all have in common is a slightly distinguished nostalgia, suggestive of a small castle. All equipped with modern conveniences, including sleek, stylish bathrooms and a luxurious hotel bed.
During the lockdown(s) this hotel serves breakfast and diner in the room. In every room, there is a nicely made table for an (almost) breakfast in bed, which is placed in front of your room door in the morning. Complete with eggs, fresh croissants, and orange juice. Dinner comes in stages, depending on the number of courses you have chosen.
The dedicated chef cooks with what their closest neighbors regularly supply: farm vegetables, game, fruit. Deep beneath the arched vaults of the castle you’ll find their most treasured location: the wine cellar.
Art
The main building on the estate is the eighteenth-century manor house. Lovingly restored, it is surrounded on three sides by picturesque Baroque gardens and home to an internationally recognized sculpture park. These sculptures are to be found in a beautiful garden: monumental statues, playful statues, statues with a story, venerable statues of famous people, humorous sculptures, sometimes just even just a beautifully sculpted form.
