Near The Hague and only 20 kilometres from Rotterdam, the Savelberg Hotel is a picture of elegance set in magnificent grounds blessed with quite a few hundred-year old trees. The wind blowing in from the coast carries the scent of the sea air to remind you that the beaches are very close by, and sometimes it even brings with it a few grains of sand stolen from the bunkers of the neighbouring golf course. The delicate little glass bowls served at the table of the Savelberg offer a fusion of flavours and are often savoured in a sort of meditative hush of pleasure, as are thea langoustines decked in zest of vegetables and a melt-in-the-mouth chocolate cake with a raspberry hidden deep in its soft centre… The rooms are like the dishes: colourful and eloquent and decorated in shades of lavender or peach that plunge your big four-poster bed into a rainbow world. The property is closed for business during the year over the following dates December 27 2008-January 9 2009.