Fortunately, Boutique Hotel Corona on Buitenhof provided the perfect base - as it has been a 'home away from home' for numerous national and international guests for almost eighty years. And from its former owner, beer magnate Freddy Heineken, who had his Hague pied-à-terre here and sold the hotel to star accountant Emile Gassler in 1992. Heineken's phone must still be hanging somewhere in the building; no relics of Gassler are known to us.

No trendy fuss with self-check-ins or obscure bar tables, but a cosy reception where friendly Amber welcomed us.

As soon as we pass through the revolving door with the rolling suitcase under the dome and between the Corinthian columns, the busy city life of the Buitenhof immediately falls away from us. The entrance with wooden accents, warm light and marble in abundance embraces us. No trendy fuss with self-check-ins or obscure bar tables here, but a delightful reception desk with a cheerful young lady of flesh and blood, Amber, who welcomes us with all due respect.

Lift

The room is on only two floors and yet we let ourselves be hoisted up automatically. Not out of laziness - even though we have tired feet after a day full of appointments in the city centre - but because the possibly oldest lift in The Hague is simply a nostalgic experience. With a gentle nudge we arrive at our floor, where it takes a while to search through the maze of corridors and half stairs. No wonder, since the organically grown hotel consists of three historic buildings and was also doubled in room numbers to 72 a few years ago by a 'topping out' invisible from the street side.

What immediately stands out are the shiny replicas of masterpieces by world-famous artists on the walls. The Pollocks hang here next to the Picassos and the Rembrandts next to the Rothkos. It's a nod to its location near The Hague's Museum Quarter around Lange Voorhout. We have been granted the night with George Braques's 'Man with a Guitar'. Hopefully he will keep quiet at bedtime.

The generous bed invites you to plop down on it straight away

The generous bed is full of bedding and invites you to plop down on it right away. Especially now that we see a festive bottle of bubbles and other goodies on it for some extra inspiration. But there is still some work to be done. Fortunately, there is a desk by the window - with a view of the lively Buitenhof - with a good chair to continue tapping away. And the much-needed Nespresso coffee is within reach.

Rubber duck

The goodies keep staring at us, so we soon close the laptop again. There are a handy bag, a fancy pen and a notepad, but it is the black rubber duck that intrigues most. That's convenient, as there's some paddling to be done before we grab a bite to eat at the accompanying BIT restaurant. We don't find a bath, though that's no disaster, as the soothing rain shower more than makes up for it.

To put off the ironing a bit longer - the shirts came out rather rumpled - we settle on the bed with bathrobe and slippers for a fine corona cava; it's almost better to be here than at home. They must be very good at BIT to justify us getting out of bed tonight.

On the terrace, overlooking The Passage, we feast on a cross-section of the menu.

That challenge is up to the team of BIT boss and star chef Marcel van der Kleijn (Callas) is well spent. On the terrace, overlooking The Passage, we feast on a cross-section of the menu. The vegetarian rendang with jackfruit rivals its classic beef brother and the ingredients of both caesar salads - one with chicken, one with Norwegian salmon - are fresher than fresh. Large prawns from the Josper grill with vegetables in garlic and the crispy fries with parmesan and truffle mayo complete the feast.

Silent and dark

Tired but satisfied, we return to our room. We pull the thick green velour curtains closed, saying goodbye to the city for a while. What happened between switching off the light and the alarm clock, we don't know the next morning. The night was so quiet and dark that we slept like royalty.

We are not big eaters in the morning, but for the hotel breakfast we gladly make an exception. After all, what could be more luxurious than someone else preparing your food early in the morning? And especially when it is the star chef himself, who turns out to be a substitute in the kitchen. As a result, the scrambled eggs we eat taste like the fanciest ever. Such a thing is only possible here.

Unfortunately, the time has come to pack our things. Only on the last round of inspections do we see the rubber duck on the washbasin. The suitcase - which was already under tension - opens one last time. This way, when we get home later, we can still feel like guests at Boutique Hotel Corona.

www.corona.nl