THE FACTS ABOUT LE MERIDIEN HOTEL DES INDES

Netherlands

This historic city palace was built in 1858 for Baron van Brienen van de Groote Lindt en Dortsmunde at a cost of 150,000 kilos of gold. It first opened as a hotel in 1881 and quickly established itself as a diplomats favourite: countless deals, both national and international, have been cut beneath the magnificent vaulting of the atrium. It has also been touched by glamour: the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova died here; Josephine Baker once rented an entire suite for her monkey; and the term gigolo was invented here when male dancers were hired to titillate the ladies. The hotel reopened in September 2005 after a three-year, 35-million refit by Parisian architect and interiors guru Jacques Garcia; as you would expect from this famous maximalist, none of the hotels sense of stylish excess has been lost. But after the splendour of the restored atrium, the 92 bedrooms and suites are surprisingly restrained, with antique furnishings, red walls and heavenly canopied beds. The bathrooms feature twin Italian marble basins and lovely purple Portuguese tiling. The hotel has all the mod cons you would expect, but the new gym and spa is a reminder that you are in a space-constrained country. Famed Parisian chef Michel Rostang was brought in to develop the restaurants concept of serving modern classical-French-inspired fare from simple sandwiches to oysters, lobsters and roast lamb with an emphasis on freshness and seasonality. At the time of our visit, the service in the restaurant was still patchy, but the area is well known for its Indonesian restaurants, and you can always opt for room service. WHEN TO GO Holland is at its best in spring. ROOM TO BOOK Either of the Presidential Suites; but any front room with a view over the leafy square and Escher museum will do. CONTACT Lange Voorhout 5456, The Hague, Netherlands (00 31 70 361 2345; www.lemeridien.com). COST Doubles from 375 euros