Right then, where do we start? With the location, the wellness facilities, the incredible kitchens (yes, plural, because there are three restaurants), or the artists' village of Bergen? Hotel Blooming in Bergen (North Holland) is *the* recommendation if you want to get away from it all. Get out of your head and into nature, the swimming pool, or the sauna. Pack your bags now, because this is where you want to go! And it ticks all the boxes on the greener list too, because this hotel is committed to it!
Sleep between forest, dunes and a vegetable patch full of goodies
What you first need to know about the place. Hotel Blooming is perfectly located: in the middle of nature, on the edge of the Berger Woods and close to the beach. But also close to the cosy artists' village of Bergen, full of lovely boutiques, terraces and beautiful houses, which is definitely worth a stroll. Blooming once began as Volkshogeschool Bergen, a place where people came together to relax, learn and gain inspiration. That calm atmosphere is still present, only now with very comfortable beds, a wellness area, a swimming pool and excellent restaurants where you'll want to stay all evening – believe us. It's a place to come with a friend, your parents, your entire family, your colleagues, solo or with kids. All are welcome here.
Eating at Blooming
The restaurants alone are actually reason enough to drive to Bergen. Blooming has three restaurants, and their own organic vegetable garden, the Hoftuin, plays a starring role everywhere. At restaurant Zandhoeve, right next to the hotel, everything revolves around fine dining with vegetables taking centre stage. In the Blooming Bar, also at the hotel, you can relax for good coffee, tasty cocktails, bar snacks or an extensive lunch. Here too, ingredients from the hotel's own garden are prominently featured. And at Het Hof, the restaurant next to the vegetable garden about two kilometres from the hotel, you can sit down for lunch, a high wine or a long afternoon of fine dining on a beautiful estate amidst greenery. Here you’ll find a magnificent terrace in the green with views of the vegetable garden. Of course, you shouldn't just look at it, but also take a stroll through it when you're there. Quite special!
A night at Blooming: relax and enjoy culinary delights!
The Courtyard Garden of blooming
In the Court Garden, over fifty types of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers are grown. From tomatoes and parsnips to chocolate mint, Sichuan pepper, and pineapple mint. Everything is organically grown and often harvested on the same day for the kitchen. Literally: from the garden this morning, on your plate this evening. What makes this place extra special is that the Court Garden isn't just about food. blooming collaborates with Scorlewald for this, a care community for people with intellectual disabilities. Together, they maintain the garden, harvest vegetables, and ensure that everything continues to grow and flourish. As a result, blooming doesn't feel like a standard luxury hotel, but like a place where thoughtful consideration has been given to how nature, good food, and people come together.
Our experience at Blooming
We begin our stay with lunch at the Blooming Bar. The flatbread hummus is a lovely introduction to the cuisine. A rainbow on our plate! Afterwards, we head to the rooms with French doors opening onto the garden, a private seating area and a hammock outside the door. And perhaps a handy insider tip: from rooms 1002 and 1004, you can walk straight through the garden to the swimming pool. We’re lucky with the weather, so the sliding doors to the pool are open all day. So, put on your bathrobe, pop through the garden to the pool or the sauna, and then hop straight back into your room through the back door. A real 100% holiday feeling.
Have you settled in and got used to the feeling a bit? Then hop on a hotel e-bike towards Bergen aan Zee. In under fifteen minutes, you'll have your feet in the sand and can sink down at one of the many beach cafes. After your day at the beach, it's time to freshen up at blooming. Will it be the rain shower or the bubble bath? So, those are the sort of luxurious problems you'll have. Afterwards, it's time for a culinary experience at restaurant Zandhoeve. Booking a table here is the tip, because in a word: amazing! The dishes are little works of art – take a look for yourself – and everything revolves around what the season currently offers. Vegetables play the leading role here, and they do so in such a clever way that you'll be surprised with every course.
We sleep like a log on the great beds and the next morning we start fresh with wellness. Back into the pool, the sauna, and on on top of that Also a massage and yoga class. Yes, we've pretty much finished blooming in 24 hours. In between, there was also breakfast, which is exceptionally good for Dutch standards and therefore certainly deserves a separate mention here. Delicious yoghurt, crunchy organic granola, and plenty of fresh fruit from our own kitchen garden (strawberry season, yay!) In short: a buffet you'll keep picking at. So, be warned!
Afterwards, the tip is to - just like us - continue to Het Hof, about two kilometres from the hotel, for a short tour of the vegetable garden and lunch on the estate. You really don't want to miss this! This is such a special place: a monumental manor house surrounded by greenery, with art on the walls, ancient trees, and views of the garden where all the vegetables and herbs grow that you've seen on your plate earlier. Everything here feels peaceful and a bit hidden away from the world. You know, the kind of place where you automatically start speaking more softly. Here we enjoyed a delicious final lunch and made a pact with ourselves: we'll come back again this summer to stay for an extra night (or two).
See more of this beautiful place!
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- Also see: The nicest second-hand shops in Alkmaar.
- Also see: our experience at Fort Beemster.
Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl and blooming (photo of the Hof, country house).
