History
Where the voyage of discovery begins ...
Duin & Kruidberg Country Estate consists of the merger of two estates – Duin & Berg and Kruidberg. In 1682,
Stadholder William III purchased Kruidberg Estate, which soon became known informally as 't Princenbosch (the
Prince’s forest).
William III used the luxurious grounds, a smaller version of Het Loo estate in Apeldoorn, as a hunting retreat. In 1895, Duin & Kruidberg Country Estate was purchased by Jacob Theodoor Cremer, president of the Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij, who ordered the construction of the largest residence in the Netherlands, with splendid gardens and a lake. His wife Annie, who was English born, decided to make her own personal mark on their new home: it was to become an English country house, where the whole family could gather to spend the summer, while enjoying freedom and privacy. This meant that the house was in fact arranged like a hotel, its rooms having their own adjacent bathrooms and dressing rooms.
In 1961 the Cremer family sold the estate to the Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij. The new owner turned it into a holiday retreat for its staff. In 1993 Duin & Kruidberg became a conference and training center for ABN AMRO Bank. The facilities were modernized in 1996, adding a conference center with five meeting rooms, four smaller rooms and a Business Center. A new hotel wing with 44 hotel rooms was added in the year 2000. For more than 300 years the estate has been privately owned. At the start of 2002 it officially opened its doors as a five-star hotel for both business and private guests, making this previously secret haven accessible to a wider public.
In 2005 the à la carte restaurant De Vrienden van Jacob was awarded a Michelin star.During recent renovations, all of the general rooms in the country house were given a makeover and decorated with new linen wallpaper and a fresh coat of paint where necessary. The authentic hotel rooms in the country house now have refurbished bathrooms. The new bedding includes light down-filled pillows as well as sheets and quilts of the very finest linen, ensuring the perfect night’s rest for our guests. Other changes include a new kitchen in the basement, a brasserie and a trendy bar with five built-in interactive LCD screens. Lounge Bar DenK offers a wide range of cocktails and champagne by the glass. Brasserie DenK operates a sophisticated food & drink concept and serves a wide range of finger food to the guests. Another feature that makes our hotel unique is the Nespresso Corner, a new concept in the hotel trade. Developed in conjunction with the Nespresso brand, this coffee bar offers guests an great coffee experience.