De Havixhorst

Set on a raised patch of ground above the Reest river, De Havixhorst has stood on this spot since 1371, when the valley's low fields flooded most of the year and only a few dry rises allowed a house to be built at all. The current main building dates to 1753 and was restored between 1979 and 1982 with the regional heritage trust, Het Drentse Landschap. The Vos van Steenwijk family lived here for close to three centuries, and the double hayloft they left empty now holds the hotel's suites. Thirteen rooms fill the house, each with high ceilings and its own bathroom, and the nostalgic, slightly formal air of a lived-in manor rather than a modern build. Below the vaulted cellars, a narrow wine room holds the list guests are encouraged to visit in person. Outside, a sculpture garden borders the moat, and the Reest valley opens beyond it for walking or cycling. Meppel station lies seven kilometres off.