Discover Benelux | The Hague | City Centre Highlights
Being spoiled in the elegant Hofkwartier TEXT: JULIËN L’ORTYE | PHOTOS: BACÁN BED&BREAKFAST
After travelling around the world for work purposes, Marc Horsten and his partner decided that they were not done with meeting new people yet, which was the main reason for them to start Bacán bed&breakfast: “When we returned to Holland, we were really looking for a way to continue that; we didn’t want to stop discovering all kinds of nationalities and cultures.” The house they bought appeared to be suited for receiving guests, so they simply turned the first floor into a guesthouse. That is how they jumped into a new adventure, just about a year ago. “Looking at all the reviews, it seems that we are doing a pretty good job,” Marc says. When asked what they find important in running a bed and breakfast hotel, he answers: “As we are relatively small in scale, with only two rooms, the focus is on giving our guests a lot of personal attention.” What does that attention look like? Imagine drinking a quality cup of coffee or tea with 44 | Issue 33 | September 2016
Marc upon your arrival, while he tells you everything about The Hague’s hotspots – if you wish, of course. After spending your afternoon in the city, you return to Bacán where you are greeted with a drink. Then, he will probably have some suggestions on how to spend your evening and on where to go to for a wonderful dinner. In other words: everything will be done to make sure that you will be completely satisfied when you dive into your perfectly made bed. Not to mention the extensive breakfast that will be served when you wake up. The guesthouse is located in the so-called ‘Hofkwartier’, which is one of The Hague’s most elegant areas, with the Noordeinde Palace just around the corner. In the words of Marc, Bacán attracts quite a mixed crowd: “We have got a really broad target audience, that varies from couples who want to visit The Hague for a getaway weekend, to foreign guests that are staying for a couple of days or business travellers who prefer staying here instead
of at a hotel.” ‘Bacán’ is Spanish for ‘terrific’; and when you listen to their story and see the wonderful interior, this makes sense immediately. www.bacan.nl