The return on the hand rail is painted on the wall as a piece of trompe l'oiel. The lanterns have been wellchosen to add interest through the play of light and pattern.

This is not a romanticised look back to another era though, for each suite, which has lounge bedroom bathroom and kitchen, incorporates the best of modern technology in their interiors. Bathrooms have terrazzo floors, power showers and huge bathtubs, complete with bath tidies that have holders for your champagne glasses in them. There are modern rain head showers, bright downlights, separate toilets but candles too, allowing two to share a bathtub in the evening by candle light but the use of superb showering and efficient bathing when required. It is normal for there to be a welcome pack in a suite hotel. At the Phoenix House in London’s Chelsea it was organic stone ground bread, marmalade and tea; Staybridge Suites had bottles of water, coffee and decaf; here it is a bottle of good red wine, and packets of nibbles whilst the fridge has soft drinks in it. Kitchens include Espresso machines and a full cooker, and include a cookery book of Dutch recipes.

Like many suites hotels the Haagsche Suites don’t offer a full meal service but the owners will recommend and book a restaurant for you and drive you there. When you return there is a half bottle of champagne in an ice bucket by the bedside, and breakfast is either served in the room or taken on the terrace in summer.

The mantlepieces express the difference between the suites. One shows the sunburst mirror with the reflection of the bed corona speaking of opulence and romance , whilst the other is masculine and business like but still softened by the candles

The suites are all different with the top floor being most business like, the middle floor being the ‘honeymoon’ suite and the lower floor being more domestic but having doors to the garden and terrace as compared to the small balconies the other two suites have. All have their fireplaces and are beautifully detailed. Where possible the original floor boards have been kept supplemented by large rugs. Gas log-effect fires grace the lounges and all rooms have a high quality concealed sound system and a small library of CD’s for guest to play.

The decorations are arranged with a designers eye for symmetry but enhanced by the detailing, the choice of decorative items and the use of light. Reflections and polished surfaces create visual complexity, and the cleanliness and modernity of the kitchen with its downlights and chrome, white tiled walls and shiny black coffee machine and cooker have the same sharpness of reflections creating a similar feel. The use of lighting, especially the use of candles, provides terrific chiaroscuro, whilst the softness and golden colour of the light cast adds to the sense of warmth and drama that the rooms possess.

The top suite is most popular with business people and has a more masculine appearance to the bedroom, whilst the middle floor is considered as the honeymoon suite and is appropriately romantic. The ground floor apartment is slightly smaller as the reception lounge space is taken off the available floor space, but it is extended outward and has double doors through onto the garden terrace. With its glazed lounge area, carefully not a conservatory but a somewhat decadent lounging area it has a strong though different appeal to the other two rooms.