Zeeland: the best places to eat and sleep
If you ask me if I want to go on a trip to Zeeland, I say yes. And if that trip is also organized by a fantastic PR agency for an A-brand, then you know you can just sit back and answer every question with “yes, please, go ahead.” Before the trip, I received some emails with questions like: “Do you want brandade of cod with poached farm egg, or would you prefer poireau vinaigrette: silky young leek with a fresh, lukewarm vinaigrette as a vegetarian option?” Or the question that, as far as I'm concerned, is totally rhetorical: “Do you like oysters?”
As if it didn't already breathe enough linen and luxury, we would make this trip in a Volvo ES90 and the EX90, the Kelly and the Birkin of cars. You won't find them more luxurious, and made with more love and attention to detail.
A warm welcome at Volvo in Beesd
Our first stop was the headquarters of Volvo Car Nederland in Beesd. In Scandinavian spirit, a fika awaited us there with, of course, cinnamon rolls and other Swedish delights. Roger van Polanen, who has been the big man at Volvo for almost 27 years, always gives the description “a warm welcome” an even deeper layer. I have been to many press events, but I have yet to meet anyone who connects with everyone so quickly and puts his brand in the spotlight without it becoming a we-are-from-the-toilet-duck situation. What Volvo stands for, that is Roger. Volvo is peace, comfort, and the relaxed luxury that arises when everything is right, and it was during this trip.
Driving in the Volvo ES90
The first location I entered in my rarely blissful ES90 (I want only one thing now: this car) is De Oesterij in Yerseke. The seatbelt goes on (in the same soft beige color as the rest of the interior, I like a lot), the seat massage turns on, I ask my travel companion if I can play All I Ask by Adele over the Bowers & Wilkins speakers and I tap a button that keeps the sunroof from letting in sunlight while the car remains bright inside. As I drive, I see the route directions subtly projected onto my windshield. This ride can't last long enough, that much is clear. And that I am as safe as can be in every Volvo, I already knew.
Eating oysters at De Oesterij in Yerseke
De Oesterij, a nice restaurant on the dike in Yerseke overlooking the oyster beds, serves the perfect oysters and other cold fish. By the way, I learn that you should not serve oysters and other seafood on ice. Ice dulls the flavor, and that's a shame when you're serving good fish. It can also be a trick to mask the taste of less fresh fish. I also learn that you shouldn't swallow an oyster, but that you should chew it four times to let the flavor bloom. And so I suddenly taste a real difference between a Zeeland and a Normandy oyster (and I find the Zeeland one the tastiest). After lunch, we get to go on a fishing boat and sail along the oyster banks, and I gain even more respect for the men in their waders who shake up “our” oysters every day to guarantee the best flavor.
Staying at Strandhotel Cadzand-Bad
After that, we head towards our final destination: Strandhotel Cadzand-Bad. I happened to have stayed there once with my beloved, and it was high on my list of places I want to go back to. At that time, Sergio Herman and Syrco Bakker had a restaurant there, Pure C, which earned two Michelin stars. That restaurant is no longer there, but the hotel is. It is designed by Piet Boon, with a delightful abundance of Baobab candles and Aesop soap. It is located by the sea, so if you want to build up some appetite or let your dinner settle a bit, that long walk awaits you.
Dining at Bar Bulot
The hotel's restaurant, Bar Bulot, is also bizarrely good. Behind this restaurant are the hospitality giants Gert De Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens, who describe it as casual fine dining. Now I find casual a word that somewhat underestimates the luxury of this location, but it is luxury without becoming a stiff affair. And I haven't eaten this well in a long time.
Sleeping with the sound and roar of the waves in the background, walking knowing that a huge breakfast awaited us, and driving back in one of the most luxurious and comfortable cars I've ever been in: it made this trip one you'll often think back to when you're cycling against the wind in the rain. Is there a trip to Zeeland on your menu? Be sure to save these addresses. And the chance that you'll see me there again is considerable, because I want to go back, and if possible in that ES90.
