Escort Den Haag:ministries,embassies, the sea

In the middle of town, the Binnenhof complex, for centuries the stage of Dutch politics, looks out over the Hofvijver. The Mauritshuis, where Girl with a Pearl Earring hangs, is its next-door neighbour. Up north, the Peace Palace is home to the International Court of Justice, surrounded by streets of embassies and ambassadors' residences.

Lange Voorhout is the elegant boulevard of old townhouses and linden trees. The World Forum hosts summits and conferences. At the end of the tram line, Scheveningen has the pier, the boulevard and the North Sea.

Two main stations serve the city, Den Haag Centraal and Hollands Spoor, and trams connect the centre, the embassy district and the coast late into the evening.

Three zones. The centre, near Den Haag Centraal and the government quarter, is full of business hotels that stay busy all week. The embassy district around the Peace Palace holds quieter, upscale addresses. Scheveningen has the seafront hotels, with balconies facing the water and a very different mood once the sun goes down.

When a summit or a big international conference is on, rooms near the World Forum fill quickly. Book your evening earlier in those weeks too.

Guests here in an official capacity tend to care about discretion more than anyone. That needs no special request. It is how every booking already runs.

Den Haag Centraal is about 50 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal by intercity, running via Schiphol and Leiden. By car the A4 takes roughly an hour in normal traffic, and far longer in the evening rush.

This is a proper trip, so the notice is longer. Book ahead where you can, earlier in the evening rather than at 01:00, and send an exact address. For Scheveningen, allow for the extra stretch out to the coast. You get a firm arrival estimate in the chat before you commit to anything.

Two versions. The city version: dinner near Lange Voorhout, a quiet bar, back to the hotel before tomorrow's meetings. The sea version: a walk along the Scheveningen boulevard, wind off the water, a late drink with the waves audible from the room.

Season changes the seaside completely. Summer means beach clubs, crowds on the boulevard and slow traffic on the coast road. Winter empties it, and a room looking out on a grey North Sea has its own kind of appeal.

For the formal version, Sonya is calm and thoughtful, a ballet lover with understated evening elegance. For the seaside, Roxi is vivacious and playful, a surfer at heart. Everyone else is on the girls page.

Also on the line: Rotterdam is a short train ride further south, and Schiphol sits on the route back to Amsterdam. Rates start from €180 per hour.