Carlton Beach

Carlton Beach is a four-star hotel on Gevers Deynootweg in Scheveningen, about a minute on foot from the beach and around six minutes from the pier. With 181 rooms it is one of the larger hotels on this stretch of coast, and it offers a more complete package than the smaller seafront guesthouses: an indoor pool, an on-site spa with massage, a health club with gym and a steam room, plus air conditioning and free in-room WiFi. Room types range from Comfort and Design doubles, many with sea view or partial ocean view, to larger Grand rooms, studios and family rooms that sleep four, so there is a sensible option for couples, groups and families. The restaurant, Nomon, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and there is a bar, so you can stay in without sacrificing food. Sun loungers on the beachfront are available to guests, and the hotel also offers bike rentals, an electric car charging station, a business centre, laundry and dry cleaning and a front-desk safe. A buffet breakfast is available for a surcharge, and coffee and tea are served in the lobby. The hotel is not pet-friendly, with only service animals allowed.

The location is the whole point. Step out of the door and you are at the Scheveningen promenade, with the beach in front of you and the pier within a short walk, where you can ride the SkyView Ferris wheel and eat at the seafront restaurants. The Kurhaus and the aquarium are close by, and trams run into the centre of The Hague, so you can combine sea air with the museums without needing a car.

In winter the beach is windswept and dramatic, and the indoor pool and steam room make a good reward after a long walk.

Choose your room with care. Sea-view and partial ocean-view rooms cost more than city-view rooms but make a real difference to the stay, particularly in summer and at sunset. Family rooms and quadruple rooms are worth looking at if you are travelling with children, since the pool and the beach are a natural fit for them.

Parking on site is charged per night, and spaces are limited, so ask about availability if you drive. Because the hotel is large, it can feel busy at weekends and during conferences, so if quiet matters, request a higher floor or a room away from the lifts.

Carlton Beach suits couples who want a spa-style weekend, families who want a pool and a beach in one place and travellers who like to have restaurant, bar and gym under one roof. It is less suited to those who want a boutique, small-scale feel, and it is not the cheapest option on the seafront, where easier budget rooms exist. For a stay built around the North Sea and day trips by tram to the museums, Delft and the rest of the region, it is a dependable choice.