An impressive farm complex, located on a polder island at the heart of natural park the Biesbosch near Dodrecht and Breda, provides the ultimate setting for a nature retreat. The design proposal is fed by the site's rich history, highly varied landscape, the cultural-historical values of the site and research into the characteristics of a place for 'bezinning' (relaxation, contemplation, transcendence) at the intersection of architecture, landscape and the setting in natural surroundings. These characteristics are explored through literature study, of which the sources' topics vary from (i.e.) aesthetical philosophy to environmental psychology, case studies and one-question interviews. The two main conclusions draw on the concept of contextuality (a symbioses of architecture and landscape that amplify the experience) and gradients of intensity and intimacy. These characteristics are applied to and expanded through the case of the Amaliahoeve, resulting in a design proposal that springs from the site's unique qualities in combination with the distinguished characteristics of a bezinnings-landscape.