THE HAGUE - I must confess, I have a love, hate relationship with observation (Ferris) wheels — I “love” the view they offer but “hate” how they disturb iconic skylines like London and Singapore. However, while I may find the massive urban wheels to be more eye sore than eye candy, millions of people disagree — they’re the ones who stand in long lineups and pay for the slow motion “thrill” of riding in one of the wheels’ futuristic observation pods.

The competition between cities to build bigger and better wheels is intense — New York is about to introduce its version and the world’s biggest will soon debut (2018) in Dubai, of course.

The newest, for now, is the one I’m enjoying on Scheveningen Pier, the landmark entertainment area known here simply as The Pier that’s located just a few minutes by tram from downtown Den Haag, the political capital of The Netherlands that’s home to the International Court of Justice.

The Pier Ferris wheel opened in August 2016 to much fanfare — it’s Europe’s first to be built over the sea —and is the centrepiece of a masterful revitalization project currently being undertaken of the historic Pier, where generations of Dutch have been coming to enjoy this area’s iconic beach and carnival-like atmosphere.

With a frosty North Sea wind seemingly pushing The Pier wheel higher and faster, my glass pod rises into the sky just before dusk and I’m treated to a brilliant multi-colour show as the neon lights start to twinkle along Scheveningen’s beachfront.

As we climb higher, the iconic wooden dome of the historic Grand Amrâth Kurhaus Hotel, which sits on the brown shoreline like a giant sandcastle, comes into view. Then, when we reach our maximum height of about 40 metres, all of The Hague spreads out before me — its modern skyline a contrast to most European capitals.

“On a clear day you can see Rotterdam,” Herman Smit, the man leading The Pier’s renaissance tells me. “Ships heading into Rotterdam pass right in front of our pier and many anchor here before they enter the main port.”

When my pod reaches the very top, the wheel stops to let more people on and I’m left dangling in the air with a gentle North Sea wind swaying the closed gondola — there’s 36 in all and each can hold up to six people. The view is breathtaking and when I reach ground level after my 20-minute ride, Smit offers to show me what else he and his group of investors are doing to make this pleasure pier — the original 19th century wooden pier was lost in World War II — more relevant to the 21st century.

“We are trying to attract young people with the addition of the Ferris wheel and our (neighbouring) Bungy Jump tower,” says Smit, who says soon a 380-metre long zip-line will be added.

“The kids will reach speeds of over 100 kilometres an hour on the zip-line,” says an excited Smit as we reach the entrance of the Pier Suites, a unique five-room hotel that appears to be Smit’s pride and joy.

He swings open the door of the largest of the five rooms, which is located on one of two stilted “islands” that hang off the end of The Pier. The modern two-bedroom suite offers uninterrupted views of the North Sea and Smit invites me to follow him onto the suite’s large terrace, where the sound of waves crashing against concrete stilts creates a thunderous sound.

“We will soon be adding a hot tub to this terrace and we plan to build another eight smaller units on the other island,” Smit tells me. “I love coming here all by myself with a glass of wine and look out on the sea. It’s very calming and especially beautiful at night when the ships are anchored and their lights shine on the black water.”

The five rooms offer mood lighting and a large Jacuzzi tub sits in the middle of each, which probably accounts for the hotel’s popularity with romantics.

The other eight rooms Smit talked about will hang off the end of the larger stilted island that’s also home to a massive circular building where start-up companies can rent space or hold conferences.

“The pier went bankrupt a few years ago so it is important that we come up with new ways to generate income,” says Smit as we walk along the lower enclosed deck, which is lined with shops and restaurants serving lots of Dutch treats like French fries drenched in mayonnaise — the inspiration for poutine, maybe?

The 14,000 square metre Pier, which gets about 3.5 million visitors a year, is especially popular on weekends when music and art festivals are held. There’s also flea markets and pop-up shops that keep the crowds coming back. The topless upper deck offers stunning views of the ocean, beach and town and as many as 35,000 people have crowded onto the deck on summer days.

Thanks to the massive investments, The Pier’s future looks pretty bright, especially when it’s seen from The Hague’s new Ferris wheel.

Information

The Scheveningen Pier Ferris wheel is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It costs 9 euros for adults and 7 euros for children. / Rates at the Pier Suites run from 240 euros to 300 euros but the experience is priceless. Rates at the Kurhaus start around $200 Cdn a night. / KLM and Air Canada offer direct daily service to Amsterdam. The Hague is a 30 minute train ride from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. / For more information on Holland, go to www.holland.com