Who is Toos van der Valk
Together with her husband Gerrit van der Valk (1928–2009), Toos van der Valk built the family business that grew into Van der Valk, the Dutch hotel and restaurant group with the toucan. The family magazine Valk Life calls her the leading lady of the family.
She is a mother of seven, and a grandmother and great-grandmother to a large family. That family is at the centre of her life.
A life in hospitality
In the 1950s, Toos and Gerrit started their own business: the restaurant De Witte in Vught. In 1968 they opened Motel Nuland, the first large motel in the Netherlands. Van der Valk International, the hotel group that grew out of their branch of the family, today has hotels in four countries.
TOOS rosé
For her birthday in 2018, Toos received a special present from her family: a wine of her own, with her name on the label. Her grandchildren created TOOS rosé together with her, from bottle to taste. New vintages have followed since.
1982
On 26 November 1982, Toos van der Valk was kidnapped. She was held in Belgium for twenty-one days and was released on 17 December 1982, after a ransom had been paid.
In 2011, her own account was published as a book in Dutch: Mijn ontvoering (“My kidnapping”), written by Elle van Rijn. It can be ordered through this website.
The Netflix series
In 2026, Netflix releases the drama series Toos: The Van der Valk Kidnapping, known in the Netherlands as Toos. The series is inspired by the kidnapping. It is a work of fiction, a drama series rather than a documentary.
Stay where it began
The story of Toos and Gerrit began in Vught and Nuland. In both places, you can still stay at a Van der Valk hotel.
1954
Van der Valk Hotel Vught
This is where it began. Toos and Gerrit opened De Witte in Vught as a restaurant, and their family grew up in Vught. Today it is a hotel with rooms, restaurants and meeting rooms, close to Den Bosch.
Visit the hotel (Van der Valk Hotel Vught, opens in a new window)
1968
Van der Valk Hotel Nuland
On 27 September 1968, Motel Nuland opened: the first large motel in the Netherlands, and the first hotel the family designed and built itself. Van der Valk Hotel Nuland lies close to Den Bosch.
Visit the hotel (Van der Valk Hotel Nuland, opens in a new window)
Timeline
1862
De Gouden Leeuw
Nicolaas van der Valk buys De Gouden Leeuw, a farm in Voorschoten. This is where the family business begins.
192813 June
Gerrit van der Valk is born
In Voorschoten.
193022 December
Toos is born
1954
De Witte in Vught
Toos and Gerrit start their own business in Vught, where their family grows up.
196827 September
Motel Nuland
The first large motel in the Netherlands, and the first hotel the family designs and builds itself.
197617 October
Fire at Nuland
The motel burns down and is rebuilt.
198226 Nov – 17 Dec
The kidnapping
Toos is kidnapped and released after twenty-one days.
1983
A second fire
Nuland burns down again and is rebuilt on a larger scale.
200920 January
Gerrit dies
After fifty-four years of marriage.
2011
Mijn ontvoering
Elle van Rijn’s book is published, based on Toos’s own account.
2018
TOOS rosé
A birthday present from her grandchildren: a wine bearing her name.
2023July
De Winkel van Toos
A shop bearing her name opens at Van der Valk Hotel Tilburg-Gilze, selling chocolates and sweets.
2024
TOOS Restaurant
At Hotel Hoorn, with a menu written in her own hand.
2026
The Netflix series
Netflix releases the drama series Toos, inspired by the events of 1982.
Sources
- Leading lady van de familie · Valk Life (Dutch)
- Ontvoering van Toos van der Valk · Wikipedia (Dutch)