by Rodney Bolt, The Telegraph, November 26, 2019
Amsterdam is Venice with trees. Intimate, alluring, and with oodles of charm, it has been wooing lovers for centuries. Curl up in the snug of a wood-panelled bar, cruise through canals in a sleek private salon boat, sip sundowners under a canopy of green, then dine by candlelight, looking out over fairy-lit bridges. Or simply cosy up in your canalside hotel room watching swans glide by. In Amsterdam you can stay beside or even on the water, in delicious solitude or discreetly secluded in style.
The Dylan
8Telegraph expert rating
You enter The Dylan through a 17th-century arch and gateway, and across a courtyard, which helps give it a discreet, exclusive atmosphere. Inside, old-world elegance sets the base note, with exuberant contemporary flourishes. Rooms vary considerably in shape and style: some large, with canal views; others up under the roof beams. All of them are individually decorated. For dining, Vinkeles (situated in the former almshouse bakery) serves modern, Michelin-starred cuisine with a busy bevy of counter-flavours. The more casual Occo Brasserie in the courtyard is also delightful.
From £305per night
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• The best boutique hotels in Amsterdam
Soho House Amsterdam
9Telegraph expert rating
The cream of Dutch creatives roam relaxedly through this centrally located hotel and member’s club, all soaring ceilings, stained glass, Art Deco angles and boldly coloured tiling. Rooms – with parquet floors, enticing textiles, original artwork, vintage-style furniture – continue the tranquil, engaging tone of the communal areas. A roof terrace with a 360-degree city view, private cinema, canal-view gym and easy-going, yet attentive service add to the allure. The House Kitchen does robust, tasty fare with US and Mediterranean influences, made with prime ingredients, while Cecconi’s serves inspired Italian dishes.
From £143per night
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Maison Rika
7Telegraph expert rating
Maison Rika comprises just two stylish guestrooms above a lifestyle studio and gallery belonging to former fashion and interiors stylist Ulrika Lundgren. Ulrika fills both boutique and guesthouse with her favourite finds: custom furniture by Paul Lelieveld, artwork by San Ming, John Derian glass art. Her signature black-and-cream palette means black bathroom mosaic and black-painted wooden floors, offset by pale walls and crisp bedlinen – together with all manner of contemporary paintings and prints. Both rooms – one romantically under the beams of the loft, a larger one on the floor below – are flooded with light, and have delightful canal views.
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Sweets
9Telegraph expert rating
Bridge-operators’ cabins, dating from 1673 to 2009, on bridges all over town, have been converted into independent hotel suites ingeniously designed to make maximum use of space and offer top comfort, while giving great views in enviable locations. The suites pick up on the materials, period and style of the original building (so you may be in a world of clean edges, Anglepoise lamps and glass, or a cosier realm of 1920s curves and burnished wood). You reserve and pay online, and use an electronic key, sent to your phone, to open the door. Inside, there's a small fridge and espresso machine, plus enough cutlery and crockery for simple meals.
From £111per night
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Seven One Seven
8Telegraph expert rating
Hotel Seven One Seven is a sumptuous canal-house mansion with the ambience of a grand private home. It's the stuff dreams are made of, somewhere to go for that special occasion, or to give yourself a real treat. Service is discreet and domestic; the rooms are spacious, and individually decorated with period furniture, designer pieces, intriguing curiosa and original art. The two Executive suites at the front of the house have enormous windows, with prime views of the Prinsengracht canal. There is no restaurant or spa, though afternoon tea and evening drinks are included in the rate.
From £204per night
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• The best luxury hotels in Amsterdam
Hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam
9Telegraph expert rating
The Pulitzer sits on an attractive stretch of one of Amsterdam’s most gracious canals, five minutes’ walk from the Anne Frank House and only two or three more to the Royal Palace on the Dam. The hotel, which runs through 25 different buildings, is a delightful warren of passages, stairways, sudden open spaces, with many original features intact, but with a fresh, contemporary atmosphere. Rooms come in all shapes and sizes, many with fine canal views. Gracious service, garden courtyards and good cuisine add to the mix. Pulitzer's Bar is a city institution and serves good wines and classic cocktails.
From £232per night
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• The best spa hotels in Amsterdam
Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam
9Telegraph expert rating
High ceilings and white marble floors give a sense of grandeur to The Grand, while French interiors architect Sybille de Margerie has worked magic to soften the monumental interior with warm colours and witty design touches, creating a contemporary mood. It trumps competition for the most attractive garden courtyard in town: think camellias and tulips in season, tables in shaded individual bowers. Breakfast is superb, with a buffet that extends beyond the usual fare, ranging from congee to Dutch pancakes. Relax with a dip in the good-sized pool or book a hot stone massage at the spa. The hotel is a place of elegance and repose in the heart of town.
From £180per night
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The Toren
8Telegraph expert rating
Lush, at times gloriously over-the-top décor, in two 17th-century canal houses, convenient for shopping, dining and sightseeing. Some years back, Eric Toren took over his father’s two-star hotel, and transformed it into a nest of opulence. What remains of the old family-run hotel, in this new luxurious incarnation, is the charm of personal service. Luscious fabrics, deep purples, rich colours, soft chairs, dark carved wood, subtle lighting, banks of fresh flowers, and chandeliers sum up the interiors. Rooms are individually decorated and the décor from downstairs infiltrates here, too, as do the period touches: a four-poster bed or perhaps gilded ceilings.
From £145per night
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The Hoxton, Amsterdam
9Telegraph expert rating
A grand canal house on the outside and convivial hip haven within, The Hoxton has a style that mixes recent with retro. Corridors with funky Escher-style carpets take you to rooms that (like the public areas) mix nostalgia with sleek modernism: a retro-style digital radio, vintage alarm clock, 1980s phone and herringbone parquet floors playing style games with a hexagonal mirror, a clean-lined desk, an abstract brass-wire lampshade. Beds are wallowingly comfy, while bathrooms are reminiscent of the 1930s, with white tiles, chunky taps and exposed brass piping. Lotti’s restaurant (which has a retractable glass roof) is a good spot for a romantic meal.
From £137per night
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• Where to stay in Amsterdam: hotels by district
Breitner House
9Telegraph expert rating
A house once occupied by one of the leading Dutch artists of the 19th century. In it, you’ll find rooms filled with museum-quality antique furniture, a mosaic of fine artwork, stuccoed ceilings dripping with crystal chandeliers, and forests of fresh flowers. At times you feel that you’re living in a rich period movie set: each suite is individually and sumptuously decorated, and is more spacious than you’ll find pretty much anywhere else in town. There are personal touches to the décor, too, such as a mural of irises painted by Camilla, and artwork brought as gifts by returning guests. The daily champagne breakfast – in the period dining room, overlooking the park – is unsurpassed anywhere in town.
From £424per night
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This article was written by Rodney Bolt from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
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