Amsterdam: Three Nights
THREE NIGHTS
AMSTERDAM
DEANNA MACDONALD
Special to The Globe and Mail
December 7, 2005
AMSTERDAM -- The Dutch do many things well -- bicycling, Gouda, baroque portraits. They also have a knack for creating cozy, or as the Dutch say, gezellig, interiors. With all those people in a tiny, canal-laced country, space is precious and fashioned with an eye for intimacy and detail that we sometimes forget in land-rich countries.
Travellers looking for a room with character and a big downy pillow to rest their jet-lagged head on will not have to look far in Amsterdam. There is a style of hotel for everyone from cutting-edge designer to palatial baroque to a little canal house.
Amsterdam is best toured on foot so a hotel in or near the centre is a must. History buffs and late-night partiers alike will enjoy the very heart of Old Amsterdam, the Centrum surrounding Dam Square. Dating from the Middle Ages, this was the neighbourhood of Rembrandt and the Dutch Golden Age. Today, its canals of graceful brick façades house everything from the notorious red-light district to five-star hotels.
The Grachtengordel, or Canal Belt, a series of semi-circular canals around the Centrum developed in the 17th century to accommodate the elegant gabled townhouses of prosperous merchants, is still some of the hottest real estate in town and dotted with hotels.
A little farther out, but home to the city's top museums (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum), the neighbourhood around Museumplein is also a popular residential and shopping area, and can offer better-value accommodations than the centre.
HIGH END
THE GRAND
The first time you walk into The Grand's cobblestone courtyard and are greeted by a suited doorman before its palatial portico, you know that this hotel was not misnamed. First built as a convent in the 15th century, the Grand passed the subsequent centuries as the palace of the Prince of Orange, the headquarters of the Dutch Admiralty, the Amsterdam town hall and finally, in the late 20th century, as a luxurious five-star hotel. Tucked in between the red-light district and the local university, the Grand is a pleasantly unexpected chic oasis in the middle of the action. It is also an easy (and safe) walk to Amsterdam's main sites.
The hotel occupies the original buildings plus a fabulous 1920s art deco Amsterdam School-styled structure that houses Café Roux, one of the best French restaurants in city which doubles as the hotel's elegant breakfast room. Here, I enjoyed morning coffee and hearty Dutch rolls looking at an abstract expressionist mural (Inquisitive Children, 1949) by Dutch artist Karel Appel, which is part of the restaurant's décor.
In one of the hippest cities in the world, the Grand is unashamedly old-fashioned with floral prints, afternoon tea, attentive service and huge (particularly for Holland) plush rooms that overlook the beautiful surrounding canals or the architecturally interesting courtyards. Like Amsterdam, the clientele is eclectic -- one afternoon I saw a group of suited Swiss politicians and a famous American rapper and his baseball-hatted entourage mingling in the lobby.
MID-RANGE
THE COLLEGE HOTEL
Decidedly not old-fashioned is the smart, new College Hotel. Designed by local FG Stijl architects, this 19th-century former school (thus the name) opened early this year to rave design reviews for it classic, contemporary style. Golden hues merge with the original brickwork to give its long corridors and arched entrances a fashionable warmth; its 40 rooms have down comforters, silk-covered walls and black lacquer furniture. Flat-screen TVs and wireless Internet round out its modern appeal.
Surprisingly, this very sleek hotel is run by 18-year-olds, or rather by trainee students from the local hotel school. Although well supervised by professionals, service can be a bit giggly. However, it's the College Hotel's exceptional design and great location next to the Museum Quarter and close to the funky, multi-ethic de Pijp neighbourhood that makes it a destination for design-savvy travellers. Plus, the apprentice staff also keep the hotel at a four (not five) star rating and prices.
Many hip non-guests also come for the hotel's airy restaurant (once the school's gym), for its contemporary Dutch cuisine and for the trendy bar with black oak floors, gilded sconces and comfortable chairs to sink into and sip a cocktail.
SHOESTRING
'T HOTEL
If you have ever walked along a picturesque Amsterdam canal and fantasized about staying in one of those handsome canal houses, then 't hotel is the place for you. A 17th-century, five-storey canal house with a curving baroque gable and huge single-pane windows located on one of prettiest streets along the Canal Belt, you couldn't dream up a more perfect Dutch experience.
Since opening in 2000, 't hotel has booked up quickly with couples and budget travellers who prefer accommodations with a bit of cachet. With only eight rooms and a welcoming atmosphere, 't hotel is a bit like staying at a cool Dutch friend's home. The rooms are simple and well-designed and either overlook the canal or the back garden and neighbouring rooftops. The basement breakfast room is bright and immaculate and the ground floor holds an art and design shop.
As a listed property, the owners have maintained much of the original interior, including charming (or just plain narrow, depending on your viewpoint) winding stairs up to the rooms. Details like free wireless Internet, however, keep service in the 21st century.
Surrounding streets are predominately residential with a smattering of popular antiquarian bookshops, cafés and restaurants.
Hotel vitals
SOFITEL DEMEURE GRAND
Essentials: Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197; 31 (20) 555 3111; http://www.thegrand.nl.
Rates and rooms: 131 rooms and 35 suites starting at $580 up to $2,000 for the "royal suite."
Top draw: Palatial accommodations in the historic heart of Amsterdam.
Needs work: The spa pool is tiny (though it does have a jet stream). THE COLLEGE HOTEL
Essentials: Roelof Hartstraat 1; 31 (20) 571 1511; http://www.thecollegehotel.com.
Rates and rooms: 40 rooms, doubles start at $273 and go up to $900 for a luxury suite.
Top draw: The hotel's exceptional design.
Needs work: Less than professional trainee staff. 'T HOTEL
Essentials: Leliegracht 18; 31 (20) 422 2741; http://www.thotel.nl .
Rates and rooms: 8 rooms, doubles from $175 to $230, including breakfast.
Top draw: Staying in a canal house.
Needs work: Narrow stairs mean this hotel is not wheelchair accessible.
AMSTERDAM
DEANNA MACDONALD
Special to The Globe and Mail
December 7, 2005
AMSTERDAM -- The Dutch do many things well -- bicycling, Gouda, baroque portraits. They also have a knack for creating cozy, or as the Dutch say, gezellig, interiors. With all those people in a tiny, canal-laced country, space is precious and fashioned with an eye for intimacy and detail that we sometimes forget in land-rich countries.
Travellers looking for a room with character and a big downy pillow to rest their jet-lagged head on will not have to look far in Amsterdam. There is a style of hotel for everyone from cutting-edge designer to palatial baroque to a little canal house.
Amsterdam is best toured on foot so a hotel in or near the centre is a must. History buffs and late-night partiers alike will enjoy the very heart of Old Amsterdam, the Centrum surrounding Dam Square. Dating from the Middle Ages, this was the neighbourhood of Rembrandt and the Dutch Golden Age. Today, its canals of graceful brick façades house everything from the notorious red-light district to five-star hotels.
The Grachtengordel, or Canal Belt, a series of semi-circular canals around the Centrum developed in the 17th century to accommodate the elegant gabled townhouses of prosperous merchants, is still some of the hottest real estate in town and dotted with hotels.
A little farther out, but home to the city's top museums (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum), the neighbourhood around Museumplein is also a popular residential and shopping area, and can offer better-value accommodations than the centre.
HIGH END
THE GRAND
The first time you walk into The Grand's cobblestone courtyard and are greeted by a suited doorman before its palatial portico, you know that this hotel was not misnamed. First built as a convent in the 15th century, the Grand passed the subsequent centuries as the palace of the Prince of Orange, the headquarters of the Dutch Admiralty, the Amsterdam town hall and finally, in the late 20th century, as a luxurious five-star hotel. Tucked in between the red-light district and the local university, the Grand is a pleasantly unexpected chic oasis in the middle of the action. It is also an easy (and safe) walk to Amsterdam's main sites.
The hotel occupies the original buildings plus a fabulous 1920s art deco Amsterdam School-styled structure that houses Café Roux, one of the best French restaurants in city which doubles as the hotel's elegant breakfast room. Here, I enjoyed morning coffee and hearty Dutch rolls looking at an abstract expressionist mural (Inquisitive Children, 1949) by Dutch artist Karel Appel, which is part of the restaurant's décor.
In one of the hippest cities in the world, the Grand is unashamedly old-fashioned with floral prints, afternoon tea, attentive service and huge (particularly for Holland) plush rooms that overlook the beautiful surrounding canals or the architecturally interesting courtyards. Like Amsterdam, the clientele is eclectic -- one afternoon I saw a group of suited Swiss politicians and a famous American rapper and his baseball-hatted entourage mingling in the lobby.
MID-RANGE
THE COLLEGE HOTEL
Decidedly not old-fashioned is the smart, new College Hotel. Designed by local FG Stijl architects, this 19th-century former school (thus the name) opened early this year to rave design reviews for it classic, contemporary style. Golden hues merge with the original brickwork to give its long corridors and arched entrances a fashionable warmth; its 40 rooms have down comforters, silk-covered walls and black lacquer furniture. Flat-screen TVs and wireless Internet round out its modern appeal.
Surprisingly, this very sleek hotel is run by 18-year-olds, or rather by trainee students from the local hotel school. Although well supervised by professionals, service can be a bit giggly. However, it's the College Hotel's exceptional design and great location next to the Museum Quarter and close to the funky, multi-ethic de Pijp neighbourhood that makes it a destination for design-savvy travellers. Plus, the apprentice staff also keep the hotel at a four (not five) star rating and prices.
Many hip non-guests also come for the hotel's airy restaurant (once the school's gym), for its contemporary Dutch cuisine and for the trendy bar with black oak floors, gilded sconces and comfortable chairs to sink into and sip a cocktail.
SHOESTRING
'T HOTEL
If you have ever walked along a picturesque Amsterdam canal and fantasized about staying in one of those handsome canal houses, then 't hotel is the place for you. A 17th-century, five-storey canal house with a curving baroque gable and huge single-pane windows located on one of prettiest streets along the Canal Belt, you couldn't dream up a more perfect Dutch experience.
Since opening in 2000, 't hotel has booked up quickly with couples and budget travellers who prefer accommodations with a bit of cachet. With only eight rooms and a welcoming atmosphere, 't hotel is a bit like staying at a cool Dutch friend's home. The rooms are simple and well-designed and either overlook the canal or the back garden and neighbouring rooftops. The basement breakfast room is bright and immaculate and the ground floor holds an art and design shop.
As a listed property, the owners have maintained much of the original interior, including charming (or just plain narrow, depending on your viewpoint) winding stairs up to the rooms. Details like free wireless Internet, however, keep service in the 21st century.
Surrounding streets are predominately residential with a smattering of popular antiquarian bookshops, cafés and restaurants.
Hotel vitals
SOFITEL DEMEURE GRAND
Essentials: Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197; 31 (20) 555 3111; http://www.thegrand.nl.
Rates and rooms: 131 rooms and 35 suites starting at $580 up to $2,000 for the "royal suite."
Top draw: Palatial accommodations in the historic heart of Amsterdam.
Needs work: The spa pool is tiny (though it does have a jet stream). THE COLLEGE HOTEL
Essentials: Roelof Hartstraat 1; 31 (20) 571 1511; http://www.thecollegehotel.com.
Rates and rooms: 40 rooms, doubles start at $273 and go up to $900 for a luxury suite.
Top draw: The hotel's exceptional design.
Needs work: Less than professional trainee staff. 'T HOTEL
Essentials: Leliegracht 18; 31 (20) 422 2741; http://www.thotel.nl .
Rates and rooms: 8 rooms, doubles from $175 to $230, including breakfast.
Top draw: Staying in a canal house.
Needs work: Narrow stairs mean this hotel is not wheelchair accessible.
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