Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [98]
Ambassade Herengracht 341 020/555 0222, www.ambassade-hotel.nl. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Spui. Elegant canalside hotel made up of ten seventeenth-century houses, with smartly furnished lounges, a well-stocked library and comfortable recently revamped en-suite rooms from €195 and suites from €275. Friendly staff and free 24-hour internet access. Breakfast is an extra €16, but well worth it.
Chic & Basic Herengracht 13 020/522 2345, www.chicandbasic.com. Ten-minute walk from CS. Dutch branch of this spunky Spanish concept, offering 26 basic but cool rooms, some of them overlooking the canal. The changeable lighting system allows you to adjust the colouring of the room according to your mood. Rates start at €125, breakfast an extra €7.50.
Clemens Raadhuisstraat 39 020/624 6089, www.clemenshotel.com. Tram #13 or #17 from CS to Westermarkt. Friendly, well-run budget hotel, with knowledgeable owner, close to the Anne Frank Huis, this is one of the better options along this busy main road. Individually decorated doubles without shower from €75, with shower from €120; breakfast included. All rooms offer free internet connection, and you can rent laptops for just a few euros.
Dylan Keizersgracht 384 020/530 2010, www.dylanamsterdam.com. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Leidsestraat/Keizersgracht. This stylish hotel is housed in a seventeenth-century building that centres on a beautiful courtyard and terrace. Its 41 sumptuous rooms range in style from opulent reds or greens to minimal white and oatmeal shades, and have flat-screen TVs and stereos. The restaurant offers modern French cuisine and the bar is open to non-guests. The ambiance is hip without being pretentious, and that goes for the staff too, making it popular with many guests returning. Luxury suites overlooking the Keizersgracht canal will set you back €1700; standard doubles from €475. Breakfast €28 extra.
Dylan
Estherea Singel 303–309 020/624 5146, www.estherea.nl. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Spui. This enjoyable and very comfortable four-star hotel occupies a pair of sympathetically modernized old canal houses in a great location, a brief stroll from the Spui. There’s no hankering after minimalism here – the carpets are thick and plush, the public areas rich in browns and reds. The guest rooms are similar in style, with beds that you can literally sink into, and the pick of them overlook the canal. Free internet access. Official rates are around €260 excluding tax and breakfast (an extra €16), but when booked well in advance you can find a room as low as €130.
Hegra Herengracht 269 020/623 7877, www.hegrahotel.nl. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Spui. Welcoming atmosphere and relatively inexpensive for the location, on a handsome stretch of canal near the Spui. Rooms are small but comfortable, either en suite or with shared facilities. Doubles from €84 with breakfast, with private shower but shared toilet.
Hoksbergen Singel 301 020/626 6043, www.hotelhoksbergen.nl. Tram #1, #2 or #5 from CS to Spui. Standard-issue hotel, with a light and open breakfast room overlooking the Singel canal. Basic and rather charmless en-suite rooms, all with telephone and TV, from €98 for the smallest room to larger doubles for €125; breakfast and tax included. Self-catering apartments too from €120.
’t Hotel Leliegracht 18 020/422 2741, www.thotel.nl. Tram #13 or #17 to Westermarkt. Extremely appealing, low-key hotel located in an old high-gabled house along a quiet stretch of canal. The eight spacious rooms – three with canal views – are decked out in a pleasant and unassuming modern style with large beds, TV, fridge and either bath or shower. Minimum three-night stay at the weekend (Thurs–Mon). Extremely friendly and helpful staff/owners. Doubles from €145.
Pax Raadhuisstraat 37 020/624 9735. Tram #13 or #17 to Westermarkt. Straightforward, city-centre cheapie with a mixture of fair-sized rooms sleeping one to four people; all finished in a minimalist style. As with most of the hotels along