amsterdam hotels

Hotel Blakes

Overlooking the prestigious Keizersgracht canal, Blakes is arguably the city’s chicest hotel. Anouska Hempel has created a stylish retreat in a discreet location. Rooms are decorated in luxury fabrics and individually themed on Dutch history. The restaurant’s cuisine is equally distinctive, inspired by 16th-century merchant adventurers. Keizersgracht 384, 1016 GB Amsterdam

Hotel Ambassade

The atmosphere is quiet, and service solicitous in this hotel occupying a series of elegant canalside houses. Books by many of the writers who have stayed here adorn the Louis XVI lounge. Bedrooms are decorated in French classical or English country style. The hotel has its own massage centre and internet room. Herengracht 341, 1016 AZ Amsterdam.

Hotel Canal House

17th-century house with narrow winding stairs, beautifully executed period decoration, and an old-fashioned bar where guests meet to chat. Breakfast is served in the salon, where guests are welcome to play the grand piano. Ask for a room facing the canal or the garden. Keizersgracht 148, 1015 CX Amsterdam.

Hotel The Grand

This well-loved hotel lives up to its name. A former convent, it was turned into a hotel for royal guests in the 16th century, becoming the Town Hall in the early 1900s. The beautiful courtyard is used for outdoor dining from a mainly French menu. Locals pack out the hotel’s Café Roux. Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197, 1012 EX Amsterdam

Hotel Seven One Seven

Men’s fashion stylist Kees van der Valk has created a glossy canalhouse hotel in the city centre. There are log fires, candles and art books in the lounge, and the breakfast room leads out to patios. Glasses of wine and afternoon tea are on the house. Each of the individual suites has CD player and VCR. Prinsengracht 717, 1017 JW Amsterdam.

Hotel Pulitzer

Sunday opera brunches, a sculpture garden, and a restaurant in a former pharmacy are all part of this unusual city-centre hotel. It consists of 25 neighbouring canalside houses, each with their own character. A walkway linking the houses contains an art gallery. Bedrooms are furnished with classic fabrics and good furniture. Prinsengracht 315–331, 1016 GZ Amsterdam

Hotel Toro

This patrician townhouse is a short taxi-ride from the city centre but is close to the Rijksmuseum, and its location in a residential area overlooking the Vondelpark ensures tranquillity. The terrace is a relaxing place to enjoy the view of the facing lake, and the birdsong that fills the garden. Inside are stained-glass windows, tasteful antiques and a wonderful Art Nouveau ceiling. Koningslaan 64, 1075 AG Amsterdam.