A new hotel has opened in Amsterdam, only a few minutes walk from the Central Station and Dam Square, and almost next door to one of my favourite places in the city — the Central Library. The hotel is called Mint Hotel (part of a small hotel chain in the UK) and it has 553 [...]
If you are looking for an opulent, intimate place to stay in The Hague, look no further than the Haagsche Suites, a 3-suite guesthouse owned by Guido van den Elshout. Set in a meticulously restored historic townhouse, the B&B features traditional design mixed with modern sophisticated touches. The individually decorated suites are spacious (75 square [...]
If you are looking for a bed and breakfast in the center of Amsterdam, check out Kamer 01, a stylish B&B located in a renovated house built in the late 1500s on the Singel canal. The B&B is only two blocks away from the Flower Market and it is in an area filled with wonderful [...]
With an exterior that resembles the façades of traditional Dutch houses stacked on top of one another, the Inntel Hotel in Zaandam, outside Amsterdam, has attracted a lot of attention not just from travelers but also from design publications. Most of the hotels on the periphery of Amsterdam, especially those near Schiphol Airport, are bland and [...]
If you are planning a trip to Europe this month, don’t miss Sail Amsterdam, which takes place from August 19-23, 2010. This event happens only every five years and it’s impressive. Here’s a guide to hotels and restaurants in and around Amsterdam.
Ever since I visited Istanbul, I’ve been crazy about Turkish food. I am hunting down good Turkish restaurants wherever I go. Amsterdam has a number of good Turkish places but the recent addition to the dining scene, Restaurant Revan, is fabulous. Better yet, the prices are reasonable. The starters range in price from €4.50-€7.50; main [...]
There are many advantages to staying in an apartment over a hotel. You have more space and more privacy, you can cook your own meals or get takeaway from a good traiteur in the neighborhood and you don’t have to adhere to the disruptive hotel cleaning schedule. Amsterdam has a lot of fabulous apartments for [...]
Amsterdam has been blessed with a lot of outstanding restaurants opening in the past five years. Once ethnic food meant a choice between Indonesian and bland Chinese food, now we’ve got Moroccan, Thai, Japanese and finally, Afghan cuisine from a new restaurant called Mantoe in the Jordaan. It’s become a neighborhood favorite because the food [...]
If you are coming to Amsterdam and want to stay in the heart of the luxury shopping district, Hotel Patou is for you. It’s right on the PC Hooftstraat, where Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci have boutiques. Named after legendary French couturier, Jean Patou, the hotel also has a brasserie where you can rest your [...]
What a fabulous addition to the dining and bar scene in Amsterdam! This week I went to the terrific opening party of Momo, a new restaurant, bar and lounge specializing in sushi, sashimi and Asian style dishes, then I went back the next evening for dinner. It’s now my favorite place to hang out in [...]