Perks: Canal-front, Michelin-star restaurant on site, dedicated workspaces
As the first three-Michelin key stay in The Netherlands, the De L’Europe prides itself on stellar customer service and streamlined room aesthetics. Whether you opt for a standard room fitted with high-gloss millwork and canal views, or one of their ‘t Huys suites outfitted by local partners like the Van Gogh museum (serene with pops of yellow) or the Sisters Janssen suite (color-drenched in red with Space Age fixtures), you’re sure to have a memorable stay. Each room, no matter the size, includes a wardrobe and dedicated workspace, alongside a sleek, marble-clad ensuite. Three on-site restaurants and two bars ensure you’re never far from your next culinary discovery, but we’re partial to sitting canal-side with a spritz at Brasserie Marie. The hotel also includes meeting rooms, event spaces, and a Biologique Recherche spa, should your itinerary need to include some R&R.
Perks: Historic architecture, sweeping city views, bike rentals
Once a bank, then a music school, The Conservatorium elegantly blends original architecture with modern charm for a luxe place to call home, even if it is just temporary. A greenhouse-like glass lobby makes the already impressive entrance seem even grander while exposed brick layers in texture. i Sleek leather sofas and plush wingback chairs offer a comfortable waiting place for a table at the newly opened Ottolenghi or Taiko, a Dutch take on Asian cuisine. A mere five-minute walk to both the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum, this stay is your central cultural touchpoint.
Take a walk through the Voldelpark or hop on a bike (the hotel has plenty available) and venture out toward the old Olympic Stadium. While there’s plenty to do outside the four walls of the hotel, we encourage you to explore the interiors as well. Each floor of the former music conservatory (students of the relocated school still come to play in the lobby on weekends) reveals something new, whether it’s the floral mosaic tile on the wainscotting of the ground floor or the intercrossed ceiling beams of the attic suites. Crisp percale sheets and low-slung furniture juxtapose with the building’s original architecture, and a travertine-clad bathroom marries the two worlds with a classic warmth. If you’re looking to splurge, book the sole room with the spiral staircase leading to a private roof deck—there’s no better way to enjoy an alfresco cocktail on a warm summer evening.