Hotel Roemer

Class: First

Style: Modern design

Rooms: 23

Hotels in Amsterdam are an odd business. For all the talk about ultra-edgy Dutch design it’s often forgotten that they’ve got quite a lot of protected historic architecture to contend with. The Hotel Roemer, however, expertly manages this fusion of old and new — behind its 18th-century townhouse facade it’s a chic and modern boutique hotel that’s exactly what you’d expect from the Netherlands: modern, efficient, and just quirky enough.

Efficient, we must admit, is often hotel-writing code for “a bit small.” Actually that would be “cozy”; these rooms, while smallish, make the most of their space, with uncluttered design and a smart assortment of gadgets, including a decent work space and sockets for US, UK and European appliances. Floor plans vary, as this classic house’s footprint was never designed for the double-loaded corridors of the modern hotel — this leads to some interesting arrangements, but also some surprising views of a quiet street or a private garden.

There’s a bar and lounge that serves breakfast in the morning and drinks all day, and this being Amsterdam you’ll find bicycles available for rent. And you’ll want to use them — the Roemer’s location near Leidseplein Square places you quite close to the Museumplein and to some fine shopping on the P.C. Hoofstraat.