Bunk Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Don’t be put off by the ecclesiastical exterior of this hotel-slash-hostel. Despite being housed in a former church, Saint Rita’s, the magenta-coloured, neon-lit logo rigged up outside the bell tower offers a sneak preview of what lies within. Summed up in one word? We’d go for psychedelic.

Located in the edgy Amsterdam-Noord district – an under-the-radar neighbourhood you need to know about – Bunk bridges the gap between hotel and hostel. It’s fun, irreverent and not too expensive. There are private rooms, but also playful pods that riff on the capsule hotel concept, and quirky social spaces with out-there decor – oil paintings of goats dressed as golden age merchants included.

Housed in a former church, the hotel’s low-key exterior belies a psychedelic interior

Founder Robin Hagedoorn found inspiration to open Bunk Amsterdam – and its sister site in Utrecht – while immersed in the creative chaos of the Burning Man festival in the US. The link makes sense when considering the design decisions evident inside the former church. Stepping through the arched doorway, guests immediately come face to face with a lilac dinosaur holding a teddy bear in its jaws, before making the acquaintance of a bow tie-wearing taxidermy fox, binoculars grasped in its paw.

It’s eclectic and tongue-in-cheek – we imagine more so when the place plays host to nighttime events that have, in the past, featured pyrotechnics, masked dancers and more. Sure, it’s a little rough around the edges in places – it is technically a hostel, after all – but when we’re looking for affordable Amsterdam (or Utrecht, or soon Rotterdam) accommodation, we’ll be hitting up Bunk again.

Rooms with simple interiors are located in original church areas and wacky, white cube additions

Rooms

The 106 rooms (and 52 pods) differ in size, but all put the beautiful original architecture of the old church to use, reusing materials where possible. In our Epic Room, steep stairs led up from a narrow entrance and access to a glass-enclosed bathroom (with, admittedly, a slightly strange mural of a woman underwater on the wall) and into the wooden eaves, where our double bed – complete with disco lights (or “ambient LED lighting”) and a TV on the wall – awaited. We liked the small details, such as a Delft tile surround on one electric socket. Other Amsterdam rooms include generously sized bathtubs and views across the atrium, but all offer a free-to-use tote bag for the duration of your stay (which you can buy to take home, too) and are equipped with hair dryers, TVs and safes. And don’t worry: sheets, towels and toiletries are all provided, whatever room size you’re picked.

The pods, a modern iteration of a traditional dorm room, feel pretty space-age: under the church's architectural brick arches, large wooden cubes stack over two levels, each emanating a colourful glow and filled with a cloud-like double bed for you to snuggle down in. They’ve also got power outlets and USB ports, plus luggage storage spaces underneath them. There are single pods, too – but why settle for less? Elsewhere, a number of private rooms also offer more conventional bunks, as well as family set-ups with three or four single beds.

What’s for breakfast?

If you’ve booked a breakfast, head to the eclectically dressed restaurant on one side of the lobby (all roses hanging from the ceiling, mismatched chairs galore and houseplants popping up behind every booth) and pick from a selection of “bowls” that includes a Nordic option featuring salmon and beetroot. A croissant, yoghurt pot and free filter coffee are also included. Breakfast is served from 7.30am all the way through till 4pm.

Should you wish for more, there’s an à la carte menu packed with breakfast classics.

Bunk’s restaurant and bar are attached to the lobby, offering an all-day-dining menu and drinks list

What about lunch and dinner?

The all-day-dining menu (illustrated with suitably madcap images of skateboarding pears and purple-armed carrots) had a revamp in March of this year, with as many ingredients as possible sourced from local producers.

Dishes offer a trip around the world. Start with pumpkin houmous and pork belly, a “marine” lasagna made from sea lettuce and shrimp, or a courgette carpaccio served with grapes, pine nuts and a raspberry vinaigrette. Mains are equally veg-packed: highlights include grilled cauliflower on a soft cauliflower cream, a carrot and slow-cooked beef stew, and electric-green gnocchi, with peas, asparagus and marjoram. For dessert, do a “Dutchie” and take a selection of cheeses, or try the vegan cherry panna cotta.

Is there a bar?

Yes, in the lobby. The spacious U-shaped drinking spot extends into the restaurant and serves a joyful menu of cocktails with suitably silly names: order a “Jigglypuff” for a bubbly, berry-packed drink, or a “Moustachio Martini” if you’re in the mood for an espresso-spiked tipple with added Cointreau, vodka and pistachio. Alongside the hard stuff – the hotel makes its own “Holy Spirits”, including Dutch speciality jenever – you’ll find a load of locally made beers, hard seltzers and “special” coffees, such as a Mexican brew that includes Kahlúa. There are also plenty of no- and low- options for sober sippers. Pick from one of three mocktails, take a gander through the alcohol-free beers, or head to the expansive soft drinks section – passionfruit kombucha, anyone?

A number of private rooms at Bunk are located within floating white cubes above the atrium

Amenities

First things first: check-in is a doddle. Touch screens and ready-to-go key cards make it easy, but there’s a staff member on hand to help if needed, and show you to your room.

The central atrium is perfect for pulling up a seat at a vintage table and doing some work using the super-fast WiFi, surrounded by a grandfather clock, a neon-splashed statue of a zebra and those vast white cubes that seem to float in the cavernous nave space above your head (but which are actually the external walls of some of the hotel’s rooms). There’s also a fully equipped recording studio on site, in case you need to record your podcast, and a packed-out library that wouldn’t look out of place on a cruise ship. And we haven’t mentioned the vault room, a small, strange, dark space tucked behind a heavy, bolt-covered door covered in glow-in-the-dark artwork, with kilim rugs underfoot. Classic Dutch “sit-up” bikes (with inbuilt locks) are available to rent from the front desk.

Keep an eye on the hotel calendar. Bunk runs non-profit cultural nights open to Noord neighbours and hotel guests, from movie screenings and art exhibitions to lectures, poetry nights and cabaret experiences. They’re organised by local programmers to support grassroots arts in the area and are funded by the hotel side of the business.

Alongside rooms, pods and a restaurant, guests have access to a recording studio, a library and a mysterious “vault” room

What are the hotel’s eco-credentials like?

The Zenology toiletries found in private bathrooms, and those shared between pods, are eco-friendly, beds are made up with 100 per cent organic cotton sheets, and the hotel runs a waste-management programme (in keeping with the city’s pretty impressive green reputation). Where possible, the restaurant’s food and drink is locally sourced.

What about accessibility?

At the moment, there are no fully accessible rooms within the hotel.

What’s the crowd like?

You’ll meet in-the-know rucksack-shelled travellers making a beeline for the pods, and stylish couples on city breaks exiting the private rooms.

Step into the lobby to come face to face with a giant lilac dinosaur

Within a short walk I can find…

Amsterdam-Noord – the city’s coolest neighbourhood, which is packed with parks, climbing walls, breweries and some of Amsterdam’s most exciting restaurants. Head to Klaproos, Coba, Café Cress and more.

Anything else I should know?

Despite its dazzling design, BUNK is still a hostel. Housekeeping services are only offered every third day of a stay, and bits of our room did look a touch tired. But if you don’t mind a few carpet scuffs, we’d recommend it for the fun factor.

Within a short walk I can find…

Amsterdam-Noord – the city’s coolest neighbourhood, which is packed with parks, climbing walls, breweries and some of Amsterdam’s most exciting restaurants. Head to Klaproos, Coba, Café Cress and more.

Anything else I should know?

Despite its dazzling design, BUNK is still a hostel. Housekeeping services are only offered every third day of a stay, and bits of our room did look a touch tired. But if you don’t mind a few carpet scuffs, we’d recommend it for the fun factor.