26 February, 2016
Amsterdam is filled with beautiful people. They are everywhere - riding on bicycles, giving museum tours, serving drinks and taking the tram. Nowhere is this concentration of beauty as high in as it is at the Hoxton Hotel. The Hoxton Group's newest venture in the capital of the Netherlands - a city of Dutch masters, Dutch waffles and Dutch fixie bikes - embraces the brand's refreshing and stripped-down approach to hospitality.
The Hoxton, Amsterdam is made up of five canal houses, which once served as a residence to the mayor in the 17th century. The hotel overlooks two canals - one in the front and one in the back - with 111 rooms over five floors. As per the Hoxton group, you'll find your room to be fuss-free - take advantage of the free wifi, an hour's worth of phone calls and the 'no rip-off mini bar' stocked with mineral water and fresh milk (there's not a sewing kit in sight). Even the lobby of the hotel is reworked, and feels like a living room with a welcome desk. Because the Hoxton has done away with all the extras, it means they can offer lower prices. Starting at £70, and just a 40-minute flight with *KLM from London, a trip across the pond may be your next weekend break.
Rooms come in four sizes - shoebox, cosy, roomy and concept - so you can choose according to your budget and number of guests. All are impeccably decorated and warm, with mid-century styled vintage furnishings and golden lighting. Tongue-in-cheek extras including toiletries by Pen & Ink (cockney for stink) lend the hotel a laid-back feel, while plush beds, sinking chairs and sumptuous curtains suggest a certain indulgent. Enjoy your 'no rip-off' mini-bar, one hour of free phone calls to anywhere in the world every day, free wifi and a complimentary breakfast bag. This is not the kind of place that's going to try and trick you into drinking a £7 bottle of water. From £70 a night.
A breakfast bag with granola, yoghurt, orange juice and a banana is delivered in a brown bag to your room free of charge. For heartier fare head downstairs to Lotti's, the hotel's restaurant.
Most of the lobby is filled by the bar, restaurant and café. Lotti's - the open-plan restaurant downstairs serves Mediterranean and Dutch dishes and is open all day. Run by the Soho House Group, you'll find your typical bistro fare and a relaxed atmosphere. At lunch time young professionals hover over laptops and farro salads as they discuss business. At dinner, the restaurant hums as plate after plate of flat-iron chicken and rigatoni is transported from kitchen to table.
Yes -as part of Lotti's it's located just off the open-plan restaurant and is popular every afternoon and evening of the week. Beware of ridiculously attractive patrons.
Wifi, free breakfast, one hour of free phone calls to anywhere in the world, work spaces, a play room and library.
Head downstairs for mini-bar items like wine and snacks, which are sold at street prices. Around the city, don't walk in the bike line.
Museum Van Loon - Learn more about the imminent Van Loon family at their grand canal home which is now a museum. The Van Loon family were one of the founders of the Dutch Far East Company, and the museum offers interesting insight into the golden age of Dutch trade.
SUITCASE was hosted in Amsterdam by KLM and holland.com. Flying from London: *KLM offers flights from 18 UK airports to Amsterdam. Return fares start from £79 including all taxes and fees.
