Seven Bridges Hotel
Amsterdam
by Sarah Shuckburgh
The Seven Bridges Hotel is in a 300-year-old house
overlooking one of the prettiest and most peaceful waterways
in Amsterdam. The hotel's name refers to the sequence of
brick bridges along this small canal. As you pass the end of
the Reguliersgracht in a boat, you can see all seven arches,
each looking smaller than the last, like a set of Russian
dolls. At night the bridges glitter with arcs of white
lights.
The hotel is tucked away from the hurly-burly of tourists
and trams, near the prestigious "golden bend" of the grand
canals Herensgracht and Keizersgracht - but only minutes
away from the centre.
The owners are proud of their collection of new and antique
marquetry - cherry and walnut veneer adorns bevelled
mirrors, doors and furniture. There are no public areas in
the hotel, so breakfast - a high-protein selection of meat
and cheese, with croissants and four different breads - is
brought to your room. The staircase is narrow, winding and
steep, and there's no lift.
Rooms at the front of the hotel overlook the tranquil canal,
where dappled sunlight filters through leafy elms. But
Number 5 is probably the nicest bedroom - quiet and airy,
with a panelled dado, specially commissioned marquetry doors
leading to the bathroom, and a private terrace with what the
owner calls a "nice view of the backside" - over a patchwork
of tiny gardens.
First published by Travel Intelligence Ltd
©SarahShuckburgh |
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Blakes Hotel
Amsterdam
by Sarah Shuckburgh
A member of Small Luxury Hotels Of The World, Blakes
combines exceptional service from fashionably attired staff,
exotic furnishings and five-star comforts, just minutes from
the heart of Amsterdam. It's either beautifully designed, or
completely over the top, depending on your point of view.
From one of the grandest canals, one steps through a
discreet sandstone portico into a elegant courtyard, with
perfectly proportioned topiary. Early 17th century doors
lead to a sleek reception area, where classical architecture
blends successfully with 21st century minimalism.
Anouska Hempel's dramatic and astonishing decor juxtaposes
contemporary glamour with Dutch colonial and domestic
history. The 17th and 18th century buildings retain their
original dark-beamed ceilings, brick floors and traditional
gables, but every room also evokes the Dutch East Indies,
with slatted mahogany screens, rattan and bamboo furniture,
lacquered trunks, coconut matting, and cascades of silks and
linens.
Most rooms overlook the peaceful, leafy courtyard garden;
canal-view rooms are surprisingly quiet, set back behind the
entrance courtyard.
Reception areas startle, with shiny black paintwork and bare
white walls. Food arrives on slabs of granite, and even the
courtyard garden has black walls. Only the merest hint of
Delft blue intrudes, on some china pots. Colour control of
flowers is equally strict - only white and green are
permitted. In summer, Indonesian tropical hyacinths float in
yard-high beakers, with elegantly tangled fibrous roots
hanging in the clear water. In winter, Dutch bulbs sprout
uniformly white blooms in vast urns.
Bedrooms, however, are an extravaganza of colour - choose
from gold, red, blue, green, or warm Indonesian browns, with
matching corridors.
Blakes is a triumph of theatrical panache and must be a
nightmare for housekeeping staff. It's impossible to sit
anywhere without disturbing vertical stacks of
colour-co-ordinated cushions. Curtains fall in perfect
swags, beds are strewn with lengths of exotic cloth, and
three-foot bundles of slender grasses brush against your
face alarmingly as you pass. Instead of a basin, each room
has a rectangular trough with a sloping base, like a doll's
swimming pool - a 12-inch wall of water gushes like a
waterfall into the deep end.
First published by Travel Intelligence Ltd
©SarahShuckburgh |
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