Globalista

Small, liberal, pretty, Amsterdam is a city to satisfy almost every agenda. Those in search of cobblestones, serious culture and canal views will be in heaven, design aficionados can explore one of the world’s design capitals for hip furniture and home accessories, and denizens of the party circuit won't be lacking for ways to fill the glamorous late-night hours (and it’s not about pot and prostitutes). Our guide gives you the best places to go house-shopping, where to pick up stylish fashion by the Antwerp Six and how to find absurdly cute one-off boutiques between the canals. We know the former 1900s gasworks that’s now the coolest cultural hub in town, where you can see a knockout photography collection and buy grapefruit-sized parrot tulips. Amsterdam has all the swagger and bustle of a big city, the easy sweetness of an outsized village, and the zaniness and grit of an open society, one where the ladies of the night have a workers' union, and the Crown Prince sometimes has to queue to get into the coolest boîte in town, just like you do. Read on to find out more about this affluent European city with a medieval heart, clean streets, and a refreshingly different attitude.

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The grande dame of Amsterdam hotels is The Intercontinental Amstel which is a landmark building and home to three-star restaurant La Rive. Think fresh roses at breakfast each morning and society weddings at the weekend - all very old school. Beyond The Amstel, two parts of town vie for Perfect Location status: the canal ring, comprising of the Herengracht, the Keizersgracht and the Prinsengracht, famous for sigh-inducing views and charm in spades; and the elegant Old South, for easy access to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum.

Set back from the patrician Keizersgracht canal behind a cobbled courtyard, the gorgeously chic Dylan is still the incumbent for best boutique hotel; its 26 rooms - originally designed by Anouska Hempel in 1999 - are slightly faded, but the building's got great bones, a lovely candle-lit interior courtyard for drinks (and, in summer, dinner), and a downright sexy bar and lounge.

Located one canal over, on the Prinsengracht, you'll find best-kept secret Seven One Seven which is like staying at your rich bachelor uncle's place: a huge mansion where you can settle in front of the fire with a book and a glass of first-rate South African pinotage. Service is affable but minimal (it's a b&b, after all), but the faultlessly tasteful rooms (fabrics are particularly refined; the original owner used to be a menswer designer) are huge and the young staffers are walking Black Books of the city's best addresses.

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Globalista's Pick of the Press

27 June 2009 - The Guardian - Moving works
6 June 2009 - The Times - City style: Amsterdam
9 May 2009 - The Financial Times - Boost to the Dutch Art Scene
30 January 2009 - A Luxury Travel Blog - A new brand is born: Franklyn Hotels and Resorts
10 September 2008 - The New York Times - Readers' Picks - Amsterdam

See the full archive of travel press articles for Amsterdam.