CONSERVATORIUM
Van Baerlestraat 27, Amsterdam hotel.qantas.com.au/ conservatoriumhotel
Formerly a bank then a music academy, this majestic 19thcentury Neo- Gothic building was given an overhaul by The Set hotel group, emerging in 2011 as the 129-room Conservatorium, a fifive-star design hotel. Restored features such as tiled walls and mosaic flfloors punctuate every level but the modern, open, light-fifilled glass lobby is the star attraction. Standard rooms are minimalist yet cosy, while many suites offffer fun mezzanine sleeping decks. The hotel is located between Museumplein, Vondelpark and the city’s canals and chic shopping district. ↓
Business facilities Six meeting rooms are housed in a giant glass box above the lobby. The business corner has a computer and printer. Wi-fi Fast and complimentary.
Food and wine Taiko is a fine-dining restaurant (dinner only) serving a fresh, contemporary Asian menu of inventive sushi and dim sum and hearty fare such as entrecôte Wagyu beef. The Brasserie & Lounge is brilliant for breakfast, all-day dining and casual drinks, while Tunes Bar is one of the coolest in Amsterdam, offering almost 40 different gins and a refuge for smokers inside a sealed mezzaninelevel glass cube above the bar.
Fitness and wellbeing Akasha spa has the city’s largest indoor hotel pool and a hammam. The complimentary gym (6.30am to 10pm) is like a normal gym with pumping music and outside guests.
Run route For a 4.5-kilometre run around Vondelpark, turn right onto Van Baerlestraat then left at Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat. Enter the park and do a loop of its perimeter. Cut through the centre to exit at Jacob Obrechtstraat and return to the hotel via Van Eeghenstraat.
Coffee nearby Brandmeester’s (Van Baerlestraat 13) serves rich coffee from its own small-batch roastery. It’s open from 8.30am on weekdays, 9am on Saturday and noon on Sunday.