The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Bringing a Dutch-American flavour to city-centre comfort
In a busy spot, this hotel marries calm, contemporary décor with brightly efficient service, attention to detail and hearty, imaginative Hollandmeets-America cuisine.
Location 7/10
Just three minutes’ walk from Centraal Station, in a triangle formed by a main traffic thoroughfare and a busy pedestrianised commercial shopping street. So, tops for convenience of transport, less so for dreamy romance. It’s five minutes’ walk from attractive canals and 10 minutes by tram to the major museums.
Style/character 8/10
An Eighties building envelopes two 17th-century houses like a giant snail shell. Inside, Ave Bradley’s soothing design – soft blues and greys, minimalist clarity offset by eye-catching contemporary artworks and intriguing furniture – creates a pool of calm. A large lobby lounge divides effortlessly into separate seating areas, each with a different mood.
Service & facilities 9/10
Service is bright, friendly and attentive to detail. The 5pm Wine Hour (offering free wine and snacks) becomes genuinely relaxed and chatty, and there are some fine teas at the all-day free tea bar. Classy VanMoof bicycles are also complimentary. The lobby-lounge has a pleasant outdoor atrium, there’s a large, well-equipped gym and a quiet cocktail bar, in addition to the livelier Wyers bar and restaurant.
Rooms 8/10
These are amply sized with soothing blue-and-grey colour scheme, local artworks, Delftware references and angular contemporary fittings, well insulated from the noisy street. Again, there’s careful attention to detail: espresso machine, internally lit wardrobes, umbrella, iron and board, even a yoga mat. Beds are comfy; the work desk is adequate for a laptop and the TV ginormous. Bathrooms have walk-in showers, funky Eschercube tiling and great local Marie-StellaMaris products.
Food & drink 8/10
At Wyers, chef Sammy D brings American comfort food into spirited interplay with Dutch ingredients, resulting in whopping wood-grilled hanger steaks and chicken wings, alongside lamb from the island of Texel (succulent from salt meadow herbs and grasses) with couscous and mintjalapeño pesto, or panroasted red mullet with a delicate fish fumet. Hearty breakfasts have delicious diversions such as roasted asparagus, or a ‘power plate’ of chicken, rice, egg whites and kimchi, as well as more customary fare. The House Bar has more than 50 gins and serves classic and locally inspired cocktails.
Kimpton De Witt, Amsterdam
Value for money 7/10
Doubles £250 low season; and from £303 in high. Breakfast not included, but inclusive packages are available. Continental breakfast €21 (£18) and hot dishes à la carte €12 (£10). Free Wi-Fi.
Access for guests with disabilities?
Three adapted rooms and wide-doored lifts (with Braille panels).
Family-friendly?
Children of all ages are welcome. Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 5, 1012 RC Amsterdam (00 31 20 620 0500; kimptonhotels.com).