PRETTY IN PINK.

Millennial, blush or neon? Amsterdam in summer boasts many shades of pink. The city is well known for its diverse roster of attractions, sights and, ahem, experiences, not to mention its glut of queer bars. And as the city prepares for Pride – one of the world’s greatest, most colourful and innovative (check out those floats as they duck under the canal bridges. It’s magic!) – we check out two of its most Insta-worthy places to stay and dine.

Moxy Amsterdam.

Danzigerkade 175, 1013 AP Amsterdam, Netherlands @MoxyAmsterdam

‘This is your Got Moxy!’ A cool 20-something hands me a pink cocktail as we check in, and we’re off to the greatest of starts. The interiors – inspired by the hotel’s dockside location in the regenerated Houthavens area, on the site of a former lumberyard and where hipsters now sip where dockworkers once toiled – are playful, bold and edgy, with plant walls, art murals with even an abandoned boat thrown in. The bar is open plan with spaces to relax, work and play, and even the Athletic Club, with its retro pink punching bags, has a bit of a cheeky side. Then its up to the swimming pool and sauna, by which time we’re ready for more of those cocktails…

MaMa Kelly.

Olympisch Stadion 35, 1076 DE Amsterdam @MaMaKellyAmsterdam

A short cycle ride out of the city centre, MaMa Kelly raises the bar – and then some – with the whole pink thing. This coral palace of food – from the wonderfully out-there minds of Rambaldo and Willemien (they believe that ‘pink is not a colour, it’s an attitude’) – is dedicated to the delights of lobster and chicken, served in myriad ways so things never get dull. (Don’t worry, they do a nice line of ve¡ie stuff too!) We went for the Classic Chicken, dripping in lemon and parsley, and the Nova Scotia lobster in clarified butter-lemon, both signature dishes and both tip-top. Fresh, perfectly cooked and divine, doused in all that butter. As for the drinks, pink gin takes centre stage, the pitch-perfect aperitifs for our night on the pretty-in-pink town.