CANAL HOUSE - AMSTERDAM
I recently stayed at the Canal House in Amsterdam. It was my second time visiting the city and first time at the hotel. Upon entering the hotel (which felt more like entering a private home), I was immediately greeted by a jovial staff member who invited me to step into the beautifully decorated bar area. I had an aperol spritz while the lovely staff member checked me in. the pride parade in amsterdam was set to take place in a few days and the festivities could already be felt in the air and seen with pride flags hanging outside the hotel, inside the hotel, alongside pride pins worn by staff.
canal house is a sister property to l’hotel in paris and you can see NONIDENTICAL similarities in the interior design. while l’hotel feels like you’ve walked into an eccentric yet grandiose victorian era home, canal house feels like you’ve walked into a goth, petite gilded age new york city town home transplanted onto amsterdam. then again, it is new york’s town homes that were influenced by amsterdam’s style but i couldn’t help but feel like i was in an upper east side luxury town house.
though i wouldn’t say the decor is necessarily new york city or dutch inspired in style but more like stepping into another world. The walls, fixtures and furniture are all pure black, set against ornate CHANDELIERS and pink roses in porcelain vases -it is a really beautiful sight to see and to spend time in. the entrance hall has art hanging high up to the ceiling along its marble walls and flooring -which is all original marble to the location for over 300 years. I loved my room but i also really enjoyed just sitting in the goth drawing room (aka the lobby). the lush backyard also doesn’t have what you would call a typical amsterdam vibe to it but it’s located right on a unesco world heritage site. there’s a gorgeous white wooden pavillon de jardin in the backyard which i confess to spending a great deal of time in sitting, meditating and relaxing in when maybe i should have been out exploring the city more.
every morning a perfect breakfast is laid out in the also all-black dining area among hydrangea. canal house is so beautiful that it makes it difficult to want to leave and do ‘tourist things’. however i did indeed finally take some time to leave the hotel and explore. but i didn’t need to stray too far from the hotel because it’s located right on the canal in the jordaan district -which is pretty much like what the marais is to paris. the hotel also offers bike rentals -though i opted to just walk.
canal house is a spectacular yet understated hotel and is a must-visit place in amsterdam.
