ART > Dutch Nudes @ HUP Gallery

HOTELS > Amstel Inter-Continental Amsterdam (*****)

Since the opening in 1867, the Amstel Inter-Continental Amsterdam is celebrated as the most beautiful hotel in the Netherlands and ranks with the best hotels in the world. This five-star deluxe hotel is located in a quiet but central section of the Amstel River bank, within walking distance of the financial and cultural centers of the city. In 1992, the hotel has been completely restored to its original glory and the ambiance in all of its seventy-nine air-conditioned guestrooms and suites breathes the grace and elegance reminiscent of a grand European estate. Each room and suite features wireless internet, stereos and marble bathrooms with the famous "cascade" showerhead. The health club boasts a 15 metre pool, gym, sauna, sun bed, Turkish bath and more. Professional masseuses are on-hand. La Rive, a 1 star Michelin gourmet restaurant is on the premises. And a nice touch - several Mercedes limousines are at guests' disposal 24 hours a day for transfers and guided tours.

Rooms: 79

Hotel Chain: Intercontinental Hotels Group

HOTELS > The Lloyd Hotel (**/*****)

The Lloyd Hotel is a new Dutch hotel centrally situated in the fashionable heart
of Amsterdam’s Eastern Docklands Area. Renowned Dutch architects, designers and artists have transformed this monument dating from 1921 in a hotel where many inhabitants of Amsterdam, international artists, tourists and business people feel at home. The service is the same for everybody: 24 hours room service, free WIFI and satlellite television on all rooms. There is a restaurant, a bar, a library and even a “corner” shop. [I have been here for one hour: the porn channel is free, ed.]

The Lloyd Hotel, situated in the heart of Amsterdam’s Oostelijk Havengebied (Eastern Harbour Area), is innovative in every way. The listed national monument, dating from 1921, has been converted into a hotel, and is now a true showcase for Dutch architecture and design. All 116 rooms - ranging in terms of luxury from a two-star to a five-star rating – are different in size and interior styling. The hotel has a restaurant – called Snel, (best translated as brisk) – a recording studio, a nomadic library and a kitchen for the use of those hotel guests who prefer to cook for their own visitors. The hotel’s Cultural Embassy offers various services in the communal spaces.

Rooms: 116 [Recommended rooms: 306, 410].