HOTEL ROEMER
Treat-packed boutique hotel in a plum part of Amsterdam
THIS 18TH CENTURY DUTCH MANSION is now a trendy boutique hotel just
minutes from Amsterdam’s famous museum quarter. And guests staying at Hotel Roemer get more than just a plum location yards from the city’s lush Vondelpark.
Behind its classic Dutch façade, Hotel Roemer is all about
cool decadence – 21st century style. You can’t miss the bold and sassy outsize Dolly Parton print in the lobby, or the cool little cocktail bar complete with retro brown leather armchairs and cowhide rugs, lit by a cheery fireplace on chilly days.
Drinks at this hospitable Amsterdam hotel (not to mention a tasty assortment of nibbles) come with full compliments of the house from five every evening. Just
make yourselves at home here with a dram or two – though was home ever quite as sleek as this?
Continue past the bar and you’ll find the Roemer’s next treat – a
Zen like terrace and secluded rear garden, complete with a pond and resident ducklings. It’s the perfect place to enjoy drinks and eats on a summer’s day.
Hit the spot
Minutes from Amsterdam’s leafy museum quarter.
Bedtime
Go for a balconied Executive room or a junior suite – one of which adjoins the garden. Treats in all rooms include a complimentary minibar.
Be savvy
You’ll find big double beds – some with two duvets.
Be smitten
High-end hospitable haven with hooch on the house.
Techno treats
Sleek and chic bedrooms are compact but packed with techno treats – and we wouldn’t blame you for simply hanging up the Do Not Disturb sign to unwind in your designer surrounds.
You’ll find an
iPod dock, Nespresso coffee maker, flatscreen TV and DVD player, plus a well stocked (and complimentary) minibar. Bathrooms come with walk-in rain showers, granite basins and – in bigger rooms – jet stream baths with a telly you can watch while soaking under the suds. Tactile textures, interesting artworks and huge chrome retro lamps load on the style.
Rooms at the rear have balconies overlooking the garden, while the Roemer’s
junior suites – two loft style and one opening on to the garden – have huge jacuzzi baths and double showers, too. Beds are suitably big, though you may find two duvets instead of one. They’ve thought of everything, and the gadgetry even includes multiple electrical sockets handily configured for any kind of plug.
You’re in a great location here, in a quiet and leafy residential neighbourhood close to Amsterdam’s Vondelpark (the city’s equivalent to Hyde Park), where you can mingle with dog walkers, roller bladers and Amsterdammers at play. You’re also
just 100 yards from lively Leidensplein, with its bars and shops.
Guests at the Roemer can look forward to a
good start-the-day breakfast in the little breakfast room, overlooking the pretty courtyard. You may need to wait for a table on a busy day. Relaxed, friendly and obliging staff add to the feelgood factor at this high-end Amsterdam boutique hotel.
Hotel Roemer was reviewed by
Room For Romance
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Dining in
There’s a lounge menu of
light bites and sandwiches. For something more substantial, try Joost Eat and Drink at The Roemer’s sister Hotel Vondel, just 200 yards away.
Dining at Joost is stylishly cosmopolitan: try
Italian classics like Insalata Tricolore, Mexican tortilla wraps,
rib-eye steaks or salmon tartare. Desserts are good, too.
Dining out
For traditional fare head to the wood-panelled and deliciously Dutch Haesje Claes, near Dam Square. Restaurant Greetje has fabulous views and the menu also features French classics. There are scores of Indonesian eateries in town for something more exotic, Blue Pepper being a favourite.
Where?
Joost Eat and Drink at Hotel Vondel – the Roemer’s sister hotel.
What’s cooking?
Try the seared tuna or veal tartare to start, a surf-and-turf black beef stew with tiger prawns to follow, and warm dark chocolate pie with passion fruit sauce to round off the calorie intake nicely.
Top table?
Nab a window table or dine al fresco in the summer months.
See & Do
Arm yourself with an Amsterdam card (on sale at the tourist office at the station), which allows you free or cut-price admission to many of the city sights. A classic canal boat tour is a great way to see everything from the water.
Culture vultures should home in on the Rijksmuseum, home to works of the great Dutch masters. The Van Gogh museum is another must-see, as is the moving Anne Franks’ House.
They don’t call Amsterdam the Venice of the North for nothing, so hire a bike at Hotel Roemer to pedal around the canal-lined streets, or have a stroll through the Vondelpark.
Shop
Amsterdam is the place for antiques, books and – if you’re shopping for a rock – diamonds. For curios and more kooky buys, head for Utrechtstraat. For blooms, try the floating flower market on Singel canal, laden with colour from Holland’s famous tulip fields. Depending on your interests, Amsterdam also boasts a famous condomerie (Het Gulden Vlies) in the Red Light area.
After dark
Amsterdam is famous for its risqué red light area – hub of the late-night scene. Whether you’re after an all-nighter or just a nightcap, there are hundreds of bars and clubs. De Stil is the place for whisky lovers, while De Wildeman serves up more than 200 beers. The city’s famous wood-panelled brown cafes are genial places for a drink and a smoke.
Dates
30 April
Queen’s Day celebrates the birthday of the Queen Mother. Unofficially it is an excuse for some hard partying, and the world’s biggest street party.
June-August
Vondelpark is the stage for a season of al fresco theatre, dance and cabaret.
GETTING THERE
Location
Roemer Visscherstraat, 1054 Amsterdam.
Parking
There’s garaged parking a couple of minutes away charging around EUR 40 per day – but you won’t want a car in Amsterdam.
Trains
Central Station – 2km. Trams 1, 2 and 5 will whisk you from there to Leidensplein, near the hotel.
Taxis
EUR 15 from the station, or EUR 35 from the airport.
Airport
Schiphol – 15km.
Rooms and suites
20 rooms, three junior suites.
Special features
Rooms – some with balconies – have iPod docks, flatscreen TVs, DVD players, Nespresso coffee machines and international electric sockets. Roomier executive rooms have bathtubs, while suites boast jacuzzi baths.
Also…
There’s a complimentary bar after 5pm, a laptop with free wi-fi in the lobby, a DVD library and a secluded city garden. You can rent bikes for a spin around the city.
ESSENTIAL INFO
Rates guide
EUR 169 - 269
Open/closed
Open all year.
Check-in
15:00
Check-out
12:00
Minimum night stay?
Two nights at weekends.
Breakfast
Complimentary buffet breakfast with a la carte options is served until 10:30am (weekdays) and 11am (Sundays).
Room service
Available morning and evening.
Children
Welcome.
Pets
No.
Air conditioning
Yes – all rooms.
Languages
Dutch, English, Spanish and German.
Wedding license?
No, but receptions for up to 100 guests can be held in the garden.