The Hoxton | Amsterdam | anexpatabroad

“Open house hotels, inspired by the streets and scenes that surround them.’ The Hoxton

The Hoxton Amsterdam is a super cool boutique hotel located right in the heart of the city in the Herengracht vicinity, which I’m reliably informed is one of the most desired addresses in the city. The quirky hotel is set across five converted canal houses offering one hundred and eleven rooms that come in a variety of designs and retain some of the original features such as high ceilings and beams.

The lobby is a spacious open-plan affair that houses the reception area, Lotti’s bar and restaurant as well as lots of comfy leather sofas and velvet chairs to chill out in the various two-storey public area, it’s all very retro like the whole interior of the hotel. Judging by the number of people with coffee and laptops it’s clearly a spot popular with digital nomads, there’s handy charging stations and USB ports near nearly all of the tables too. Upstairs is an old school black-and-white photo booth if you fancy grabbing some memories on film as a keepsake.

The ground floor is also home to The Apartment, a stylish space that’s available for meetings and events and has its own rooms, courtyard and games room, all very instagrammable too. There’s a program of art exhibitions, film screenings and cool parties that take place in The Apartment.

Accommodation wise there’s a choice of four rooms that includes the Shoebox, Cosy, Roomy and three Concept rooms which cannot be booked but only requested. The grand Fruity and Floral concept rooms were once the Mayor’s rooms so lavishly decorated and Tubby in the attic boasts the hotel’s only roll-top bath.

The rooms have a touch of the industrial about them too combined with the retro vibe and muted, autumnal tones of the public spaces. Leather headboards, dark wood desks and metal hanging rails are complemented with crisp white bed linen and stacks of vintage books and clocks. Rooms at the front of the hotel benefit from a canal view.

We had a Cosy room, small but perfectly formed with easily enough room for two adults. It benefitted from high ceilings, large windows, original beams, brass chandelier and muted tones. As we were travelling as a mother and daughter the usual queen size bed was split into two singles. The fully tiled trendy bathroom doubled up as a wet room with a walk-in shower, which was good but did flood a bit more than I would have liked. We had a desk and chair, TV and fridge that was restocked daily with complementary milk and water.

I particularly liked the Hox Perks idea and we certainly enjoyed the complimentary bags that were hung on our door every morning containing a light breakfast of yogurt and granola pots, orange juice and a banana. Other perks include free international telephone calls to anywhere in the world, a free Hox guide to the neighbourhood and supermarket priced mini bar items available from reception.

Lotti’s, The Hoxton’s lively neighbourhood brasserie style restaurant is a buzzing place that is a favourite with hotel guests and local residents. We sampled the breakfast brunch on Sunday when we arrived and it was delicious, the restaurant was really busy so had a great atmosphere. The menu uses locally sourced ingredients served up from it’s open kitchen all day long with some vegetarian options too. We had dinner there too trying out the burgers which were good if not a little pricey. As it was bitter cold when we were there we didn’t get to witness the retractable glass roof that covers the main restaurant area but I’m sure it adds another dimension to this hip gathering pace in warmer weather.

The reception staff were very friendly and helpful, maps and local attractions are provided with insider knowledge dished out for free. Late check outs can be arranged and they are happy to take care of all your luggage and possessions if you want to fit in that last minute bit of exploring.

The Hoxton Amsterdam offers everything the discerning traveller needs for a great stay in the city. It’s a fab concept, it’s clean and stylish and has the perfect central location from which to explore on foot or on two wheels. As it’s in the popular Nine Streets neighbourhood you can find yourself in a trendy shop or cute cafe within minutes of leaving the main entrance. The Anne Frank house is nearby on foot as are plenty of canal cruises, Dam Square along with lots of other popular tourist attractions too.

The Nitty Gritty

The Hoxton, Herengracht 255, 1016 BJ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Telephone: +31 (0) 20 888 5555

Email: hello.amsterdam@thehox.com

Website: thehoxton.com/holland/amsterdam/hotels

I booked online direct with the hotel as the rates were better than any booking sites.

Check-in: 2pm

Check-out: 12pm

The Good……..

Incredibly comfy bed

Very friendly and helpful staff

A free daily breakfast bag with delicious Stach yogurt and granola pots, orange juice and a banana

Hox Perks that include free tea, coffee, milk, water and international calls

Minibar with high street prices

Free and fast wifi

Free bike hire

The Not so Good…..

Our room was next to the housekeepers cupboard so very noisy

No canal view from our room

Read more about Amsterdam in previous post In Pictures | A Postcard From Amsterdam

We travelled to Amsterdam from Gatwick Airport with British Airways. As of April 2018 you can travel on the new Eurostar route from St Pancras International Station to the heart of Amsterdam in under 4 hours. Etihad Airways and KLM have daily direct flights from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam.