The Dylan
COST: $$$$
With its unbeatable location—right on the Keizersgracht Canal, separated from the bustle of traffic by an elegant cobble-stoned courtyard—and despite being nearly 10 years old, the Dylan remains as Amsterdam’s best boutique hotel. Sure, the original 1999 decor in the rooms (four-poster beds draped in vibrant red stripes courtesy of English design impresario Anoushka Hempel) may be be a bit faded, and the bathrooms are a sometimes-confounding mix of luxurious materials and bad planning (electrical outlets that are six feet way from the sink and mirror). But the lounge and bar—renovated in 2006 with a fresh white and tan color scheme and boasting impossibly high windows, double-height fireplaces and porcelain chandeliers presided over by an airy glass roof—still host an impressive enfilade of beautiful locals and chic tourists, and the menu at haute French Vinkeles restaurant, too, is just about worth the walloping prices posted next to each dish.
Room to book: Numbers 24 and 20, which are both vast and lofty white-on-cream suites with pitched mansard roof beams, artfully arranged Chinese porcelain, and views over the neighbors’ rooftops.
Insider Tip: Grab one of the hotel’s sleek black-lacquered bicycles—they’re complimentary for guests—and take it for a spin down to the Oud Zuid (Old South).
As Featured In...
From Travel + Leisure, Oct 2006
“Gaze out onto the historic Keizersgracht from this 17th-century charity house turned boutique hotel; spend afternoons relaxing in the tranquil courtyard garden after pedaling around town on one of the Dylan's signature black bicycles....” MORE>>
Last updated December 2006 lastArticle = 12/2006 and lastAward =
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