Last week we had a lovely cultural weekend in the Netherlands during a small citytrip, staying in a luxurious but authentic boutique hotel in one of the prettiest neighborhoods of Amsterdam, like tourists in our own country.
We spent 1 night in the Bilderberg Jan Luyken Hotel, which is one the 13 hotels of the Bilderberg Hotel chain, one of my favourites in the Netherlands. They have already been around for a century, and are known for their relaxed luxury hotels on unique locations with beautiful architectural features, hospitality, fine cuisine and above all class!
So why settle for less, right?!
If you are interested in a citytrip to Amsterdam filled with cultural highlights and vibrant surroundings, in a personal accommodation typified by heritage, authentic details and situated centrally in the classiest neighborhood of the city, this is the right hotel for you!
Bilderberg Jan Luyken is a 4 star hotel located in a historic mansion, which makes it authentic but luxurious at the same time, so of course that matches my taste perfectly. Completed with a Michelin star worthy dinner in their nearby Bilderberg Garden hotel’s renowned restaurant ’de Kersentuin’ made it the perfect weekend!
You might have noticed that I only write about hotels that are unique, have a special story and really impressed me, as I have slept in over 150 hotels so far and am quite picky:)
You can see all the hotels I reviewed so far on my unique hotels page.
Let me show you what made the Jan Luyken Hotel in Amsterdam so special to me and why I can certainly recommend it to you as well.
It's just a stone's throw away from the renowned Rijksmuseum in a quiet side street of the classy and historic neighborhood Oud-Zuid. Although very centrally located and near many vibrant areas of Amsterdam, this street is an oasis in the city centre.
The charming boutique hotel has stunning facades which represent Amsterdam so well, making the perfect setting for an architecture and culture lover like myself.
I also liked the hotel’s story of origin, as I prefer accommodations with a unique history. This building dates back from 1897 and still has many Jugendstil details. In 1950 the original building was owned by the physical therapist van Schaik, who lived here with his family and was renowned all over the world. His wife loved to take in clients and care for them, which lead to a small hotel function.
Because of this eventually the couple purchased 2 more buildings next to theirs, on the corner and the middle building to renovate and combine them into a 62 room hotel.
In 2000 the hotel was passed on to the Bilderberg hotel chain who rents the building from the original family, who still care for the building and live across the street. Many interior features such as the chandeliers are part of the original interior and are still owned by the family.
Unique features
Small-scale boutique hotel from the 19th century with authentic façade,
Location, location, location!
Very central near a variety of attractions, but still in quiet surroundings,
Mirjam and her team are very warm and welcoming,
They offer great service with a personal touch, always ready to help with directions, sightseeing tips and even arrange museum tickets for you!
The superior room is spacious and comfortable, with great views, especially the rooms with balcony at the front side of the building,
There are many amenities in the room, such as free coffee and tea facilities, free WIFI, flat-screen TV, safe, mini bar and air-conditioning,
The breakfast and evening bites are excellent,
The bar has a great wine selection and lovely small garden patio,
They offer beautiful private spa facilities for rent,
Throughout the hotel unique architectural features with original historic elements are combined with contemporary and modern design.
About the neighborhood
Next to the canal area, Jordaan, de Pijp and the historic city centre, which I already highlighted earlier in this Amsterdam sightseeing and shopping and this Amsterdam canals blog post, I really appreciate Amsterdam Oud-Zuid because of its classy atmosphere and many cultural options! The hotel’s surroundings are filled with museums and cultural sights, which lead to the area’s name: ‘Museum Kwartier’ (Museum Quarter).
In this area you will find 3 renowned museums: Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk and Van Gogh Museum and the beautiful Concert building, all next to each other on 1 square ‘het Museumplein’. The Rijkmuseum garden is in full bloom and so pretty this time of year, not to mention the artworks and unique architecture of this gorgeous museum both inside-as out!
And nearby Vondelpark, chique shopping streets van Baerlestraat, P.C.Hooftstraat and of course the vibrant Leidseplein offer a variety of leisure activities, for both day and night.
See the beauty of the hotel’s surroundings and all must visits by sliding in this gallery to see all of them in full size:
About dinner
Just a short 15 minutes’ walk from the Jan Luyken Hotel in the heart of Oud-Zuid, you will find another Bilderberg hotel location: the Garden Hotel. It even has an official 5 stars, including stylish restaurant ’de Kersentuin’ lead by 2 Michelin star winning chef Stefan van Sprang. Together with his team and managing chef Wessel he creates special signature dishes which are bold, beautiful, trendy, tasty and well presented.
As this restaurant was highly praised on many review sites and naturally by the Bilderberg team as well, of course we had to experience this for ourselves!
It was a nice walk to the Garden hotel, passing by the beautiful facades, small streets and rivers of the quiet neighborhood. Arriving at the restaurant we were surprised by the relaxed atmosphere and trendy chef, who even came to greet us personally.
The ambiance, decoration and interior of the bar and restaurant are really trendy, but still stylish and have recently been re-styled. The restaurant, which has a long and renowned history since 35 years, has re-opened last year with flair.
We were so lucky with the warm weather that we could even enjoy all 4 courses outside at a specially prepared table. Each course was different, exciting and very tastefully decorated, presented on colorful ceramic dishes, which made them look trendy and fresh.
The taste of the signature dishes matched the look perfectly, as the ingredients are combined in an innovative way. Although the restaurant has a Michelin star history and is led by a renowned chef, it feels casual and the service is chic but relaxed at the same time!
We can definitely recommend the chef’s 4 course dinner including perfectly combined wines as a wonderful night out for both culinary experts and casual food lovers alike.
What do you think of these 2 unique affordable luxury hotels? Would you choose to stay here while visiting Amsterdam and the Netherlands? Always love to hear your opinion!
