Sleek, historic, eclectic chic in the heart of Amsterdam
Hotel Seven One Seven
Prinsengracht 717, 1017 JW Amsterdam
Offers a unique mix of modern cosiness in traditional canalside house, dating from the heyday of Holland’s VOC trading empire. Located on the Prinsegracht, a key canal in the heart of watery Amsterdam, Hotel Seven One Seven ticks the individuality box, but also hits the mark in terms of great location, with any major site in walking distance, or a short hop on the 1, 2 and 5 trams which stop paces away from the hotel.
From the moment we stepped through the door, led to a big cosy couch, and served coffee and fresh cakes on Spode china like we were long lost wanderers rather than a couple of people fresh off a mini flight from City airport, we felt right at home. Which made it even harder to leave after just one night.
The hotel was bought and restored painstakingly by a pair of interior designers in the late 1990s, who removed false ceilings and and old carpets, to reveal original plasterwork and expose super-wide 17th century floorboards, before adorning the common rooms and 9 bedrooms of the interior with panache that complements this historic sugar mill and owner’s house.
Bring your camera: from the wealth of quirks around the building, you’re bound to find something you want to recreate at home. Gentlemen’s tweeds make for quirky soft furnishings, African artifacts dotted around the building are suggestive of long voyages abroad, rooms are inspired by the cultural greats of Europe and all are suite-styled and sized (we slept in the Malher Suite overlooking the courtyard which was a calm respite from the city bustle)
But aside from the inanimate aesthetics of the place, it’s the staff that really make Hotel Seven One Seven. It’s hard to hit the right balance when you’re serving a maximum of 18 guests, but somehow this place has it down.
I’m only sorry we made dinner reservations in advance – the lovely guy on reception seemed brimming with off the radar ideas for where to eat that I wish we’d had opportunity to check out. But you could always go on our behalf and test his suggestions...