Happy Kingsday everyone !
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koningsdag

After stuffing myself with Tom Poes and selling off our exces junk.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tompouce
And having to much glasses of Oranje Bitters.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_bitters
I'm taking it easy the rest of the day with my new purchase from the vrijmarkt: the Jomanda CD for meditation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jomanda

Jomanda has a tendence to beam aka "instralen" so with that inspiration i'd like to share with you the visuals of my 11th April stay at IC AMS at the Penthouse suite River view.

Jomanda's voice on the cd would finally enlight me with her ingestraalde water : sanctified water...
My stars... all puzzle pieces are falling into a grand fit ....
Bit of freemasonery there .....
More on that later...

Regular readers know my non-affinity with stairs, i usually try to evade anything duplex wise as i'm not that nimble with stairs. Oddly enough i have no problems with stairs at home, all up to level 5 + attic with 3 grocery bags in hand....
but at hotels i tend to be prone to slip on the polished marble stairs or the wooden waxed planks.

S/O was in the mood for romance so urged me to book something nice, i tend to gravitate for the tried and true one bedroom suite river view.
But he gave a veto to why not try out the penthouse suite instead. Something exciting and new ..... oh dear...
after 20+ years marriages and with both kids away in college, i do hope he didn't read Elle / Vogue : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_seven-year_itch
Anyway why this sudden need to stay at IC AMS for romance?
Because he mentioned also the need of sun & sea and tropic wind.....
Not the captured wind after 20+ years of decent home cooking and parenting skills, but of warm weather.

The dice were cast,
First a stay at IC AMS and afterwards onwards with TAP from AMS to LIS to stay at IC Estoril to enjoy the warm weather.
Proudly i can say, his firm mind was set to trying out IC Estoril, after being influenced by nicolas75 & Atacama40 & ninjalad
Or was it that our bodies were as pale as the Dutch sun and we desperately needed some vitamin D ...

I had orginally booked Penthouse suite City View and after writing to the hotel, my reservation was upgraded to Penthouse suite River View.
It is interesting that the last proper review of this room type is by Raffles of HfP
https://www.headforpoints.com/2022/0...tel-amsterdam/

To start with some technical specs:
- there are 2 penthouse suites, 1 City View + 1 River View
- Penthouse Suite City View faces east : rising sun
- Penthouse Suite City View has no connecting door
- Penthouse Suite River View faces west : noontime sun + sunset
- Penthouse Suite River View has no connecting door but is located to the guest elevator: no noise but only a light vibration if sitting in the living room
- IC AMS has 4 floors, the penthouse suites are on floor 4 but have an internal staircase leading to "unofficial" floor 5
- for both penthouse suites:
level 4 : entrance vestibule, closet, safe, extra toilet+sink, desk, living room, minibar and tv
Level 5 : ladies vanity, storage cupboard, sitting area, KING bed, bathroom: single sink, seperate toilet, shower overhead/handheld and seperate tub
- both penthouse suites have on floor 5 a door leading to a small patio
- this patio is not covered and without any furniture, it has walls at waist height
- you can put the desk chair out to sit enjoy the sun
- reception will also have a colapsable chair available to be brought up
- when you sit, you still have a great view
- as the patio walls are high, one "could" enjoy a drafty au naturel experience
- it really feels "away from it all' and is the best private room of the entire hotel

To give a sense of place: