HumbleBee

Stayed at the Dylan last week, was very impressed by the service and location. The rooms themselves leave a bit to be desired as they do not feel luxurious, but they are all in all a lovely distinct Amsterdam experience.

The Cafe seemed very popular with the locals.

Had to stay in town for a few days and with all the rain it was a bit small for me so moved to the Conservaturium which is decent but not special or distinct.

bhrubin

I've heard many reports of bad air con here--and almost as many reports of arrogance, as well. Arrogance is often a perception issue as much as a real issue IME, but there have been too many mentions of that arrogance for me to easily disregard.

callmedtop

Those reports was enough to sway me over to the W-A, which looks to have both an excellent hard and soft product, based on what I've read. I've heard that this is the best W-A in their portfolio, which isn't necessarily saying much, but I did quote enjoy my stay at the W-A Shanghai, which is IMO an overlooked property.

This property commands the highest rates in Amsterdam, so hopefully it is worth it.

HumbleBee

IIRC the max temp is 18.5c, definitely not as cold as I would've liked for nighttime.

tcmb99

I am currently staying at De L'Europe. Unless some sort of unexpected service disaster happens this is definitely my choice of hotel from now on in Amsterdam.

First of all, due to business schedule changes, and me using my expedia points, I ended up with 4 nights under 3 different reservations and 3 completely different room categories. There were no availability for my chosen category. So I emailed the hotel and told them I want to stay in the same room for all nights, and a full balcony and river views are a must.

It took them a few days but they somehow managed to give me a great room in my chosen category with full canal views and a gorgeous balcony. Hotels in Amsterdam usually don't have balconies, but I can tell you this was the best part of my room. Sitting outside on your room balcony on good weather and watching all the boats and people walk around is very nice.

When i leave my room and leave the "make up the room" sign outside it is usually done within the hour, without having to call anyone, because when I came back quickly I always found the room finished.

The room and the bathroom is gorgeous, they have a 2 michelin restaurant, and everybody is extremely nice.

The only negative that might bother some people is that it can be a little loud outside at night and in the morning. It did not bother me at all, but I can see people sensitive to noise having difficulty sleeping on the canal side.

DutchGuy

Writing this while still at the Okura.

I have stayed at most of the 5* hotels in Amsterdam. This one still seems to go the extra mile.

Had not been in this hotel for 6 years. Being here again feels like arriving home after a long lost hiatus. Interior of the ground floor had a mayor refurbishment, new entry to the restaurants, most rooms had a update, unfortunately the tv sets in the bathroom are no HD so a little outdated.
Still one of the very few, if not the only hotel in Amsterdam with TV's in the bathroom. Also non suite rooms have TV in the bathroom

Total of 4 restaurants on site, 3 of the restaurants have one Michelin *, or more (Ciel Bleu is 2*).

What I really appreciated is that after I came back to my suite after a long and busy day. I only had to call to reception to set me up in either Ciel Bleu or Sazanka. Even if both restaurants were fully booked for the evening and I called 30 min before closing.

Kind service, doorman greeted me by my last name. That could be because they park my car for 14 days, and had to write my name on the ticket. Still very nice to be recognized.

offerendum

WA also offers TV in bathroom at all rooms. Personally don´t care much about it. The choices of interesting restaurants is a big pro of Okura. Personally I´m not a fan of the location for sightseeing.

mattjp

Any stays here: hoteltwentyseven.com? Opened late last year. Well-located, large suites, and excellent online reviews, but curious how it stacks up to what seem to be the consensus picks here (Conservatorium, WA, l'Europe).

david22

I just posted a detailed review of Hotel TwentySeven! A strong thumbs up from me :-)

The hard product in particular is some of the best I've seen and the service didn't disappoint either.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/expe...entyseven.html

jbb

I'm planning a first-time visit to Amsterdam and will be staying 3 nights with my wife. We usually stay at high-end luxury hotels, generally preferring independent properties that are part of small chains (ie. Dorchester Collection, Rocco Forte) or larger marketing groups (ie. Preferred LEGEND, LHW) that have a strong design sense, great hard product and service, and not too large (<150 rooms). For Amsterdam, the Conservatorium, WA, Hotel Twenty Seven, Pulitzer, de l'Europe and Sofitel the Legend have caught our attention. Unfortunately, the Hotel Twenty Seven and de l'Europe appear to be sold out for our dates (too bad as we were particularly interested in de l'Europe).

Any thoughts on the remaining options or other suggestions? None of them necessarily pop out to us after reading earlier comments. Conservatorium seems a bit too modernist sleek and the "arrogant" staff is a concern. Pulitzer seems a bit large (Virtuoso says its 225 rooms) and seems to have more of an urban/"brooklyn" vibe. Waldorf Astoria gets a lot of raves, but I'm a bit hesitant about the big global luxury hotel chains as not being quite up to the highest level (I haven't had the best experiences at Ritz Carlton's or St Regis etc.). Sofitel would be a cheaper option and I've had OK experiences with them, but I felt they were more of a 4.5-star brand and not really full luxury.

offerendum

WA is an intimate hotel and real luxury. Nothing in common with other Hiltons or WAs.

erik123

I would consider the Dylan for a first time visit. Great location and intimate, boutique feel. If your interest is mostly the major museums (Rijks,v. Gogh & Stedelijk) the Conservatorium is very convenient.

jbb

Anyone with recent thoughts on comparing the Conservatorium, de L'Europe (LHW), Pulitzer (Preferred LEGEND) and Waldorf Astoria? Planning a trip in September (the previous trip I had been planning got cancelled because of COVID). I'm leaning to de l'Europe just based on the pictures. I get the impression I'm in safe hands at any of these.

UPDATE: I went ahead and booked the de l'Europe. They all looked fine but we prefer a classical grand dame luxury feel when travelling for leisure in Europe and the Conservatorium just seemed too modernist and we weren't too sure of the location located a bit further out. The Waldorf Astoria looked excellent but the pictures of the rooms just seemed a bit too "business luxury" for us. Pulitzer seemed to lack a wow factor that the others had. de L'Europe has a Stay 4 Pay 3 promotion right now including breakfast and fully cancellable. Rates seemed decent, not that I know what they usually are as this will be a first visit to Amsterdam for us.

mrmbenz1

Hi jbb I'm curious to hear how your stay at De L'Europe went? I have the same preferences concerning European hotels and having a difficult time deciding between Waldorf and De L'Europe--I'm holding bookings at both properties for a stay in May. My biggest hesitation about De L'Europe is that I can't quite get a read on their rooms, particularly the Junior Suite category which I have booked. The hotel's website leaves a lot to be desired in terms of photos and tripadvisor isn't much better due to lack of recent posts and the fact that hotel was recently renovated. Wondering if you were happy with your room and your thoughts on the overall experience? Thanks in advance!

jbb

Unfortunately we had to cancel our trip for a sudden medical emergency, we are hoping to do the trip a year later in Fall of 2022. My plan is to still go with the de l’Europe over WA, Conservatorium, Pulitzer or Dylan.