Book It: Staying Dutch

20 Budget Travel BudgetTravel.com WHERE NEXT BOOK IT Staying Dutch Four affordable new hotels in cities across the Netherlands split the difference between comfort and cool. By Geraldine Campbell TOWNHOUSE HOTEL Maastricht Creating an authentic homey feeling in a hotel is no easy feat, so the team behind the Townhouse, which opened in August, took a unique crowd-sourcing approach to decorating: It asked the people of Maastricht to search their attics for knick- knacks they’d be willing to sell. Now, those folks’ old mirrors, frames, and vases accompany new hand-built Hästens beds and white- globe pendant lamps in many of the hotel’s 69 guest rooms. Best touch: the cof- fee served in mismatched antique teacups in the first- floor café. St. Maartenslaan 5, 011-31/43-321-1111, town househotels.nl, from $111. STAYOKAY Rotterdam With low prices and a high-profile address—it’s in Structuralist architect Piet Blom’s 1984 Cube Houses—this 5-month-old newcomer has raised the bar for cheap sleep. Highlighting the play- ful spirit of the buildings’ design, interiors expert Edward van Vliet outfitted the 49 rooms with striped bedding in primary colors and lamp shades printed with geometric patterns. The five doubles and 13 quads, ideal for families, each have private baths; the rest of the rooms are dorm-style with shared facilities. 85-87 Overblaak, 011-31/10-436-5763, stayokay.com, doubles from $93 with breakfast. HOTEL V FREDERIKSPLEIN Amsterdam Call it urban design machismo: At Hotel V, built last year in a pair of early 19th-century apartment buildings in the city center, the look relies heavily on polished con- crete floors, cork-paneled walls, and cowhide rugs. Each of the 48 guest rooms, none of which are exactly alike in shape or size, softens its hard edges with stylized murals of feminine faces or wind- swept profiles. In the lobby, an open fireplace and a curved leather sofa anchor a split-level lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the neighbor- hood. Weteringschans 136, 011-31/20-662-3233, hotelv. nl, from $112 with breakfast. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN! Visit our interactive database of hotels at BudgetTravel.com to read hundreds of our reviews—and then add your own. BOUTIQUE HOTEL PATOU Amsterdam It’s fitting that this 2-year-old hotel, named after early 20th- century French couture designer Jean Patou, is dressed up with stacks of fashion magazines and original photographs of models posing in Patou dresses. It’s also appropri- ate that the place looks out across the street to the Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Gucci boutiques of Amsterdam’s chic Museum- plein district. What is surprising: the low rates for the hotel’s 12 elegant guest rooms—all done up with blond-wood floors, cream-and-black walls, and marble bath- rooms. P.C. Hoofstraat 63, 011-31/20-676-0232, hotelpatou.nl, from $135. $135 $112 $111 $93 Clockwise from top left: Hugo Thomassen/courtesy Townhouse Hotel; Taco van der Werf/courtesy Stayokay; courtesy the hotels (2)

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Budget Travel, November 2009

Transcript of Book It: Staying Dutch

20 Budget Travel BudgetTravel.com

WHERE NEXT

BOOK IT

Staying DutchFour affordable new hotels in cities across the Netherlands splitthe difference between comfort and cool. By Geraldine Campbell

TOWNHOUSE HOTELMaastricht Creating anauthentic homey feelingin a hotel is no easy feat,so the team behind theTownhouse, which openedin August, took a uniquecrowd-sourcing approachto decorating: It asked thepeople of Maastricht tosearch their attics for knick-knacks they’d be willingto sell. Now, those folks’ oldmirrors, frames, and vasesaccompany new hand-builtHästens beds and white-globe pendant lamps inmany of the hotel’s 69 guestrooms. Best touch: the cof-fee served in mismatchedantique teacups in the first-floor café. St. Maartenslaan5, 011-31/43-321-1111, townhousehotels.nl, from $111.

STAYOKAYRotterdam With lowprices and a high-profileaddress—it’s in Structuralistarchitect Piet Blom’s1984 Cube Houses—this5-month-old newcomer hasraised the bar for cheapsleep. Highlighting the play-ful spirit of the buildings’design, interiors expertEdward van Vliet outfittedthe 49 rooms with stripedbedding in primary colorsand lamp shades printedwith geometric patterns.The five doubles and13 quads, ideal for families,each have private baths;the rest of the roomsare dorm-style with sharedfacilities. 85-87 Overblaak,011-31/10-436-5763,stayokay.com, doublesfrom $93 with breakfast.

HOTEL VFREDERIKSPLEINAmsterdam Call it urbandesign machismo: AtHotel V, built last year in apair of early 19th-centuryapartment buildings in thecity center, the look reliesheavily on polished con-crete floors, cork-paneledwalls, and cowhide rugs.Each of the 48 guestrooms, none of which areexactly alike in shape orsize, softens its hard edgeswith stylized murals offeminine faces or wind-swept profiles. In the lobby,an open fireplace and acurved leather sofa anchora split-level lounge withfloor-to-ceiling windowsthat overlook the neighbor-hood.Weteringschans 136,011-31/20-662-3233, hotelv.nl, from $112 with breakfast.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN! Visit ourinteractive database of hotels atBudgetTravel.com to read hundreds ofour reviews—and then add your own.

BOUTIQUEHOTEL PATOUAmsterdam It’s fittingthat this 2-year-old hotel,named after early 20th-century French couturedesigner Jean Patou, isdressed up with stacks offashion magazines andoriginal photographs ofmodels posing in Patoudresses. It’s also appropri-ate that the place looksout across the street tothe Louis Vuitton, Chanel,and Gucci boutiques ofAmsterdam’s chic Museum-plein district. What issurprising: the low ratesfor the hotel’s 12 elegantguest rooms—all doneup with blond-woodfloors, cream-and-blackwalls, and marble bath-rooms. P.C. Hoofstraat 63,011-31/20-676-0232,hotelpatou.nl, from $135.

$135$112

$111 $93

Clockwisefromtopleft:HugoThomassen/courtesy

Townhouse

Hotel;

TacovanderWerf/courtesy

Stayokay;courtesy

thehotels(2)