Canal House, Amsterdam

Depending on how long you’ve been reading my blog for, you might remember my last trip to Amsterdam. A lots changed in three years, but Amsterdam hasn’t much. It’s still the beautiful, inviting city I remember. Today I bring you, in my opinion, a real asset to Amsterdam. I’ve got that fuzzy feeling when I have a real gem to tell you, for Canal House really is that.

Last week I headed to Amsterdam for a slightly different style trip than I usually take. I’d gone with Dan (this is a very rare thing and one to grab onto) as he had a conference out there and I thought I’d join him as we decided to trial the “Digital Nomad” mantra, as this is something we are looking to do in a few years’ time. Take a year out of London to go traveling but still work.

I had tons of work to do, as well as a telephone interview, so instead of my usual city explorer, I spent my working day in the hotel. So of course choosing the right hotel was incredibly important as no one wants to be stuck in a loud, depressing place the whole trip.

Well, I was more than happy to have Canal House as my base. Set in heart of the fashionable Jordaan district, Canal House used to be an older 17^th century merchants house, but now is a 23 bedroom boutique hotel.

The design of the hotel is a sort of luxe gothic vibe. Think deep, blackened wood, plush purples and velvet fabrics, which is my sort of interiors. It oozes class, old school glamour but still with an approachable vibe.

Which is one of the key points of the hotel. I can’t stress enough how friendly and helpful the staff were. It’s funny actually as my top three hotels based on staff helpfulness are all coincidentally Small LuxuryHotels Of The World, hotels. Somehow I don’t think that is a coincidence, as if you read my post on Small Luxury Hotels Of The World, you’ll know there is a 700 question criteria to meet to be an accepted as a hotel.

As soon as I arrived the receptionist was genuinely so happy to welcome us to her hotel and no question too small was a problem. Throughout my stay anyone I passed in the corridor would ask how I was and flash me one of those real smiles. At night they leave a little card telling you what the next day’s weather is going to be, with a little handwrote “Have a good nights sleep”. Too cute.

The rooms standard are ranked “Good” “Better” “Great” “Exceptional” “Outstanding” “Best”, which I went for “Great”. I honestly can’t rave enough about Canal House. My room really was great. I loved the period features of the beams and how they had been incorporated into the design. At first Dan did think it was a little odd to have the bathroom in the bedroom, although I have noticed this becoming more and more of a thing in Europe. However even he of famously high standards grew to love the, in my opinion, pretty awesome bathroom.

But most importantly, let’s talk about the bed. Oh sweet Lord, the bed was AMAZING. Honestly, Canal House provided the comfiest bed I have ever slept on. Seriously, on the second day of Dan’s conference, he actually hit the off button on his alarm as the bed was so comfy. Oops.

I pitched my time working, between the dining room and the outside garden. If being a digital nomad means this can be my office, then seriously sign me up now!

My little hideaway. But seriously, how beautiful is the terrace? I bet it would look gorgeous in winter too. Can you tell I'm getting excited about the prospect of winter-y things... mainly hot chocolate and ice skating to be honest.

But fear not, I wasn't completely alone during the day. I made friends with the hotel cat. Two gingers just hanging out.

On our first morning, we discovered breakfast. Breakfast is a sweet affair. A continental buffet of pasties, breads, meats and cheeses await.

If you want something a little more fancy you can order off the a la carte, which when Dutch pancakes were on offer, well, come on, it would be rude not to have them when in the Netherlands!

Canal House really was everything I could have asked for in a hotel, and I can not recommend it enough. It's a real gem in Amsterdam. And speaking of Amsterdam I've got a little snapshot post coming up of my time I did manage to get away from the laptop.