The Hard Rock Hotel Amsterdam American is a sublime triyete with music, but you can stay there without problems to make the most of the city’s attractions.
Music, of course, a fresh and eternal atmosphere, a venerable history, a prime location on Leidseplein and a must-see staircase. You feel comfortable.
The original hotel opened in 1902 on the site of its smaller wooden predecessor dating back to 1880 and was a quick success. Fast forward to 2020, through owners, incarnations and renovations, and the assets debuted as a 173-room Hard Rock after a primary renovation. transformation, while preserving its history on the Singelgracht canal and its Art Nouveau exterior.
Like Hard Rock, there are, of course, many examples of musical memorabilia, adding the clothes worn by Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Elvis and Slash.
In addition, there are guitars by Steve Miller, Chrissie Hynde and Eddie Van Halen, as well as Robert Plant’s signature in a guestbook (more visitors later).
That said, if music is your thing, you’ll love staying here.
Walk through the front door and the double-height scarlet marble staircase on the floor will stop you in your tracks. You WANT a photo, even before you register.
In your room – no two are exactly the same – and my huge, slightly edgy Deluxe with all the fashionable amenities and featured a Fender speaker to play your own songs via Bluetooth, a giant TV that featured Hard Rock’s own playlists.
If you wish, you can order a guitar for consultation or a record player and vinyl. Even linen has a musical note, with the guitars woven.
However, the bath convinced me, with a blue light above the shower that made the running water dance with bright drops of cobalt.
It takes a lot to get past That Insta Staircase, but the Art Deco joy that is the American Café makes it, with an imposing horseshoe-shaped bar in the center, hanging Tiffany lamps, and views of Leidseplein. A truly great coffee.
My fries (32,50 €), indisputable and the best, and the cheese board with walnuts, grapes, walnut bread and quince compote (17,50 €), an intriguing immersion in the elegant Dutch cheeses.
Breakfast was a great continental buffet with some hot items, but with eggs benedict on the special order menu, there was no restriction: a drum roll from me.
Next door and down a few steps is the American Bar and its terrace, which for more than 50 years has welcomed visitors and visitors to the hotel to enjoy a cocktail, a glass of wine or a cold Dutch beer served by some of the city’s bartenders.
The musical legacy here predates the Hard Rock era, as traveling stars stayed here for a while or came here for a drink or snack.
The dozens of black-and-white photographs hanging on the walls feature captions ranging from Bon Jovi to Paul Weller and from Bryan Ferry to Guns ‘N Roses. There is a surely tamper-proof spatial rule: the photograph will have to be in black and white, They will have to be taken at the bar and will have to be carried through the appropriate bar staff (as well as the staff of the entire property, with a thank you to the adorable Carlos of the American Café).
It also hosts music and DJ sets and is fabulous effortlessly.
Work out at the 24-hour Body Rock gym and shop for designer clothing and accessories at Rock Shop, with the captivating Voldelpark a few minutes’ walk away and its 120 acres of charming green spaces.
Amsterdam’s cultural riches await you: major museums include the Rijksmuseum and its many Rembrandts and more, Van Gogh and Anne Frank, but don’t book schedules in advance as they are incredibly busy.
If you’re looking for something different, visit Micropia, east of the city center. It is the world’s only museum of microbes and tells the desirable and disturbing story of microscopic organisms that are an integral component of almost every facet of human life. Covid-19, a plethora of excrement, rotten food that is years old, STDs, domestic insects, lichens, algae, indestructible diatoms protected by crystals, biofuels, it’s all there.
If you’re wondering, the average human being harbors about 180 billion internally and externally, weighing 1. 5 kg!
For a modern drink with a view, visit the city’s latest and most sought-after rooftop bar, LuminAir, on the 11th floor of the DoubleTree hotel via Hilton Amsterdam, next to Central Station. Expect purposeful cocktails and state-of-the-art soft snacks (luminairamsterdam. com).
Better yet, walk the canal-lined streets of Amsterdam, with no traffic (but keep an eye out for ninja cyclists and silent trams).
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