Hotel 717

All the big stereotypes about Dutch hotels (freaky modernist design, low-budget student digs) are right out the window — Seven One Seven is as traditional and as haute-luxury as they come, just nine sumptuous suites in a landmark 19th-century house along the Prinzengracht, outfitted in absolutely classic style by the former owner, the fashion designer Kees van der Valk.

The hotel’s own promotional materials sell Seven One Seven as an “exclusive private guesthouse,” which is pretty much right on the mark. In physical terms they’re equally well suited for business or pleasure, but when it comes to atmosphere they seem purpose-built for romance, all rich fabrics and classic objets d’art, with Bang & Olufsen entertainment gear, sprawling plush beds and vast luxurious bathrooms stocked with Chopard products.

Privacy and discretion are quite obviously the order of the day, and in a nine-room guest house you can get as much personalized attention as you need. A lavish breakfast is served in-room, downstairs in the Stravinsky Room, or in fair weather outside on the patio. After that it’s out into the city: this is no five-star, just a particularly swank pied-à-terre, and a well-placed one at that, close by to the Spiegelstraat, the museums, and any number of cafes, bars and restaurants.