Catalonia Vondel Amsterdam

Other Amsterdam boutique hotels get more attention, but the quietly stylish Vondel has become one of the city’s most desirable lodgings. And it’s easy to see why: a charming townhouse setting, located just off the nightlife-centric Leidseplein and close to the Museumplein and the shops on PC Hoofstraat, is a concept that doesn’t need much selling.

A recent renovation finds the Vondel looking lively, with some vibrant textile patterns and a fair bit of contemporary artwork. What’s distinct in its absence is the sort of logic-defying whimsy that has lately been tagged with the shorthand “Dutch design” — proof that there’s room in Amsterdam for more than one contemporary interior style.

Rooms are smart and comfortable, in most cases more on the sensible than the lavish end of things. Suites, however, do have jacuzzis, which is a luxury any way you look at it. There’s a meeting room, if you’ve got business, and a restaurant and bar for added convenience. However this is no five-star, and isn’t offering that kind of self-contained total hospitality experience — and anyway it would be a shame to waste this location by shutting yourself up in your room, with all that Vondelpark and central Amsterdam have to offer.