Sir Albert Hotel, part of Sircle Collection

The trick isn’t merely for a hotel to have some personality, but for that personality to be a winning one — and Amsterdam’s Sir Albert Hotel is like an irresistibly charming eccentric, equally urbane and mischievous. Walking in, you enter a warm, cozy parlor where contemporary Dutch furniture, Persian rugs and quirky artworks conspire to deliver the message that you’re in for a stylistic treat: the eclectic whimsy of hoteliers with very good taste. And though it’s unmistakably design-forward, it’s every bit as homey. Check-in takes place seated on a soft leather sofa by the fireplace, the staff as quick with a welcome cocktail as they are with your key.

Sir Albert is right at home in De Pijp, the centrally located Latin Quarter which hipsters and yuppies and artists and fashionistas and several waves of immigrants all seem to agree is among the coolest places in town, each group contributing something to the mix. There’s probably not another neighborhood in Amsterdam that’s as thick with good restaurants, and whether you’re a shopper, an art-buff or, say, a classical music aficionado, you won’t find yourself left wanting in De Pijp.

The life of the neighborhood is also on view from the windows of most of the guest rooms. The building that houses the hotel used to be a diamond factory, and those enormous windows are there, the ever-informed Sir Albert explains, because diamond polishers needed an extraordinary amount of natural light to practice their craft. The light, it turns out, is just as good if you’re not squinting at a diamond from your perch beneath the window, and the accompanying views are quite good, too. So is the full stock of luxury-hotel amenities. The threads alone tell the story; Egyptian cotton linens, cocoon-like robes, micro-fiber cotton towels, pillow top mattresses and goose down duvets all come standard. Meanwhile an award-winning bar and restaurant, Izakaya, serves Japanese small plates and cocktails downstairs. It’s hard to maintain that winning personality, after all, without proper sustenance and an adequate night’s rest.