Hotel Okura Amsterdam

By the standards of skyscrapers, 23 floors isn’t all that much — but even the modest Hotel Okura Amsterdam positively towers above its surroundings in the low-rise district of De Pijp, situated just to the south of the city center. It’s a vibrant and ever-evolving neighborhood, full of excellent restaurants and other expressions of urban creativity, and it’s home to an unusual hotel, one that’s Japanese not only in name but in its aesthetic as well.

This is most apparent in the public spaces, which are soothingly minimalist in a way that recalls Tokyo’s finer luxury hotels; it’s also apparent in the service, which also recall Tokyo’s finer luxury hotels in its ubiquitousness and professionalism. The rooms and suites, meanwhile, are rather more international in style, decked out in calm neutrals and judiciously applied accent colors.

Nagomi Gym & Wellness offers an indoor pool, a sauna, a fitness center, and a Japanese-inspired spa experience. But the Okura’s heritage is nowhere more evident than in its restaurants. Ciel Bleu, the modern Dutch gastronomic restaurant, is the flagship, with its two Michelin stars; another belongs to the kaiseki-style Yamazato, which is the first traditional Japanese restaurant in Europe to earn a Michelin star.