De Pijp

Sir Albert Hotel

★★★★★

Sir Albert is the design hotel for De Pijp, Amsterdam's liveliest food neighbourhood, and a strong choice for travellers who want style and personality at a more approachable price than the canal-side luxury hotels. It occupies a handsome late-nineteenth-century building at the head of the Albert Cuypstraat that was built as a diamond-polishing factory, at a time when Amsterdam was one of the world's great diamond-cutting centres. The factory's tall windows, flooding the workrooms with the daylight the polishers needed, now give the guest rooms an unusual sense of light and height. The interiors are warm and contemporary, with dark woods, rich fabrics, considered lighting and comfortable beds, and the rooms range from well-designed standard doubles to studios and suites with more space, some with views over the canal or the neighbourhood. The hotel is part of the Sircle Collection and a member of Design Hotels, bookable through Marriott Bonvoy, and its IZAKAYA Asian Kitchen and Bar, serving Japanese and South American fusion with a terrace, draws locals as well as guests. The location is the other big draw. The Albert Cuyp Market, with its stroopwafels and herring stalls, begins just outside the door; the cafés, bars and restaurants of De Pijp fill the streets behind; the Heineken Experience is a few minutes away; and the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Vondelpark are within a fifteen-minute walk. Trams and the Noord/Zuid metro make the centre easy to reach.

Who it suits: food lovers, couples and friends who want to stay in a lively, local neighbourhood with great restaurants, rather than in the tourist core. It also suits art lovers who want the Museum Quarter within walking distance, at lower prices than the hotels on Museumplein itself. It is less of a fit for travellers who want to step out on to the old canals every morning, although the Canal Ring is only a short tram ride away.

Living in it: the rooms are well designed and comfortable, with good beds and bathrooms; ask for a higher floor or a room facing away from the street for extra quiet, as De Pijp is busy in the evenings. IZAKAYA is a good place for an evening drink and convenient for a meal without going out, though with De Pijp's restaurant scene on the doorstep, most guests will want to explore. Staff are friendly and helpful with restaurant recommendations, which matter in a neighbourhood with so many options.

Value: rates generally sit in the middle to upper-middle of the Amsterdam market, below the canal-side and Museumplein luxury hotels, and rise in high season and around big events; the tourist tax is added as a percentage of the room rate. The value case is design, a fascinating building and a location that puts the best food neighbourhood in the city at your door. Book it for a food-focused trip, a couple's city break or a stay that mixes museums with markets.