Grand Museum Hotel Delft

Grand Museum Hotel is a Best Western Signature Collection property in the historic centre of Delft, and its position is the reason to choose it. Delft's old town is compact and car-free in places, with canals, bridges and narrow streets leading to the Markt, the Nieuwe Kerk and the Oude Kerk. Staying within it means that the town is yours in the early morning and the evening, after the day-trippers have left, when the canals are quiet and the light on the brick is at its best. It is one of the few places where a short stay feels like living in the town rather than visiting it. Hotels in historic buildings have a character that new builds cannot match, and a hotel with museum in its name tends to lean on art and period detail. Rooms in older buildings vary in size and layout, so it is worth looking at the room descriptions for your dates and asking about accessibility, since stairs and narrow corridors are common. Check which facilities are offered, such as breakfast, a bar, parking arrangements and air conditioning, as these can differ by rate. In the old town, parking is limited, so arriving by train is easier.

The Markt and the Nieuwe Kerk are a short walk, and the Vermeer Centrum, the Prinsenhof and the main canal walks are all within the old town. Royal Delft lies outside the compact centre on Rotterdamseweg, and is reached by a short tram, bus or bike ride. Delft station is a walk or a short tram ride away, and trains reach The Hague in around a quarter of an hour, so a day in The Hague's museum quarter is easy.

The hotel is therefore a strong base for visitors who want to split time between the two towns while sleeping in the quieter one.

Delft after dark is a pleasure. Cafes spill onto the canal edges, the churches are lit and the cobbled streets are calm, and the hotel is placed to enjoy all of it on foot. Spring and summer evenings are the best time, with long light and open terraces, while winter offers cosy interiors and a quiet town. If you plan to explore by bike, ask the hotel about rentals or storage, as cycling is the natural way to cover the edges of the town.

Grand Museum Hotel suits couples, culture-minded travellers and anyone who wants an atmospheric old-town base. It is less suited to visitors who want a beachside stay or a large resort with a pool, for which Carlton Beach in Scheveningen is the better option. Compare it with Hotel Arsenaal Delft and Hotel de Koophandel, which also sit in the centre, and choose by style and price. For a first visit to Delft, the combination of canals, churches and a historic building is hard to beat.