La Remise B&B

In a city more defined by its quirky residential architecture and its maze of little canals than by singular, monumental sights, the big statement-making hotels, for all their appeal, can feel a bit out of place. The more natural fit is an intimate bed and breakfast like La Remise, tucked away on a tiny residential street in the canal district. And Noorderstraat could hardly be more quintessentially Amsterdam: the narrow street, which runs all of two blocks and ends to the east at a tree-lined canal, is crowded with slender brick buildings, leafy plants climbing their facades and bikes leaned against the exteriors.

While the scale of La Remise is mom-and-pop, the style is anything but — unless, of course, the mom and pop you’re envisioning are hip Amsterdamers who possess a keen taste for modern Dutch design. The reigning principle is simplicity, with airy, uncluttered spaces washed in light. More than the high-design look, though, what you’ll notice are the textures. It almost looks like you could still write your name with a finger in the dark concrete floors — that is, like the concrete’s still wet. Low-slung wooden beds are topped with fluffy bedding and loosely knit throw blankets that unspool at their ends, attractively, like yarn. And the hand-towels in the bathrooms, sitting on a sink above rough stone floors, are so soft you’ll want to snuggle with them.

Leaving the cozy world of the room, the neighborhood makes it easy to explore by foot. It’s not the very core of the city but still folded into Amsterdam’s central canals, in Grachtengordel. Though the hotel’s street is quiet and quaint, the city’s famous museums, plus plenty of shops, restaurants and nightlife venues, are all within reach.

• 3 Rooms
• Style: Modern Design
• Atmosphere: Quiet
• 1 Guest Review

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