Convenient Conservatorium

By missingmilesJuly 18, 2015

As I had earlier fallen in love with the big brother, Café Royal Hotel in London, I had to go and meet the little brother, Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam. Oh boy, do I since then love them both madly…

This is a very cursory portrayal of the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam. Due to the grandeur of the establishment, it is hard to describe the combination of the surroundings and the refined details in design, food and beverages – all distinguished by the love and attention to detail. One cannot really feel without visiting, what is that something this hotel holds inside its sumptuous, but still notably serene exterior.

This masterpiece of interior renovation designed by Italian Piero Lissoni is a perfect combination of old and modern features. The building itself has been formerly occupied by Amsterdam’s Sweelinck Music Conservatorium, but has been originally built as a bank at the end of the 19th century.

Attention to detail is present in everything and everywhere. Cassina and Kartell furniture mark the reception and lounge, not to mention those fantastic Flos light structures for example in the Brasserie & Lounge and the different collections in several glass vitrines.

As I am very keen on details, I always check the finishing of the construction works as no matter how great the design is, it could have been destroyed by sloppy finishing works – this for sure is not the case in the Conservatorium Hotel.

Rooms are spacious and some of them have a very nice two floor layout. As I was traveling with my daughter, I chose a room with a simple floor plan. The photos do not show all the great small features and details, but one of the most surprising ones must have been the selection of the minibar and the LHW member welcome gift.

The hotel restaurants and bars Brasserie & Lounge, Taiko, Tunes and the room service offer the guests such good treats, that on a short trip you almost do not feel like leaving the hotel. The breakfast was something I am still dreaming about…

As I was on a girl’s trip with my daughter and her being only five years old, she got tired in the evening (in addition to the fact that she loved our room). For that reason we did not have the chance to visit Taiko restaurant to my regret. Well, gives me a good reason to return as this restaurant is apparently an experience…

Check taikorestaurant in Instagram

But luckily the room service did make our dinner a very pleasant one and the Tunes bar even promised to deliver a special G&T to our room. And if you do love G&Ts or sakes, this is your place to visit… Monkey 47, Bulldog, Caorunn, Brooklyn, G’vine, London nr 1, Sipsmith (you name it…) accompanied with Fentimans, Fever-Tree and Thomas Henry tonics. Not to mention the freshly grated wasabi to go with your sushi snack along your G&T.

Besides the good food and beverages, you might want to pamper yourself in the pool or treatments of the Akasha Spa. Please note that there are limited swimming times for children under the age 16 and as traveling with my daughter, I found this very convenient – you do not need to feel that you would be disturbing other clients as there is an appointed time for the swim and on the other hand you have an “excuse” for not spending the whole day in the pool…

The service was very good, as expected and I am sure it will in no time be close to impeccable (even if you can never meet the expectations of all your clients). The concierge will gladly assist you with the pre-purchased museum tickets for example.

The location in Museumplein is more than convenient. The Rijksmuseum is just around the corner just as well as the Van Gogh museum. And the rest of the city is within an easy access by a bike, the trams or the water taxis. Around the corner, on Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat, you can find among the many brand stores a very nice TASCHEN bookstore.