You’ve probably heard of hygge, the Nordic ideal of cosy comfort. Well, the Dutch version is gezelligheid – a warm, convivial, homely feeling, which the Jan Luyken hotel serves in spades. This townhouse-style hotel aims to be your home-from-home in one of the prettiest bits of the Dutch capital. You’ll find it halfway up a drop-dead gorgeous residential street, all red brick and spreading trees, sandwiched between the cultural heavyweights of the Museumplein and the designer shops of PC Hooftstraat.
Step inside and you’re greeted at a massive granite table in what looks more like a posh kitchen showroom than a hotel reception. It’s part of a suite of lovely common spaces – also including a library/lounge, terrace, gym and dining room – that you’re invited to make your own while you’re here. The touches of art deco and art nouveau (plus the liberal use of brown) are quintessentially Amsterdam, as is the playful mash-up of classical and contemporary art on the walls.
The dining room is a particular winner: once breakfast is out of the way, there’s a spread of pastries, snacks, fruit and yoghurt available day and night, plus all sorts of teas, a big coffee machine and cold water (still or sparkling) on tap. You can also pour yourself something stronger in the reception room. It’s all self-service, and perfect if you aren’t the kind of traveller who needs to be waited on, hand and foot.
If you are that kind of traveller though, then you might get the sense that Jan Luyken is slightly understaffed. Everyone was warm and welcoming, but I didn’t get the sense that anyone had the time or headspace to go above and beyond. The cleaning of the room and upstairs corridors was slightly hit-and-miss too, though the living rooms downstairs were continually spotless.
Further evidence of cost-cutting: some of our bathroom and bedroom fittings, like the wonky granite sink, felt like they’d been carried over from the hotel’s previous life. The terrace is lovely, but could use a little more greenery still to balance out the looming mass of the hotel’s less attractive backside. The hotel wifi went AWOL for a full 24 hours. At times, this feels like a dated property that’s been upcycled into a nice one – mostly successfully, but it’s obvious where the money has (and hasn’t) been spent.
However, there are plenty of plus points. Room rates are pretty affordable – especially for a location within spitting distance of a Louis Vuitton boutique. Lots of the rooms have handsome bay windows or even balconies, and the street-side view is beautiful (and supremely quiet – we hardly heard a single car outside). From some rooms, including ours, you can see the fantastic towers of the Rijksmuseum rising above the rooftops, barely a street away. If your main reason for being in Amsterdam is art, art, art, then Jan Luyken could be picture-perfect.
Neighbourhood
Just outside inner Amsterdam’s Canal Belt, Jan Luyken is one minute away from Museumplein – meaning its deeply classy neighbours include the masterpieces of the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum and Concertgebouw. Just beyond that, the laidback streets of the Pijp neighbourhood are less than 15 minutes’ stroll away. And in the opposite direction, Vondelpark begins literally just around the corner.
Nearby
Stedelijk Museum: for the absolute cream of modern and contemporary art in a very cool building – with an excellent shop and café, to boot.
Vondelpark: for leafy peace, green strolls and alfresco beers at the Blauwe Theehuis or Groot Melkhuis.
Renzo’s Delicatessen: for delectable pasta, salad and Italian treats to go.
Time Out tip
There’s no restaurant at Jan Luyken, but we spotted a couple of fellow guests picking up food orders at reception to eat in the dining room – so feel free to take your pick of the local takeaways. (My tip: venerable Surinamese joint Warung Spang Makandra, in De Pijp.)