Ready for an extremely cool getaway?
soho-house has just opened its brand new headquarters in the heart of amsterdam And although the concept of social Club is practically new in the city, its spirit fits to the millimeter in the characteristic dutch cool and laid back mold.
Here you eat organic, you get there by bike and everything (everything: even the blankets in the rooms, which reproduce the original design of the windows) oozes design.
Located at number 210 Spuistraat and overlooking the singel channel, As soon as you walk through the revolving door of this imposing building of granite and art deco stained glass windows, one feels as if they have traveled back in time to the golden age of Mad Men , only with a 21st century approach.
This is what Amsterdam looks like on the canals
Here you won't find executives in gel polish suits or female bosses in sky-high heels, but guys wearing Scandinavian brands and girls who combine their long dresses with hype sneakers.
Otherwise, magic and light is the same. Like the rest of its sisters around the world, Soho House Amsterdam arrives with the mission of connecting the creative minds of the city and offers a roof terrace with swimming pool, gym most elegant you will ever step on, spa (with barber service), two restaurants (one of them, the famous Italian Cecconi's), spaces for co-working, cinema of velvety seats (where you can have a signature gin and tonic while watching movies in the original version) and 79 rooms exquisitely designed by the house's interior design team, led by Linda Boronkay as design director and Kate Bryan, head of art.
All of them - from the Tiny to the Monumental - are decorated with 50's furniture , restored period lamps, art deco windows and original wooden ceilings. The mini bar would delight Don Draper (more on that later) and the larger rooms have a copper tub at the foot of the bed.
No ties, no after-hours work calls, or anything else to disturb this unabashedly hip bubble.
The Dutch club maintains the same rules as the rest of the venues in the world (London, New York, Miami, Istanbul, Berlin or Barcelona are some of them) and to become a member you have to meet three characteristics: dedication to an artistic discipline , be recommended by at least two partners and an annual fee of 1,500 euros (half if you are under 25) to enjoy the local club or 1,800 if you want access to any Soho House in the world.
The good news is that it also works as hotel for non-members and that Cecconi's tables are freely accessible , which makes it the coolest accommodation possible if you visit Amsterdam for a weekend.
Cecconi's tables are freely accessible
If you stay in Soho organize yourself well because you cannot leave without trying…
TRY THE MINI BAR
It sounds curious, yes. But the mini bar gives you invaluable information about a hotel because you don't find out until you're already housed.
Fresh produce, variety, complimentary items - it's somehow a gauge of how much and how well you're being taken care of.
And here the mini bar in the rooms is a collector's item. A classic wooden sideboard in which they are offered cold-pressed juices, Reinard champagne and cocktail glass flasks , including Don Draper's favorite: an Old Fashioned already prepared.
Room service provides ice (even the thick cut-glass cooler is gorgeous) and you have a lime, an orange, and a lemon at your disposal to garnish your drink. A first toast to celebrate Amsterdam looking at the canal it is an experience in itself. The great thing about the rooms at Amsterdam's Soho House is that all of them, even the smallest, are meticulously decorated, have beautiful views, and offer extreme attention to detail.
Plug your Spotify playlist into the Marshall speaker and savor, because this is just the beginning.
The rooms, a delight
SEVEN SHOWERS
The bathroom itself, elegantly lined in green wood and mustard ceramic tiles, with a very studied lighting, it is one of the pluses of the rooms.
But when you get into the shower you feel like never leaving when you discover the seven shampoos, conditioners, gels and lotions at your disposal in the bathroom, all from the British brand Cowshed (who also runs the spa). All its products are formulated based on organic plant extracts, of wild origin, and essential oils.
YOGA AT 9
Getting up early on a Saturday vacation to attend a morning yoga class may not sound the most appetizing. However, when you have before you the best views of Amsterdam at the brightest time of the day, then things get interesting.
The yoga room It is located in the most elegant gym you will ever see, on the fourth floor of the building. The ceilings are painted in a dark green which they call Herengracht (in honor of one of the most beautiful canals in the city) and the floors are made of terrazzo, the showers are made of marble and even the machines (made of Technogym ) are pretty, matte black. Also, starting with a yoga session ensures you have a good day of sightseeing.
Can a gym be beautiful?
THE DUTCH BREAKFAST
The Dutch may not have a great gastronomic tradition (they basically have sandwiches for lunch every day) but that's because they know create superlative breakfasts.
At the Soho House in Amsterdam you can have five types of eggs, avocado toast on sourdough bread, buttery croissants that look like they came from Paris, create your own granola and try a multitude of cheeses, sausages and ...
THE COURTESY BIKES
Touring Amsterdam means taking a bike and at the Soho House they have a bike rental service. Vanmoof , the local bike brand, which designs and produces its models in the heart of the capital. It is the most agile and most beautiful way to discover the city, to get out of the most touristic bud, and truly the city is adapted for it: here the priority -ahead of cars, and even pedestrians- bikes have it.
Fresh pasta at Cecconi's
CECCONI'S HOMEMADE PASTA
The opening of the Italian restaurant Cecconi's in Amsterdam is a claim in itself.
Open to the general public, it is located on the ground floor of the building and offers pasta, seafood and typical northern Italian cuisine.
Overlooking the canal, it has a crescent-shaped bar and dining room with a retractable glass roof to which huge plants climb, leather seats, vintage rugs and hanging lamps.
Originally from Venice, he has more brothers in London, New York, Miami, West Hollywood, Istanbul, Barcelona and Berlin. What to ask for? Its most famous dish is spaghetti with lobster, tomato, chili and basil.
A MASSAGE OR A BEARD TOUCH-UP AT THE COWSHED SPA
Touring the city of a thousand canals deserves a moment of relaxation and that's what the house spa is for. It has six treatment rooms, two barber chairs and four manicure and pedicure stations . As everywhere in this building, interior design plays an essential role here and the space is decorated in soft green tones, with wooden ceilings and floors, and velvet seats.
A bit of 'grooming' at Soho House Amsterdam