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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

For The Love Of The Weekend Getaway - Amsterdam Edition




John and I are still basking in the glow of our lovely long weekend getaway in Amsterdam. Not only did we have a pleasant flight overseas, we were graced with amazing weather, a brand new hotel that met all our expectations and some very memorable meals. I thought I would share a little recap of where we visited, dined & stayed during our brief trip to this friendly country.



The Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam is a brand new hotel located in the Herengracht canal district. The luxury boutique hotel is made up of six adjacent historic canal front palaces. The front facade looks as almost you are stepping into individual mansions while the interior boasts completely remodeled open and airy interiors with Dutch blue walls and loads of white marble. Other notable hotels where we visited during our stay were The Dylan Hotel and The Conservatorium Hotel that had an incredible atrium that made you feel as if you were dining outside while being in a completely glassed in area. 






Our room looked over the hotels beautiful gardens.


Cyclists are everywhere and will literally run you over if you are in their way. They don't wear helmets, they ride very fast and even the kiddos are helmet free and hang out in the front basket like it's no big deal. We weren't brave enough to try this mode of transport but it's definitely the way for the locals to get around. We found the city very walkable and chose to tour it via boat & by foot.



We strolled the flower market which honestly was filled with more seeds for tulips then actual live tulips. I did however get to snap these beauties at the last vendor on the strip.


We indulged in pancakes at Pancakes Amsterdam thanks to a friendly suggestion via Amsterdam. I went for a banana dutch pancake that was covered in powdered sugar and thick syrup. It was heaven and devoured in seconds. 


Fry stands are all over the city. You gotta love a city where frittes and mayonnaise is an ordinary snack {I could do w/o the mayo but the fries rocked my world}.


 Dining was much more formal then we expected. So many of the restaurants we enjoyed offered tasting menus featuring the local cuisine or their take on a modern fusion of European fares. The first night we dined within the hotels restaurant Librije's Zusje Amsterdam which was beautiful and quite formal. Definitely a memorable meal but my husbands deconstructed apple pie had to be the most delicious and impressive visually. Other restaurants we thoroughly enjoyed were boasting amazing presentations, atmosphere and service were Johannes where we celebrated my husbands birthday with a tasting menu with clever displays i.e. a hidden meal under one of our dishes from another meal oh & the wine pairings were a full glass with each course - a total plus in my book! Aan de Poel  was a thirty minute drive outside the city but on a beautiful lake and had the most amazing risotto with truffles that melted in your mouth. Our last night we tried something that the Dutch are known for that many of you might not know...Indonesian food. Blue Pepper was beyond amazing. I am still dreaming about the many courses of the exotic food.  I unfortunately don't have photos of those meals as I was detaching myself from my phone to enjoy them and nothing is more annoying to a guy then having to wait to eat while his food is being photographed.


Our hotels Guerlain Spa was a special treat where we spoiled ourselves with a massage. I unfortunately had a very strong Dutch woman who literally gave me the most painful massage of my life but it wasn't anything a little soak in the indoor pool couldn't fix. 


One mistake I regretfully made was not purchasing tickets to the Anne Frank Museum. I attended the museum during my first trip to Amsterdam but my husband only got to see the outside, so if you are planning a trip, buy tickets in advance. We visited the Van Gogh Museum & The Maritime Museum {pictured below} instead. We also enjoyed the gardens {pictured at the bottom} at the Rijksmuseum.







Finally I surprised my love with a canal tour on a private boat on his birthday.  The Paradis was a charming 1920's saloon boat where we snacked on chocolates & cheese while viewing the city with exactly how it was meant to be seen, from the water. It was perfection.










3 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you for letting me know, I wrote this very late at night & no matter how many times I proof read there was bound to be a typo! Have a great weekend!

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