Hotel Pulitzer is prize winning

I research hotels in A LOT of detail because it’s a key ingredient in every trip I make; sometimes the end goal. I absolutely love hotels – where else can you be looked after in such visually stimulating and inspiring surroundings? It’s that gorgeous cocooning feeling of ‘going home’ when you’re in your early twenties, but you’re in a hotel of the most incredible architecture and interior design, and it’s this side of the experience where I feel the magic of a hotel.

I want a hotel that demonstrates the envelope of interior design has been really explored and pushed, and hotels are quite unique in the way one can really experience, appreciate and judge the designs. So this is where I am coming from when I tell you about a hotel and I will only report back on the hotels you need to add to your own lists!

My first ‘to stay’ is the Hotel Pulitzer in Amsterdam and it has a fabulous heritage you couldn’t make up. In 1969 Peter Pulitzer, the grandson of the Pulitzer Prize founder, joined 25, 17^th and 18^th century canal houses into a hotel. These beautiful houses are alive with history and are protected from structural changes not only because of their special heritage but also because they sit on the canals – today the trendiest canal location in Amsterdam.

The hotel was reopened last autumn after enormous necessary renovations and deserves acclaim on the merits of this huge historical undertaking and in honour of the creative director of the hotel, Jacu Strauss who slept in and then fashioned each of the 225 guest rooms over 3 years. The result is a reinvented Dutch masterpiece – blending architecture, furniture, colours and themes from 3-400 years ago with contemporary design and for a contemporary, design-led audience. For me, the quality of the materials, the sourcing of authentic pieces, the attention to detail in the architecture and this eclectic mix of furniture, which have come together effortlessly to create a mood overflowing with character and style set this hotel apart.

No two rooms are the same and all have a really elegant, light and spacious feel, which comes as a nice surprise from the labrinth of corridors. Most bedrooms feature bold colours, inspired by the colours of Amsterdam past and present and all have beautifully weighty mattresses and all the mod cons. I fell for the bar carts with cut crystal glasses and delicious alcohols and decanters. There are four Collector’s Suites inspired by past famous people of Amsterdam, their unique narratives played out with fantastic design details. The Art Collector’s Suite features a collection of paintings and sculptures to rival one of the city’s museums.

The hotel has a bistro restaurant, Janz, which is absolutely one to book (and is often booked up) for its slick menu and brilliant people-watching and a café, Pause, which is super cool with delicious food. What I like is the beautiful colours and materials – Janz with its marble tables and dusty pink walls and Pause has emerald Gubi chairs and industrial materials in an airy garden setting.

Bar is a dimly-lit, sumptuous space to go a sip expertly-crafted cocktails that follow the theme of blending old and new from the comfort of a deep-cushioned chaise.

The Pulitzer is a five star hotel with all the trappings and without any pretence. The look of luxury is inescapable yet it succeeds at creating a quintessential experience of Amsterdam – eclectic, quirky, relaxed, etc. I personally love eclectic styling and the mix of old and new, and this hotel completely nails it in an authentic, effortless and inspired way.