Where to Stay: One-of-a-Kind Luxury in Amsterdam

While Red Light Districts and coffeehouses are one side of Europe’s other city of water, fine galleries and museums, designer shopping, stylish boutique hotels and old world renovations are the other. With an increasing number of direct flights from across North America, Amsterdam has never been as easy to reach. Here are three options on where to stay:

If Money is No Object: The Dylan
Starting Rate: Standard doubles 455 Euros ($721) per night
It’s not that Dylan, but still remarkably cool. The stylish 17th century landmark hotel on the Keizersgracht canal is to many the ultimate boutique accommodation. Each of the 41 sumptuous rooms and suites is individually designed, and they’re known throughout Europe for their cool color schemes. Every room has a theme. Examples include the Klassbol—entirely raspberry red and elephant grey with striped draping around the 4 poster bed—and the Kimono —with hand painted Japanese kimonos, hand painted white oriental china and black lacquer wood flooring. The Dylan’s restaurant, lobby and other common areas exude a sleek and contemporary confidence that, when paired with the guest rooms, gives it an edge that would be hard to recreate in any other city.

Smart Luxury: Lloyd Hotel and Cultural Embassy
Starting Rate: 95 Euros ($150) per night
The building that the Lloyd occupies in Amsterdam’s Eastern docklands area has had many past lives; first as a hotel for emigrant’s heading to the Americas, then a prison for 50 years and finally a workshop for artists before it’s reopening as a hipster hotel in 2004. Everyone of the 117 rooms differs in size and décor and has been redesigned by a wide variety of renowned Dutch architects, designers and artists. Get this—rooms range from one star (95 Euros) with shared bathrooms to five stars (450 Euros) with unusual extras like an eight person bed in one and a fiberglass bath in the center of the room in another. Something in the middle? Three star rooms feature contemporary furniture from Dutch artists like Ineke Hans and Tjalko Lokhorst.

Smart Family: The House Boat
Starting Rate: Doubles from 135 Euros ($213) per night
While Amsterdam is probably not the first city you think of when the words “family friendly” come to mind, if you’re creative, there is no better place. Enter: houseboats. Docked on the canals that run throughout the city, these floating flats are generally more spacious, have better amenities and a view of the city that you could not get elsewhere. The House Boat, a Dutch company, has a dozen or so boats set up in prime locations all over the central districts of the city. Most can fit a family of 2-5, though some can sleep as many as 14 guests. Most of the ships have been renovated in the past five years and feature contemporary décor and furnishings, kitchens and outdoor patios with small gardens.