48 Hours in Amsterdam

If you follow me on Instagram or snapchat (which you should, I’ve reminded you enough times!) you’ll have noticed that I recently hopped on a plane to Amsterdam for a mid-week getaway with a girlfriend for a much-needed break to escape the January slump. I’d never been to Amsterdam before, which considering how close it is (45 minutes by plane!!) and how beautiful, needed to be remedied as soon as possible. Although the trip was brief, we packed in plenty of sightseeing (although the memory of the sexmuseum has drowned out most others, it was pretty hilariously scarring), dining, and wandering up and down the famous canals. I thought I’d put together a guide featuring a few of the things we ate and did, should you visit!

SLEEP

…at Citizen M Amsterdam, the super chic Dutch branch of the hotel chain in the city district, conveniently close to the airport and an easy tram ride into the city centre. If you haven’t stayed in a Citizen M before: they’re seriously cool. The lobby/lounge area is designed to be communal, so there are constantly people at the bar having drinks, holding meetings around the large conference tables, or just reading one of the many books lining the shelves. It’s sleekly designed, with a modern vibe injected with instagram-friendly knick knacks.

The place is very technology driven, with self check-in and out, iMacs in the lobby to catch up on web surfing, and (I’m leaving the best till last!) each room is controlled by iPad. From the iPad you can change the lighting, switch the tv channel, and close the blinds, or if you’re feeling particularly adventurous test out the different mood settings, such as ‘party’, ‘relax’ and ‘romance’ (that one dims the lights and sets the pod lights to red, tres sexy).

The aforementioned pods are what really sets the hotel apart – the rooms don’t have separate bathrooms but instead the toilet and shower are in isolated ‘capsules’ within the room. It does mean there’s not much privacy, so its ideal if you’re staying on your own, otherwise make sure you’re verrrry comfortable with your roommate!

Possibly the best bit was the bar, which is open 24 hours, complete with a delicious cocktail menu. Actually I take that back, have I mentioned the beds yet? King size, and possibly the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. I actually woke up when my alarm went off both days feeling awake and refreshed, which is very unusual considering my dependent relationship on the snooze button.

I’m tempted to start staycationing at the London branch, I miss that bed so much! Maybe I should do a Lindsay Lohan, and just move in? I promise I won’t go all celebrity diva and trash my room!

We spent a lot of our time in Amsterdam eating our way around the city, which to anyone who has ever been on holiday with me will come as no surprise!

EAT

…at The Butcher, described by more than one outlet as the best burger place in Amsterdam. High praise indeed! Although we didn’t have time to test the theory (and although we like burgers, we don’t like them THAAAT much), it’s hard to imagine finding better. I had the truffle burger, which is a standard beef patty with grilled onions and a truffle glaze, and it was pretty delicious. The place is small with not much room for sitting but it’s worth dropping by for a quick snack to fuel up before hitting up the nearby museums.

WALK

…along ‘De Negen Straatjes’ (The Nine Streets), a district just east of the old town, where several beautiful canals are intersected by boutiques and hip restaurants. If you’re into vintage shopping this is a great area for it – check out Zipper and Episode for a huge selection of fab pieces. As an avid fan I was also impressed with the local supermarket’s wide range of Tyrell’s flavours, but you probably didn’t come all the way to Amsterdam to buy crisps..

DRINK

…(and eat) at Wolvenstraat 23, located within the nine streets. I recommend ordering what is practically a bucketload of prosecco and elderflower at a very respectable €6.50, which may or may not get you tipsy (yes, on one. I said they were big!). We actually ducked in here when it suddenly started tipping it down with very little warning, only to find it so cosy we were reluctant to leave when the rain abated soon after. Although we didn’t eat here, the Asian bites menu looked and sounded pretty tasty!

EAT

Supposedly Dutch fries are ‘a thing’ loaded with mayonnaise, and there were certainly plenty of fast food places advertising said fries as their main offering. Been keen fry aficionados we were intrigued – what could be so special about Dutch fries? Turns out, not much. The ones we tried were pretty much just standard chips, nothing to write home about. I’d say skip the fries, save your fast food binge for the exciting-looking loaded hot dogs we were plenty tempted by but never got round to (If you do try them, I want ALL the deets!).

EAT

…at Baut, conveniently located just opposite Citizen M for those cold nights when you can’t quite be bothered to travel back into the centre to eat. Shout out to the hotel bartender for tipping us off about the place, as it wasn’t very obvious so you need to know it’s there! The restaurant is a pop-up in what looks like a disused office block, and (like most pop-ups) would be right at home in Shoreditch. The atmosphere was buzzing, with a main dining area alongside a cosy bar section with huge fires and armchairs to lounge in. The food was potentially the best meal we had out there, with a delicious beef tartare followed by a chocolate lava cake to beat all chocolate lava cakes. As this was a pop-up I’d recommend checking in advance that’s it’s still there should you decide to go!

EAT

…at Loetje, a romantic restaurant with a local vibe (we went to the location near the museum district, but there are several). The guide book recommended ordering the steak as it’s the restaurants speciality and they were right, it sure is special, thick cut and cooked in a flavoursome gravy.

As you can probably tell, we ate… a lot. Of course there are plenty of great sights to see as well, but I’ll leave those for the guide book! I’d love to go back again soon, mainly because I had twice as many restaurants on my to-eat list, but only so much stomach space! Have you been to Amsterdam before? What other must-see sights and places to visit would you recommend?