Tulip Season at Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam

Location

The Waldorf Astoria is centrally located and part of the upscale Golden Bend neighborhood. It is situated right on the Herengracht Canal and easily walkable to must-see sights, shops and dining. It is comprised of multiple properties that were 'fused' together, with each having a bit of their own unique charm. Each one matches the personality and taste of their 17th-century owners. They reflect a time in history when the city was the mercantile capital of the world.

Accommodations

Rooms are spacious and comfortable, with ample room for luggage, work space and relaxation. My welcome amenity was the most exquisite sweet treat, shaped like wooden clogs. Each day, a note or small gift was left in the room. This included a beautiful ornament that I can now hang on my Christmas tree each year and think back on this trip. The handwritten notes reflected something from our itinerary that day — the personalization and five-star service was unmatched!

Property highlights

Guerlain Spa is a great place to decompress as you work through jet lag or unwind after a long day of touring. Vault Bar, located on the ground level, is a former bank and a quiet and cozy spot for a nightcap. The property also holds Spectrum, a Michelin-starred restaurant that offers a seven-course tasting menu. On a nice day, meander around The Garden. The hotel's star, however, is Peacock Alley, the lobby bar that hosts afternoon tea. After much back and forth, we were squeezed in off the wait list (get in touch with their team early, especially if you have a group bigger than two!) and enjoyed the grandest afternoon tea. Their menu changes seasonally, but during my visit, famous Dutch artists were the inspiration for the twelve masterpieces served. The reservation starts with sparkling wine followed by two types of tea while sampling literal works of art. Six savory and six sweet, they were ornate and decadent.

Staff

There were a lot of moving parts when coordinating a trip with six family members spanning multiple generations. We also needed to factor in the peak bloom period of the tulips, so our travel dates ended up coinciding with King's Day, a very festive but busy time in both Amsterdam and throughout the country. Planning to make sure we made the most of our four days there was crucial, and the concierge team at the Waldorf was phenomenal. Their team was clearly a well-oiled machine, with one member picking up right where the previous one left off during the planning stages. Whatever we threw at them regarding special requests, tour types, dining needs and hard-to-get tickets, such as the Anne Frank Museum, they came through. Their professionalism was top-notch. A few highlights were the afternoon canal tour as well as our day trip to Keukenhof Gardens.

Similar to the cherry blossoms in DC, it can be hard to pinpoint the exact peak bloom period for the tulip fields in The Netherlands. Keeping that expectation in mind, Amsterdam is worth a spring-time visit, and The Waldorf Astoria is the perfect home base for your trip. Offering a quiet, unassuming, yet luxurious stay, I highly recommend!

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Amsterdam page.