Blair S.
Yelp
Where do I even begin?! This hotel is breathtaking. The overall aesthetic is exceptional. I enjoyed looking at all the different chandeliers particularly, and all of the public areas felt extremely luxurious and comfortable.
As far as public areas go, my favourite was a relaxed lounge area, with a modern wood burning stove and a selection of drinks and snacks. By snacks I mean beautiful chocolates and an array of wee fancy cakes.
The drinks consisted of both plain and flavored waters, loose leaf teas in an assortment of flavors and compositions, and a really excellent coffee machine that also made delicious hot chocolate. It was bitterly cold when we were in Amsterdam, so it was lovely to come back and have a hot drink to relax with in our room.
There were also glass dishes of hard candy in the more formal lounge, conference room, and in our room. A nice additional touch.
I say room, but it was actually a suite. We had reserved a regular room and by some good fortune, they kindly decided to upgrade us to one of the two suites in the hotel. I have never stayed in a room as beautiful or comfortable. Wood paneling, lush furnishings, gorgeous wallpaper, a jacuzzi bath (that fit myself, my husband AND the baby ) and the mirror on the bathroom even turned into a tv. The outer sitting room had a curtained glass wall, that looked onto a mini atrium filled with plants and a pond. Part of the ceiling of this room was a skylight, so it was a very serene place to relax, and our son enjoyed looking at the plants and water.
By my advanced request, they had set up a crib for us, and during the check in process they even gave our two year old a stuffed animal. Despite it not seeming like a place that people brought small children very often, they staff were very kind to, and tolerant of, our loud two year old. Even letting him behind the check on desk to see the hotel cats. They didn't have a high chair for him at breakfast, but they hunted high and low for one, so we appreciated the effort even though it was a tad inconvenient.
The buffet breakfast was decent, had a good section of options, and the room service was also very good (as well as being reasonable by Amsterdam prices). We took advantage of it more than once.
Another amazing bonus was that we had the free use of a cellphone that we could make international calls on, and use for the internet. This gave us access to google maps wherever we went, which was extremely helpful in a new city.
The location of Hotel Estherea is wonderful, right on a beautiful canal and in the middle of the 'nine little streets'. It's within walking distance of anything touristy you'd want to see, and has a number of restaurants and shops nearby. We found the proximity to a supermarket very helpful for getting our toddler snacks, etc.
I would absolutely go back to this hotel, though I'm a bit spoiled now after experiencing the suite life!
Great staff, great accommodations, great location. Can't really ask for more than that!