Amsterdam Hotel Review : a Romantic Stay at the Hotel Die Port Van Cleve

We recently had the pleasure of spending 2 nights at the Hotel Die Port Van Cleve, an Amsterdam hotel that is rich in authentic Dutch charm, history and delicious food!

A warm welcome upon arrival in Amsterdam

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by a lovely woman at the welcome desk who took our luggage (we arrived very early in the morning and our room wasn’t ready yet), showed us a map of Amsterdam and explained the general layout of the city and some of the things we could see and visit in the city. Although we have been to Amsterdam several times, there is always more to discover. We set out to explore the city.

The Hotel Die Port Van Cleve – the perfect Amsterdam hotel for a romantic weekend away

Amsterdam is an incredibly romantic city. The canals, gorgeous authentic canal houses and darling pubs all contribute to the romantic flair of the city. It is the perfect place to stroll, hand in hand, and explore. It is absolutely one of our favorite places to go for a long weekend and we have even dreamt about spending a longer period living in Amsterdam one Summer in the future – who knows.

Thank you to the Hotel Die Port Van Cleve for sponsoring this post. All opinions are our own.

If you are anything like us, you look for unique and authentic experiences when you travel. We love staying in hotels that are rich in history where we are sure to enjoy a unique experience. Location is important to us too because we want to make sure that we can go out and explore the city as easily as possible.

Related : Tulips in Holland : The Complete Guide to Visiting Keukenhof Gardens

We loved staying at the Hotel Die Port Van Cleve because it is centrally located, full of charm and history and has a gorgeous restaurant where we enjoyed a romantic dinner and gorgeous breakfast (both important for increasing the romance factor). The staff of the hotel is friendly, professional and always there to help if you have any questions or special requests. The hotel is also located right next to one of the most beautiful Amsterdam department stores if you are looking to do some shopping.

Look at that facade! The hotel is also really lovely. We loved coming home in the evening, after a long day of exploring Amsterdam, to this gorgeous building. We love that the building remains faithful to its original style and has been tastefully renovated to be more modern while still keep it’s authentic style.

A blue and white room keeping in traditional Delft style

Our room was decorated in a simple and elegant way with a reproduction of the blue and white Delft porcelain children above our bed. (You can see the original porcelain in the bar bodega, of the hotel, De Blauwe Parade.

The beds were really comfortable – the thick mattress and fluffy sheets and comforter made us feel pampered and instantly relaxed. We loved waking up here and enjoyed a tea in bed. Each room has a tea maker and tea bags which are sure to make you feel right at home.

The history of the Hotel Die Port Van Cleve

We love learning about the places we stay and were fascinated to learn that the Hotel Die Port Van Cleve is in the same building that used to house the original Heineken Brewery. (Not to worry, if you are a fan of really good beer, as Hugo is, you are in luck – there is still plenty of it available at De Blauwe Parade on the ground floor.)

Before Gerard Adriaan Heineken purchased the building in 1863 to make it into the Heineken Brewery, the building was already another brewery – the De Hooiberg Brewery Complex. Heineken left the brewery and it was purchased by the Hulscher brothers (you will learn more about them in an upcoming post all about the hotel restaurant). They decided to create a beerhouse. During renovations, they found a memorial stone with the name “Die Port Van Cleve” which became the name of the establishment. They expanded their project when they added a restaurant serving traditional Dutch dishes in 1874. This is the same restaurant that still remains in the hotel today! In 1888, they renovated the facade of the building and created the De Blauwe Parade bar bodega which also still remains today.

Aeon Plaza Hotels purchased the building in 1996 and have transformed the building into the beautiful hotel it is today.

Breakfast at the hotel restaurant, Hulsher’s

We absolutely loved the hotel restaurant, Hulscher’s. You can reserve a table here for dinner, as well as breakfast if you like. We will be doing an entire post about the restaurant as well so we’re just sharing a few photos here.

Related : Erwtensoep (Dutch Split Pea Soup)

The hotel breakfast is delicious too and is served in the restaurant and this cozy breakfast nook off to the side. This is the perfect spot to sit down with a cup of coffee and plan out your day. I loved this spot!

Hugo appreciated all of the tasty viennoisseries at breakfast and prepared a little plate for us! We also had scrambled eggs, fresh coffee, cranberry juice, mini Dutch pancakes and more. It was a Dutch breakfast feast.

De Blauwe Parade Bodega Bar

Each evening when we came home from a day of exploring, we stopped for a night cap at the De Blauwe Bodega Bar. It is the gorgeous bar in the lobby of the hotel. It features an original Delft fresco that is 26 metres long!

It is the perfect spot to enjoy romantic chat about the day and a glass of Prosecco before you head up to your lovely room for the night.

Have you been to Amsterdam? If not, do you want to visit?

Thank you to the team at Hotel Die Port Van Cleve for collaborating with us for this Amsterdam hotel review.

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