Recently we had the lovely experience of staying at the Boutique Hotel Staats in Haarlem, North Holland, in the Netherlands. It was such a pleasure to stay in this unique hotel which had the perfect marriage between cosy “gezelligheid” Dutch charm and modern, high end design.
The special atmosphere of this hotel, a partnership between the owner and Dutch art director Michel Ruijgrok, of the ESTIDA design company, is apparent as soon as you enter the huge, heavy wooden double doors.
Gone are the sterile brightly lit interiors and impersonal, uniformed staff found in chain hotels and instead we were greeted with soft lighting and a dark foyer, complimented by interesting touches, like a large, stuffed peacock and a warm, spicy smell as soon as we walked in.
Our room was up the stairs on the first floor, where the corridor also featured beautiful lighting and large, tropical plants on a high statement table. But our room is really where things got interesting…
As soon as we walked in the room, we noticed the very un-traditional layout of the room, since there is a huge glass shower as soon as you walk in to the left of the door. The bed was in front of the shower, so you had a clear view of the TV, mounted at the foot of the bed from the shower! It was a refreshing and different layout.
The shower has high end fixtures and a rainfall shower head and, just outside is a sink and mirror. Opposite to this was a toilet room which was bright and clean.
Everything in the else in the room was dark and cosy, from the charcoal walls and the dark herringbone wooden flooring to the dark tiling in the shower. Velvet chairs in complimentary colours and a plush purple rug made for a comfy sitting area and the room even included a desk where we could work.
The sloped ceiling at one end of the room and the exposed wooden beams was one of the only reminders inside the room that we were actually in a very historic building, which used to be a school.
The bed was an all foam, king sized mattress that was so comfortable and roomy we could barely get out of it in the morning. Because the room is all in dark colours and the two windows had blackout shades, we slept so well (and so late), as we had no idea what time it was when we woke up in the morning!
The hotel also has a beautiful coffee lounge, which you can visit any time of the day if you want to make yourself a quick espresso or flip through the design books on their comfortable sofa while enjoying a cappuccino.
This was a really nice touch when I was working on my computer, during the day! Adjacent to the coffee lounge is a big meeting room you can book, if needed.
I also can’t forget to mention the attached restaurant of the hotel, which has some lovely local beers on tap and offers a spectacular buffet breakfast to all its guests, with fresh squeezed orange juice and baked breads, among many other things. There was plenty to choose from for these vegetarians!
The restaurant is a philanthropic endeavour that works to train those normally less employable due to their life circumstances and gives them expert restaurant experience. The service and food here was fantastic and their prix fixe dinner menu is supposed to be even better.
Free, unlimited WiFi, 24-hour desk service and what my husband described as the “best shower of his life” made our stay at the Boutique Hotel Staats extra special and we’d like to thank the hotel for their wonderful service and wish them all the best!
I’d also like to take the moment to thank my employers at Arrivedo, through whom I am able to stay at lovely hotels around the world! If you would like me to profile your hotel, no matter where you are in the world, please do get in touch.
With Arrivedo, you can have a custom-made Neighbourhood Guide written by a professional writer, like myself, and pay for the service either in the form of cash payment or a hotel stay!
You can see the Neighbourhood Guide that I wrote for the Boutique Hotel Staats here.
All photos mine except for the first photo, courtesy of the Boutique Hotel Staats.