717

If you have ever fantasized about living in a classic Amsterdam canal house on the city’s top avenue, Prinsengracht, this special boutique property with just nine suites is as close as you will get.

• Only nine suites, each individually decorated
• Feels like staying in a private home rather than a hotel
• Walking distance of the canal belt and Museumsplein

Guests ring a bell by the door to be let in the 717. The downstairs encompasses a comfortable lounge with a fireplace and a library stuffed top-to-bottom with books on art, design, literature and photography. There’s no reception, concierge desk or lobby. You’re home.

The original owner, who opened the 717 to great acclaim in 1997, sold it two years later, but the elegant interiors remain the same; it was bought by another private hotelier, dispelling any fears that a chain would come in and change the exclusive vibe. Inspired by the upscale bed-and-breakfasts one finds in Scotland, the 717 is decked out in plush materials—men’s suiting fabrics in some rooms, imparting a fashionable flair—and filled with framed original art works, beautiful period furniture and fresh flowers. Despite the loads of antiques and Old Master paintings, the hotel doesn’t feel stuffy, probably because its original owner worked in the fashion industry and knew a thing or two about spicing up an old-world setting with contemporary style.

Each of the nine suites has a different layout and aesthetic: the Tolkien, located on the second floor overlooking the patio and clad in red wallpaper, boasts a framed page of a first edition of The Hobbit as well as a comfortable sitting area with an overstuffed couch and armchairs and a large Haage School painting presiding over the space. The canal-facing Picasso and Schubert are huge, with beamed ceilings and large tables where breakfast can be served. Incidentally, most Dutch find it amusing that visitors request canal views, pointing out that rooms facing the water and therefore the streets are much noisier than those overlooking the leafy courtyards. At the 717, there are no undesirable rooms; even the smallest, the Mahler, is beautifully laid out.

The 717 has a pretty little breakfast room but no restaurant or room service, except for smaller requests, like wine, tea and afternoon treats. Most of the guests don’t mind, since the hotel is within walking distance of the canal belt and Museumsplein. And the Prinsengracht tram stop is just down the street.

Travelers who like boutique properties and don’t mind the lack of room service and restaurant. Guests must also be prepared to climb some steps to reach each room.