The best b&bs in Amsterdam

Brietner House was once occupied by one of the leading Dutch artists of the 19th century. In it, you’ll find rooms filled with museum-quality antique furniture, sumptuous fabric, a mosaic of fine artwork, stuccoed ceilings dripping with crystal chandeliers, and forests of fresh flowers. Owner Camilla Braaksma worked in theatre and film, and entering her home is like stepping on to a lavish movie set. But there’s nothing artificial about it: there’s genuine warmth of welcome and a relaxed domestic atmosphere (albeit a grand one). Each suite is individually and sumptuously decorated. You’re a tad out of the centre, but a short hop by tram.

Peter and Wolter have renovated their 1585 canal house with imagination and flair. Peter worked for 25 years as an interior designer, and it shows. Original features remain (wooden beams, old brickwork, a spiral staircase), and are enlivened by bold colours and inviting fabrics. Designer classics (Le Corbusier sofas in the bedrooms) rub cheeks with stately antiques. But underlying all this is Peter and Wolter’s sense of home. It’s a place where you can feel completely relaxed, as a personal guest. The champagne breakfast uses mostly organic, locally sourced ingredients. It’s an excellent location in the centre of town, midway between Centraal Station and the major museums.

If you’re into a buzzing nightlife, a sense of what makes Amsterdam tick, and a room in the very heart of the city, then this is the place for you. Misc brings a touch of zaniness and Dutch flair to a small, 17th-century canal house on the politer edges of the Red Light District and comes with a homely touch. Six individually decorated rooms range from cool contemporary décor by Dutch designer Thijs Bakker, through to gloriously campy neo-Baroque, complete with chandelier and canopied bed – with a touch of Africa and Asian temple-kitsch along the way. Breakfast, though simple, is excellent, with locally sourced farm breads and cheeses, the owners’ homemade jams, good coffee and fresh fruit.

Intimate, quietly luxurious and exceptionally spacious rooms, carefully decorated in a low-key style with some contemporary design touches. La Remise is on a peaceful street in an otherwise busy part of town, near some of Amsterdam’s prettiest canals, and near to major museums and other sights. Former ballet dancer Alexandre Tardy has exercised his alternative lifelong passion for architecture and design to create rooms in alluring soft tones, with chunky tactile textiles and clean-lined contemporary furniture. It’s all done with a dancer’s sense of perfectionism, and a taste for prime materials. The whole place has a reposeful air, perhaps too sombre for some, but with a relaxed away-from-it-all ambiance. There are three suites, each exceptionally large by Amsterdam standards.

A charming, quietly elegant b&b with a warm, homely atmosphere, in a secluded spot convenient for the main museums. There’s a welcoming domestic atmosphere, with a hint of hotel chic. Uncluttered classic décor is given a little spice by Indian and Indonesian twists. The owner’s have both worked for a long time in the hospitality industry and have travelled extensively, so they know the little touches that travellers appreciate. The two rooms are on the first floor and breakfast is served in your room: a healthy spread with fruit, yoghurt, bread and croissants and a soft-boiled egg, presented on different china every day with a fresh posy of flowers.

Tulip of Amsterdam sits next door to De Waag, on the edge of the Red Light District and in the midst of Amsterdam nightlife. A 17th-century canal house, brightly decorated with all manner of Amsterdamalia: clogs, tulip prints, black-and-white cow-skin rugs. Here and there a 1960s designer chair and other vintage furniture. The mood is light-hearted and very much of the city, all set for a fun few days. Although you are in the thick of Amsterdam’s tourist churn and nightlife quarter, the two rooms are quiet as they’re set well back from the street in a separate part of the house, beyond a small garden courtyard.

Barangay is tucked away in a forgotten neighbourhood between the railway tracks and up-and-coming hip shopping street Haarlemmerstraat. A forest of flowers and greenery on a not particularly eye-catching street announces Barangay’s presence. Inside it’s another burst of tropical colour with quirky bric-à-brac: gaudy carvings, giant painted fans, cane wall-covering, gaily printed fabrics. The b&b is divided into two parts; Godwin’s Residence and Wimmo’s Residence. Tropical exuberance continues in the rooms with cheerful south-east Asian décor and funky bed linen. The rooms are not huge, but they’re far from cramped and the décor ensures they’re not gloomy. Breakfast is served in your room.

Stylish and romantic guestrooms above a lifestyle shop, and with beautiful canal views. Maison Rika is in the hip Negen Straatjes shopping quarter, within walking distance of the Anne Frank House, and a short tram ride from the major museums. The staff are a delight: friendly and well-informed. A signature black-and-cream palette means black bathroom mosaic and black-painted wooden floors, offset by pale walls and crisp bedlinen – together with all manner of contemporary paintings and prints. Both rooms – one romantically under the beams of the loft, a larger one on the floor below – have windows on two sides, are flooded with light, and have delightful canal views.