The train from Schiphol dropped us off at Amsterdam Centraal 15 minutes after leaving the airport. It was a quick and easy way to get into the city and 5 minutes after arriving at our platform, we were outside of the station for the short, 5-minute walk to our hotel. The Kimpton De Witt Amsterdam is located right in the heart of the city and we found it to be a great location for our short stay.
Booking
For our two night stay in Amsterdam, I utilized the $200 hotel credit offered by my American Express Platinum Card by booking through The Hotel Collection which helped offset the roughly $300 nightly rate. As a benefit of booking through American Express we also received a $100 credit to use at the hotel and were eligible for upgrades, if available.
Location
The Kimpton DeWitt Amsterdam is located a few blocks from Amsterdam Centraal Station in the City Center. It was a short, 5 minute walk from the station to the hotel and was easy to do with our luggage in tow.
Lobby/Check-In
We arrived at the hotel before noon, due to our early morning Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi, and I assumed that they wouldn’t have anything ready for us but we still wanted to drop our bags. When I inquired at the desk, they didn’t have anything ready for us yet and offered to tag our bags and store them for us. As we were getting ready to walk out the door, a room became ready so we stayed and completed the check-in process and went upstairs to check
Room
After checking in, we headed upstairs to the third floor. The hotel is spread across multiple old buildings that have been connected together so the hallways can be a maze. We were assigned room 303 which was at the far end of the hallway. Each door had a unique door knocker which I thought was a nice touch.
The room itself was on the smaller side but overall was well laid out and decorated with lots of blue and white. The king size bed sat in the middle of the room.
By the windows was a small writing desk as well as a chair with a side table.
Sitting on the desk was a welcome letter from the hotel that outlined the features of the hotel as well as some of the spaces and events. There was a separate letter that outlined our benefits that we received since we booked through American Express.
Across from the bed was a low bookshelf with a TV mounted above. There was also a strange bird figurine on the side along with wine and rocks glasses.
Between the bedroom and bathroom was an open wardrobe as well as a floor to ceiling mirror.
The bathroom was decorated with some fun blue and white tiles and featured a shower, sink and toilet area.
The toiletries were from Marie-Stella-Maris and were in reusable bottles.
In the entry hall was a small cabinet that housed a Nespresso machine which we made good use of thanks to our body clocks being all mixed up.
Property Overview
After dropping our bags in the room, we went out to explore the rest of the hotel. After dropping our bags and freshening up a bit, we headed back down to the lobby level to explore the rest of the hotel. Just past reception was a cocktail bar called Super Lyan, apparently part of the well known Mr. Lyan cocktail bar group in Europe, which is where we spent our $100 F&B credit.
There were also a variety of seating areas stationed throughout the lobby which seemed like a nice place to relax. Though it was mostly deserted during our stay.
The hotel also had bikes available for rent, for free, at the front desk when available. We used this perk extensively to get around the city.
Happy Hour
Past Super Lyan and the lobby seating was an atrium area where a complimentary wine hour was held each night, accompanied by a rotating selection of snacks. The atrium was open and bright and a large group of guests gathered here each night.
Breakfast
At the rear of the hotel was the restaurant, Cecilia, where breakfast was served each morning. Though the breakfast spread wasn’t quite as substantial as the Maldives, they still had a great selection to fill us up for all of the biking and walking that lay ahead of us each day.
There was a fixed menu that you could order from as well as a self service buffet which was expansive.
Summary
I’m typically loyal to Marriott and Hilton but the location of the Kimpton DeWitt and the AmEx credit won us over on this trip and I’m glad it did. Between the wonderful breakfast, social hour, free bikes, and location, this hotel had it all. I would happily stay here again the next time my travels bring me to Amsterdam
