On our recent spontaneous European getaway to Amsterdam, my wife and I stayed in the beautiful Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht, located right along the Prinsengracht Canal in downtown Amsterdam.

This boutique, 120 room hotel was added to Hyatt’s new Andaz collection in late 2012 and still has the look and feel of a brand new hotel.

Standard rooms go for anywhere between $300 – $600 a night, but we were able to score 3 nights absolutely free using a combination of Hyatt free night certificates and points transferred from my Chase Sapphire Preferred.

This is a category 6 Hyatt hotel, meaning that standard rooms go for 25,000 Hyatt Points per night.

This is my second Andaz experience in the last 12 months and I have to say I am quite impressed with this new concept by Hyatt. Andaz properties seem to possess the perfect mix of luxury, individuality, and a modern, unconventional style.

Location

The Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht is located on the Prinsengracht Canal, roughly half way between the famous Red Light District and many of the major Museums located in the city.

It felt like the hotel was a 10-minute walk from everything but not close to anything in particular.

We were able to walk to many major attractions such as the Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, and Van Gogh Museum but had a hard time finding restaurants and other things to do within a couple blocks of the hotel.

A taxi would probably be needed for visits to Central Station or Heineken Experience.

Hotel Lobby and Amenities

We arrived at the Andaz pretty early in the morning, fresh off our 7 hour flight from Philadelphia.

Thankfully, the Andaz had rooms available for us to check in early and freshen up.  After a short wait in the hotel lobby we were able to head up and settle in to our room.

Perhaps our favorite part of the hotel was the lounge, which was located just steps from the front desk.

The hotel lounge was basically a funky library that featured free espresso drinks, muffins, and complimentary wine every evening. We ended each day by sipping wine and swapping stories with other tourists staying in the hotel.

The hotel restaurant (The Bluespoon) was phenomenal. We ended up eating one breakfast, lunch, and dinner there during our trip as well as ordering room service the night before our departure.

As with the Andaz Maui, The Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht has an open kitchen buffet that features both American and local options.

We weren’t incredibly hungry so we opted to order from the menu instead.

We were able to cover the costs of all of our meals by billing them to the room and erasing the charges with my Barclays Arrival Plus points.

The Room

We were given a standard garden-view room on the 4th floor for our stay. The view was far from incredible, but we didn’t expect much when visiting during the winter.

The room had what I can only describe as an “open bathroom concept”, with the only mirror and sink sitting in the middle of the room.

It took us a minute to find the shower, which is located behind the mirror in the corner of the room.

And if that’s not eccentric enough for you, the art in the room consisted of a fish/spoon thing and a pair of traditional Dutch Wooden Shoes attached to the wall.

Unconventional, but I like it.

Bottom Line

We loved our stay at the Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht and would return in a heartbeat. The property was beautiful, the staff attentive, and the overall vibe of the hotel was trendy but approachable.

The ability to book such a great hotel on points is also a huge plus. We were able to cover the entire cost of our stay, our meals, and even our half-day excursion booked through the hotel.

Don’t forget that you can easily do this too! Hyatt has a generous number of transfer partners, making it incredibly easy to earn points for hotel stays like this.

 

Happy Travels,

Bryce