Review: Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht – what do Andaz hotels have to offer?

This is our review of the Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht hotel, part of the Hyatt chain.

After two nights at the W Amsterdam hotel (review here) it was time to try something different and head to the Andaz, located in Amsterdam’s Canal District.

Andaz is a new brand to me so I was keen to see what it had to offer. In fact, we’ve never reviewed an Andaz hotel in the ten years of HfP so I was delighted when Hyatt offered us a free stay.

The first Andaz opened in London at Liverpool Street Station in 2007, when Terence Conran’s Great Eastern Hotel was acquired and rebranded. Completely coincidentally I ended up having breakfast at the Andaz in London the week before my trip to Amsterdam and was very impressed with what I saw, so I had high hopes for Andaz Amsterdam.

The Andaz Amsterdam opened in 2012, so it is now a decade old, but it certainly didn’t feel that way – I would have guessed that it had only opened a couple of years pre-covid.

The hotel website is here.

Where is the Andaz Amsterdam hotel located?

As its full name suggests, the Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht is located on the Prinsengracht canal, the third and outermost of Amsterdam’s main concentric 17th century canals.

It’s a 2km walk from Amsterdam Centraal Station, so approximately a 25 minute walk, or you can take the 2 or 12 tram to Prinsengracht which takes about 15 minutes.

The area, particularly the street facing the canal, is slightly quieter and more residential than the more central parts of the city. That said, there is a lovely cafe just down the street and of course plenty more options a short walk away.

A new Rosewood Hotel is also under construction just up the canal.

Inside Andaz Amsterdam

Hyatt takes a lot of local inspiration when designing an Andaz hotel as you can see as soon as you walk in:

A big, full height atrium with glass ceiling is at the centre of the main building and floods the hotel with natural light:

Three bar-height check-in desks give a slightly more casual feel to the space.

I was checked in quickly but because I arrived quite early the room was not ready, so the hotel stored my luggage and I went off to explore for the afternoon. As soon as the room was ready I got a message on Whatsapp which was very helpful.

Rooms at the Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht

I was fortunate to be given one of the rooms with a canal view. Due to the size of the building I imagine there must be less than two dozen, so most people are likely to have a Garden view or (on the higher floors) views into the Atrium.

The room isn’t quite as large as the room I had at the W Amsterdam but it is definitely better designed. It is also open plan:

On the right is the toilet and, next to it, a built-in wardrobe:

To the left, behind mirrored glass, is the shower:

Toiletries are by Zenology, which I liked although the plastic bottles were firm and it was quite hard to get out sometimes:

In the middle is a small island with wash basin, mirror and towels, as well as a little dressing room table:

Behind this is the king bed with glass headboard, resting under the giant fish wallpaper!

Connectivity is good, with USB and plug sockets available. A small analogue clock is a nice touch:

Opposite the bed is a large console table plus an number of shelves featuring various books and ornaments, plus a humongous TV. It felt very homely:

On the desk is the mini bar and coffee machine:

…. with stocked mini-fridge underneath:

I think the soft drinks and snacks are actually free, although this isn’t advertised very well in the room and I didn’t realise until writing this review!

In the corner next to one of the windows is a lovely yellow armchair and coffee table:

The room is south-west facing and is filled with sunshine, which is lovely. The views are also spectacular:

All in all I have to say I really loved my room at Andaz Amsterdam. I think it’s really well designed and very functional.

My only annoyance was that the wifi was consistently poor during my stay – enough for me to switch to mobile data several times. If I had needed to use it for any important reasons I would have spoken to the hotel staff about it.

Gym, spa and garden at Andaz Amsterdam

The Andaz Amsterdam is actually two buildings divided by a lovely large courtyard garden. A wisteria-covered trellis spans the walkway, or you can take the underground passage:

The garden is framed by a large mural on the next door building and features a variety of zones:

It is also filled with several of these bizarre statues of a shouting prince. They pop up all over the hotel!

Underneath part of the garden is the spa and gym. They are accessible via the underground tunnel and are very compact. Though small, the gym has a stunning skylight:

The spa comprises of treatment rooms, changing rooms and a relaxation / sauna space:

It is tiny, and there is no pool. It’s a shame the facilities aren’t slightly larger. I’m not sure why they aren’t – they seem to take up less than half of the size of the garden above.

Restaurant and breakfast at Andaz Amsterdam

The main restaurant at Andaz Amsterdam is called Bluespoon and is on the ground floor, behind the lobby atrium and bank of lifts:

It has some nice views of the garden as well as a lovely conservatory-style private dining area.

Bluespoon serves both breakfast and dinner (and probably lunch, too, but I wasn’t around). The dinner menu is Spanish inspired. We had a ceviche and a gigantic portion of padron peppers to start:

The ceviche was almost too mild, and needed a bit more lemon juice to give it that acidic punch. For the main course we opted for the paella:

I’ll be honest: it was fine. I don’t think it can really be called a paella and I make a better paella at home. My personal view is that if you are going to take inspiration from a particular cuisine you need to do it well, and unfortunately this wasn’t quite there. A little trip for the chefs to Spain ought to be on the cards.

For dessert I had a traditional Dutch appeltaart:

Breakfast at Andaz Amsterdam

The breakfast was good, again with a choice between ordering just from the a la carte menu or opting for the buffet which includes one a la carte main for €35.

The buffet has a small hot section, including cooked mushrooms, baked beans, boiled eggs and sausages:

…. plus a mezze:

There’s also the usual selection of cold cuts, including a good range of cheese, salmon and herring / mackerel:

…. and of course bread, cereal and pastries. I had the eggs royale from the a la carte menu:

The breakfast had everything I wanted or needed so I was happy! If anything I think the choice at the buffet was slightly more extensive than at the W.

Conclusion

The Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht has set a high standard for my future Andaz stays.

I was really impressed with the rooms and the general design of the hotel with its strong Dutch influences. It manages to straddle the line between playfulness and classiness very well, I think.

Rates at the Andaz Amsterdam currently start at around £400 per night or 25,000 World of Hyatt points. You can find out more, and book, on the hotel website here.

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