Estherea Hotel, Amsterdam

The Hotel Estheréa is a family-run four-star hotel spread across a row of 17th-century canal houses on the Singel, Amsterdam's oldest canal. It started after World War II as a 12-room guest house and has grown to 91 rooms and two suites. The founder was Maria Flieger-Gruyters, and her granddaughter Esther runs it today, according to the hotel's history page. The interior leans hard into rich colors, chandeliers and patterned fabrics, and no two rooms are decorated the same way.

Unlike many Amsterdam hotels, the Estheréa has lifts (two of them) serving every room, which is a big deal if you've ever hauled a suitcase up a canal-house staircase. Every room has air conditioning, a safe, a fridge and a TV, and the whole building is non-smoking.

Rooms

Because the hotel is built out of several old houses, room sizes vary. The hotel says Classic rooms are at least 13 m², Luxury rooms 20 m², and the suites 30 m² or 55 m². Categories run from singles through Classic and Deluxe doubles and twins, Luxury rooms (a few with a jacuzzi), Canal-View rooms and family rooms. If a canal view matters to you, book that category specifically: the hotel's FAQ says other room preferences are subject to availability.

What's included, and what isn't

• Free: Wi-Fi throughout, coffee, tea and hot chocolate around the clock, a library lounge with canal views, a 24-hour gym, and luggage storage before check-in and after check-out.
• Maria's Bar is for hotel guests only and open 24 hours. Cocktails are served from 17:00 to 01:00 and the kitchen closes at 23:00.
• Breakfast costs €24.50 per person, or €19.50 if you book it with a direct reservation on the hotel's site. Children up to 12 eat free. It runs 7:00 to 11:00, until noon on weekends.
• Parking is in an underground garage within walking distance, for a daily fee (the hotel's homepage listed €55 a day in September 2026). Electric and hybrid cars can't be accommodated.
• Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out is by 11:00. The hotel has two resident cats and doesn't accept other pets.

Prices

The rate card this page used to carry was from 2008 and is long gone. Rates now move with demand, so check the hotel's own booking page for your dates. Booking direct gets you the cheaper breakfast, and returning guests who book direct get breakfast free. Remember that Amsterdam adds a tourist tax of 12.5% of the room price (excluding VAT), and the city's new coalition plans to raise that to 16% in 2027, according to AT5.

Location and neighborhood

Singel 303-309
1012 WJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
phone: +31 (0)20 624 5146

The location is about as central as it gets without being noisy. This stretch of the Singel is quiet, but you're a few minutes' walk from Dam Square, the shops of the Nine Streets, and the pedestrian shopping street Kalverstraat. The Anne Frank House is a short walk west, and the galleries and cafés of the Jordaan are just past it. For a night out, Rembrandtplein and Leidseplein are each about 15 minutes on foot.

Centraal Station is roughly a 15-minute walk, and several tram lines stop at Dam, a few minutes away. From Schiphol, the hotel says a taxi usually runs around €60, but the train to Centraal plus a short walk or tram is much cheaper; see getting from the airport to downtown and Amsterdam public transportation explained.

Is it worth it?

If you want a canal-house stay with real hotel comforts (lifts, air conditioning, a bar that never closes) and you like a bit of theatrical decor, yes. Reviews back that up: the hotel's site showed 4.7 out of 5 on Google from more than 1,700 reviews when we checked. If you want minimalist design or a big-chain loyalty program, look elsewhere. For other options nearby, see hotels near Dam Square and choosing where to stay in Amsterdam.