The most romantic Amsterdam hotels, including canal-view rooms and champagne breakfasts

An eccentric charm, created by décor that manages to be at once zany, plush, and warmly welcoming. Perfectly situated in the midst of the canal-district and, though large, offering all the engaging hospitality of an old-fashioned, family-run hotel. Old Amsterdam meets opera-set bordello. Patterns on every fabric, different paper on every wall. Fake cherry blossom, real orchids, and crystal chandeliers with frilly shades, fill three adjoining canal houses. They are not huge, but are roomy enough by Amsterdam standards, with period flourishes (crystal chandelier and four-poster beds), and quirky Amsterdam references.

For 225 years, The Dylan was the head office of an august charitable foundation and almshouse, but in 1999 underwent a compete refit and emerged as a luxury boutique hotel. There have been further refits since, but the combination of hot contemporary décor in an historic setting remains. The large, invitingly done up lounge and bar area is good for flopping out at the end of the day. Rooms are decorated in a variety of styles, with clean lines, warm fabrics and the odd Eastern touch.

Guestrooms above a lifestyle shop and gallery belonging to former fashion and interiors stylist Ulrika Lundgren. Ulrika fills both boutique and guesthouse with her favourite finds: custom furniture by Paul Lelieveld, artwork by San Ming, John Derian glass art. 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.

Seven One Seven brings you as close as you can get to the experience of living in a stately Amsterdam canal house without actually owning one – the place to come if you really want to give yourself a treat. The rear part of the property dates from the 17th century, its elegant canal frontage being added in 1810. All very grand, yet with a homely, domestic touch – this even runs to afternoon tea laid out in the library, and an evening glass or two of wine. Eight palatial rooms come replete with period décor.

Hotel Pulitzer runs through 25 different buildings, between two major canals. It is a delightful warren of passages, stairways, sudden open spaces, with many an original feature intact, but with a fresh, contemporary atmosphere. Prints and paintings from the hotel’s extensive modern art collection decorate the walls. The Pulitzer has one of the most beautiful salon boats in town: a 1920s mahogany vessel, aboard which you can take an afternoon tour of the canals. Many rooms have fine canal views, and all come with a potted history of whichever canal house you find yourself in.

A grand lady with a chequered past, who has been given a daring facelift. Built in 1578 as a monastery, doubling as a lodge for royal visitors to the city, The Grand was later an Admiralty Building, then for nearly 200 years Amsterdam’s City Hall. French interiors architect Sybille de Margerie has worked magic to soften the monumental interior with warm colours and witty design touches, creating a contemporary air. Large, on the whole, for Amsterdam and decorated with the same flair as the public spaces.

On an attractive stretch of canal within the central canal belt, just around the corner from the Negen Straatjes shopping area. Lush, at times gloriously over-the-top décor, in two 17th-century canal houses, convenient for shopping, dining and sightseeing. Some years ago, Eric Toren took over his father’s two-star hotel, and transformed it into a nest of opulence. What remains of the old family-run hotel is the charming service.

Herengracht is one of Amsterdam’s most desirable addresses, and the hotel’s prime spot overlooking the canal puts the top attractions within walking distance. Having honed the formula in London’s Shoreditch and Holborn, The Hoxton brings stylish interiors, buzzing public spaces and slick service to a row of five historic canalside townhouses on Herengracht. Handily, there is a fleet of bikes for guest use, and it’s near the Van Gogh Museum. Dark wood, autumnal-hued upholstery and subway tiled-walls are set aglow by vast windows and a glass-topped courtyard.

Formerly the residence of a celebrated 19th-century Dutch artist, now lavishly decorated in a style he would have been quite at home in. The champagne breakfast is unsurpassed. Each suite is individually and sumptuously decorated, and is more spacious than you’ll find pretty much anywhere else in town (outside of a three-figure, presidential suite price bracket). There are personal touches to the décor, too, such as a mural of irises painted by Camilla, and artwork brought as gifts by returning guests. Both suites have a separate bedroom and drawing room, and enormous bathrooms (with Clarins products). The Isaac Israels suite has its own garden terrace.

Seven Bridges enjoys one of the most beautiful locations in town with (as you might have guessed) a view of seven bridges at the intersection of two canals. The interior offers a showcase of antiques. We’re talking the real stuff – a rare Dutch Empire récamier in Reception, up a 15th-century oak staircase, in the bedrooms, that priceless little Louis XVI table, a Baroque commode, here an elegant piece of Biedermeyer, there a touch of Art Deco – all done with exquisite taste and care, and an eye for authenticity.

A 16th-century canal house, restored in a way that preserves its past but steps firmly into the 21st century. iMac computers stand alongside mahogany wardrobes, among luscious colours. A champagne breakfast is delivered with style, in an air of genuine home hospitality. Up under the rafters, the Blue Room, done up in alluring film-star-eyed blue, has an impressive canal view and a cheeky round bed. The Red Room, one floor below, is a womb of rich warm colours, with a super-comfy king-size bed. It also has a canal view.