Queen's Day by Maria Shollenbarger
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Hotel Patou
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It’s every year on this date (unless the 30th happens to fall on a Sunday; then it’s April 29th) that people all over Holland—and Amsterdammers in particular—fête the birthday of their Queen. (That’s Beatrix, and her actual birthday is in January, but in the interest of keeping this most major of Holland’s events in the Springtime, she celebrates it on her mother Queen Juliana’s birthday).
What started out as staid national observance has metamorphosed over more than a century into a city-wide street party to rival the revelry of Mardi Gras in New Orleans (more beer, if you can believe it) and Venice’s Carnevale (er, somewhat less elegant). And it’s characterized above all by the pervasive, ubiquitous, inescapable presence of bright, alarmist orange. Orange balloons and flags, orange top hats and overalls, orange wigs and bikinis (yes, even if it’s chilly; these Dutch are hardy folk, and take their partying commitments seriously).
But if the surfeit of the Oranje-Nassau family colour doesn’t bother you—and crowds estimated in the hundreds of thousands don’t either—there’s arguably no more entertaining and vibrant a day in the calendar year to hit this utterly charming city’s streets and canals. And all of the top luxury hotels in Amsterdam, from the grand Amstel Hotel to the perennially chic Dylan to the charming Hotel Vondel in the Old South, have unique packages, rates, and add-ons expressly tailored to get guests in the Queen’s Day spirit.
The Dylan remains unchallenged as the original, cool boutique property—from the Anouska Hempel-designed interiors to the scene-y restaurant to the elegant courtyard, it’s the place to be. By logical extension it’s also one of the coolest places to celebrate Queens Day. On Saturday, evening, once Amsterdam has returned somewhat to normal, the concierges can procure you a private canal boat, stocked with drinks, snacks, and music.
Over at the Intercontinental Amstel, which since 1867 has been actually hosting Queens—of Holland and elsewhere—guests can watch the passing boats and activity from the luxe comfort of the terraces or the Amstel Bar, thanks to the hotel’s prime position right on the Amstel River, across from the Canal Ring.
A cornerstone of the traditional festivities is the Vrijmarkt, or Free Market, whereby every available stoop, corner, bench and flat surface is given over to ad-hoc vendors selling—well, everything, from small pets to wheels of Gouda and Edam to antique tiles to stuff they found at the bottom of the kids’ play drawer to, occasionally, amazing antiques, barely-used electronics, and CDs or vintage vinyl. Generally, though, the merchandise isn’t the point; having some fun is. (But fill your pockets with one- and two-Euro coins, in case you get the urge to purchase.)
Make sure to take a stroll through the Jordaan and along the Browersgracht (since the whole city’s closed to traffic for the duration of the party, which starts the night before, you’ll have to walk, or boat, everywhere anyway), where the per-capita number of food and beer stands, along with vendors, is among the city’s highest. Conveniently, the picturesqueness quotient is off the charts on these little streets and canals too.
Reveling mums and dads with kids in tow should stake out a place in the city’s lovely Vondelpark, where there’s a bit more space for young ones to run about—plus balloon artists, acrobats, face-painters and usually lots of live music. Both the Hotel Vondel and the Hotel Roemer are a stone’s throw from the park; each of these sister properties consist of a series of lovely townhouses, with style that’s a perfect hybrid of sleek and gezellig (that’s Dutch for ‘cozy’), and—the trump card—both have tranquil Zen gardens where you can sip a prosecco, or a Hoegaarden, while the little ones nap.
And over on the boutique-lined PC Hooftstraat, Hotel Patou is a three-story luxurious guesthouse, all sleek oak furniture and Bisazza-tiled bathrooms, where couples can retreat from the jostle of the street party and into cool, stylish interiors with tall windows overlooking the trees.
But if you want proximity to the revelry, you’ll need a hotel right on on of the three main canals—the Keizersgracht, the Prinsengracht, or the Herengracht. Luckily there’s no shortage of excellent options. If small and groovy is your thing (read: lots of dark velvets, satin bedcovers, and original ceiling beams), the charming Toren, in the Keizersgracht, is the place for you.
For bigger digs, five-star service, and front-row seats to a canal-side rock concert, book at The Pulitzer on the Prinsengracht (they set up a performance stage right outside the entrance; you never know who might show up). And situated right at the corner of the Herengracht and the Vijzelstraat, one of Amsterdam’s main streets—in other words, dead-center of the party—is Banks Mansion, with prime views over the city’s rooftops, and unbeatable prices, considering the prime piece of real estate it’s sitting on.