Seven Bridges Hotel by Sarah Shuckburgh

The Seven Bridges Hotel is in a 300-year-old house overlooking one of the prettiest and most peaceful waterways in Amsterdam. The hotel's name refers to the sequence of brick bridges along this small canal. As you pass the end of the Reguliersgracht in a boat, you can see all seven arches, each looking smaller than the last, like a set of Russian dolls. At night the bridges glitter with arcs of white lights.

The hotel is tucked away from the hurly-burly of tourists and trams, near the prestigious "golden bend" of the grand canals Herensgracht and Keizersgracht - but only minutes away from the centre.

The owners are proud of their collection of new and antique marquetry - cherry and walnut veneer adorns bevelled mirrors, doors and furniture. There are no public areas in the hotel, so breakfast - a high-protein selection of meat and cheese, with croissants and four different breads - is brought to your room. The staircase is narrow, winding and steep, and there's no lift.

Rooms at the front of the hotel overlook the tranquil canal, where dappled sunlight filters through leafy elms. But Number 5 is probably the nicest bedroom - quiet and airy, with a panelled dado, specially commissioned marquetry doors leading to the bathroom, and a private terrace with what the owner calls a "nice view of the backside" - over a patchwork of tiny gardens.