The Hotel Pulitzer, Amsterdam is part of the Luxury Collection of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts. It has been formed by the amalgamation and renovation of twenty four of the original canal houses. The modernisations have been quite extensive but have been in keeping with the listed nature of the buildings. It has created unusual sprawling hotel in the heart of the old city while retaining the feel of historic canal houses. There are many changes of level (steps up and down) on each floor and there are tight and steep staircases between floors – so much so that the hotel does advise that it cannot be considered disabled or wheelchair friendly.

The hotel boasts 232 bedrooms which have been quite lavishly furnished within the confines of the seventeenth century architecture. The central courtyards have been maintained and the individual areas have been linked by connecting corridors. There are seating areas within the foyer as well as a small bar (the ‘Rendezvous’) providing coffee, drinks and snacks.

The hotel restaurant (also called ‘The Pulitzer’) has its separate entrance from Reestraat. Converted from an old brewery, seating is placed around its central kitchen area. Its most striking attraction is a large mural based on a design by Franz Hals (‘Banquet of the Officers of the Civic Guard of St George’ – I think) brought up to date with Mickey Mouse hats, Fanta bottles, mobile phones and tongue studs. Breakfast (full continental hot and cold) is served here. The dinner menu is eclectic and is well recommended. I enjoyed wild duck with berry preserve (including the lead shot!). Also well presented were Venison and Veal rib eye. Entrees were about Euro 25.00. The wine list is also quite wide ranging (although mainly continental European) and reasonably priced. There is an illustrated booklet provided to help with your choice. I was also pleased to be offered a taste of the wine before committing myself to its purchase. My choice for the evening was ‘Torres Gran Coronas Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva’ (Euro 42.50)

We had seen the hotel reviewed in a Sunday newspaper. It is also listed as one of ‘Amsterdam’s finest’ in the DK Everyman Travel Guide. We stayed for five nights on a leisure city break in October in a King bed room.

I enrolled with the Starwood Preferred Guest scheme at the time of booking (earning 500 points). The stay earned a further 2970 points.

We were also quite delighted to receive an invitation to a Guest reception during our stay. This is an occasional event, usually put on on a Tuesday evening when guests are invited to meet with the manager and staff in the bar for cocktails and nibbles. It is a marketing exercise which allows them to get feedback from a variety of sources – probably not obtainable from the usual ‘tick box’ cards.

Draw a line from the Central Station to Dam Square. This is the Damrak. Turn right at Dam Square and after crossing the Herrengracht and the Keizersgracht proceed to Westermarkt. The sidewalks to the canals are cobbled and narrow; pedestrians are separated from cars and the ubiquitous cyclists by brown painted bollards. The hotel is announced by two large red flags emblazoned with the crest.

In the immediate vicinity is Dam Square with its shopping centre, the Anne Frank House Museum and the canals.

If you are in the city for leisure purposes it is also worthwhile investigating the Amsterdam Pass which gives one, two or three days of museum passes, public transport tickets and discounts as well as a guide book which includes some of the less well known attractions (see particularly the Willet-Holthuysen Museum and the Sloten windmill).