THE HOUSE
Four windows wide, and three hundred years deep.
Azure Palace occupies a merchant’s house built on the Keizersgracht in 1687, when the canal ring was new and a façade was still measured in windows. Four of them wide, five floors tall, a hoist beam in the gable. The house has been a warehouse, a shipping office, and for most of a century a family home.
The restoration took three years and was largely an argument about what to leave alone. The staircase stayed, and so did the shutters, the plaster ceilings and the crooked run of the first-floor boards. What is new — the lift, the water, the light — was put in behind them, so that nothing of the house had to move aside for it.
SEVENTEEN ROOMS
No two alike, and each one above the canal or the garden.
ONE DOOR, NO DESK
You are met at the door and taken up. The paperwork happens sitting down.
A HOUSE, NOT A CHAIN
Seventeen is the number the staircase allows, and the number we wanted.
A DAY IN THE HOUSE
The house keeps its own hours.
None of them are asked of you. This is only what is happening, and when, should you want any of it.
01 · 07:00
The pool is held at 36° under the garden windows, and at this hour it is rarely shared. The Orangery lays breakfast at the same time, at the table, until eleven.
02 · 08:00
Until eight the water outside is empty. The quiet bridges of the canal district are five minutes on foot, and you can be back before breakfast has finished.
03 · 15:00
New guests are shown up from three. For everyone else the afternoon is yours to waste, though treatments run until eight, should it ask for one.
04 · 17:30
Aperitivo is poured from half past five. Until six, residents have first call on Marée’s twelve tables; after that, the room belongs to the city.
05 · 19:00
Forty-eight seats, filled once. Seven courses written that morning, the first plates leaving the pass together, and no one asked to leave. The last plate goes out around ten.
06 · 22:00
The front room hands over to a single telephone number. Somewhere in the house a quiet corner opens for those who ask, and stays open as long as you do.
07 · 03:00
The door is still answered. Ring, and someone who knows your name comes down to open it.
ARRIVAL
GOOD TO KNOW
Everything else, in plain words.
The questions we are actually asked, answered the way we would answer them on the telephone. Anything not here, write to us and we will tell you.
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE
What time can I check in?
Rooms are ready from 15:00. If you arrive before then, leave your luggage with us and the city is yours until the key is.
When is check-out?
12:00. A later departure can usually be arranged the evening before, depending on the following day’s arrivals.
There is no reception desk — how do I get in?
Someone is expecting you. You are met at the door, taken up, and shown the room. The paperwork happens sitting down, with a drink.
Is there parking?
There is no garage on the canal. We hold a space in the Keizersgracht garage, three minutes on foot, and arrange it before you arrive.
THE STAY
Is breakfast included?
Yes, in every rate. It is served in the room or at the table until 11:00.
Are children welcome?
Very. Two rooms take an extra bed, cots are complimentary, and the kitchen keeps a short menu for younger guests.
Can I bring my dog?
Small dogs stay without charge in three of the seventeen rooms. Tell us in advance so the right room is kept for you.
Is the house accessible?
The ground floor, the restaurant and one room are step-free from the street, and the lift takes a standard chair. The seventeenth-century staircase is not an alternative, so write to us and we will tell you exactly what to expect.
Is smoking allowed?
The house is non-smoking throughout. The garden terrace at the back is not.
TABLE & SPA
Do I need to book the restaurant?
Marée seats forty-eight. Residents have first call until 18:00 on the day; after that the room belongs to the city.
What are the spa hours?
The water is open from 07:00 to 21:00. Treatments run from 10:00 to 20:00 and are best reserved when you book the room.
Can I use the spa without staying?
A small number of day appointments is released each week. They go quickly, so write ahead.
Can the kitchen work around a diet?
Tell us when you book. The kitchen is small, which is precisely why it can cook around you.
BOOKING
How do I hold a room?
A card guarantees the reservation. Nothing is taken until arrival, unless the stay falls in a peak period.
What is the cancellation policy?
Free until 48 hours before arrival. Inside that window the first night is charged. Non-refundable rates are marked as such when you book.
Is a deposit required?
For stays of five nights or longer, one night is taken at the time of booking and deducted from the final account.
Can I take the whole house?
Yes. Seventeen rooms, the table and the spa, for a family or a company. Write to us and we will plan it with you.
Who do I write to?
reservations@azurepalace.com, or telephone +31 20 555 01 25. Someone answers between 08:00 and 22:00, every day.
Still something you would like to know?
Write to us. Someone who works in the house will answer, usually the same day.