This property is on the corner of busy Vijzelstraat, adjacent to the superior Jolly Hotel Carlton, two blocks south of Muntplein. This is a fine midrange hotel for picky or design-conscious travelers. Facilities are lean, but the friendly staff and amenity-rich guest quarters compensate, especially at these rates. Set in a handsome, five-story 1923 building with a mansard roof, the hotel dominates a corner of the street overlooking a canal.

The warmly decorated lobby is fitted with marble and a plushly carpeted lounge where guests gather for espresso and cappuccino after a long day of crisscrossing the city's waterways. The adjoining bar is tended by a receptionist who also tends bar (put away the credit card since it's all included in the rates). A computer with free high-speed Internet access is available off to one side. The breakfast room is in the basement, and it closes at 10:30 am. There is no restaurant or room service, but dozens of dining options await within a short stroll of the hotel.

A speedy elevator rises to the fair-size, air-conditioned accommodations. They show pleasant contemporary touches: sconce lighting and vase lamps, duvet-topped beds, elaborate window treatments, faux-bamboo furniture in the compact sitting areas and framed botanical prints on the walls. Standard are good workspace, phones with data ports and speed-dial functions, wireless high-speed Internet access, DVD players, free in-room movies, safes, well-stocked complimentary minibars, sewing and shoeshine kits, and irons. Roomy, well-lighted baths have hair dryers, robes, slippers, soap and shampoo dispensers, and drenching showerheads. The open modular closets with flat screen TVs, and circular brass-trimmed, wall-mounted light fixtures lend a maritime air.

Within easy walking distance of most attractions, this well-rounded boutique-hotel with high standards is a fine addition to Amsterdam's short list of good, small hotels for cost-conscious international travelers. The remarkable staff and great location seal the deal.