You’d be hard-pressed to find another hotel experience that so firmly ensconces you in a fantasy version of life in Amsterdam than Canal Huis 58—a super-stylish four-bedroom canal house from Eleven Experience that sits at the intersection of two of the city’s most beautiful and historic waterways. They had us at the first of four floors with a perfect mix of warm wood, Carrara marble, and the gray, aubergine, and white color scheme of the dining room and kitchen— an old-new easy elegance that seems to be the province of the Netherlands. But it was the second-floor living room overlooking the canals, with a fully stocked restaurant-size bar and clubby-chic decor, that makes you want to sell your home and start over.
That the refrigerator and cupboards were bursting with fresh produce, artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, and just about every building block for a delicious (and photogenic) hors d’oeuvre platter—or an entire meal cooked by you or one of their chefs—was the real clincher. You do imagine after a couple of days, between breezy boat trips with a driver at your disposal, bike rides over bridges, and other bespoke itineraries coordinated seamlessly over a preprogrammed (Bat)phone, that your life is this good.
