Max Brown Hotel Canal District

It’s all about kooky English design and plaid patterns at the Max Brown Hotel, a stylish and new hotel “concept” located along the Herengracht, within easy walking distance of the train station, Dam Square, and Jordaan.

The hotel was formerly known as the Chic & Basic Hotel, a EuroCheapo pick (for obvious reasons). The new management gave the old “Basic” rooms a design overhaul, infusing them with a style that struck us as a cross between a feisty English prep school and an eccentric English aunt's country cottage.

Whatever the style is, the 34 rooms are well presented and includes fun vintage wallpaper, quilted bedspreads, funky chairs, and distressed wooden panels. All are equipped with coffee and tea facilities, a TV, phone and free Wi-Fi. All rooms have private baths, most with spacious showers.

Back to the prep school thing, the entry to the lobby downstairs is lined with book covers, and doubles as a cafe. In fact, as you enter and see the cafe and bar on the left, you’d be excused for not even realizing that you’re in a hotel. (It'll be clear once you get the bill.)

But is it a good deal? Like many hotels in Amsterdam these days, rates at the Max Brown vary tremendously, and doubles can go from €100 to a whopping €350. We would never stay here at the top end of that scale (to say the least!), but at the lower end, it would be a fun and affordable option.

Note that the hotel does not have an elevator.