If something characterizes Leiden for us, it is the beautiful canals and monumental buildings. Everything breathes the ancient history of the historic city. Exactly this atmosphere is captured in the two boutique hotels in the heart of Leiden. Generous four-poster beds, historical art, chandeliers and heavy furniture give the hotels the atmosphere of a palace. We were allowed to taste the atmosphere for a night and felt like prince and princess.
Two national monuments on the Oude Herengracht and Oude Singel have been converted into small-scale boutique hotels. And by small-scale we mean really small-scale: Huys van Leyden has seven rooms and Barones van Leyden is the smallest four-star hotel in the Netherlands with five rooms. The beautiful buildings were of course built in the seventeenth century for the wealthiest of Leiden. And this luxury and grandeur is exactly what awaited us centuries later for our night in Huys van Leyden.
Viewing tip (Dutch): Want to see how Lorenzo and Gaston started the two boutique hotels? You can watch the entire process on the Hotels van Leyden YouTube channel.
We are allowed to park our car in a private parking garage around the corner, an unprecedented luxury in the city center of Leiden. But we experience the real luxury when we enter our room: one of the largest rooms and with a view of the canal. Every detail in the room is executed in that typical own style of Huys van Leyden. Think heavy curtains, wooden floors with herringbone, moldings on the ceilings, historic furniture and large portraits on the wall.
You imagine yourself in a historic palace and almost forget that you are in the heart of the city. Because the location couldn’t be better with the view of the canal and everything in Leiden within walking distance. It is close to the place where Sebastian once lived, so Leiden is no stranger to him. Unfortunately, we cannot enjoy our favorite restaurants and fine terraces, because we stay in corona times in Leiden. We will take a stroll through the city center to experience the Leiden atmosphere. Along the old Castle with a view of many church towers and along the historic canals back again.
Reading tip: in our extensive blog about Leiden we write about our favorite museums, restaurants and must-see’s.
That night we sleep wonderfully in the princess bed, but we also like to get up the next morning. For breakfast, of course. There is normally a breakfast buffet in the atmospheric dining room, but breakfast is served in the room during corona times. The day before we were allowed to pass on what we wanted to eat and the choice was enormous. We picked an extensive breakfast with pancakes with fresh fruit and toast with salmon and a poached egg. Everything is equally blissful.
Just like everything else at the Van Leyden hotels, breakfast is taken care of down to the last detail. We are well pampered and that in palace spheres. If you want to experience historic Leiden for a night, you should definitely visit the hotels Van Leyden.
