A hotel room with a balcony is rare in Amsterdam's historic centre and prized when it comes up. Terraces over the canals, balconies on the upper floors of business towers and roof rooms with a private deck appear on booking sites at a clear premium. For an evening booking, they bring a pleasant extra and a handful of practical questions, mostly about privacy.
Where balcony rooms are found
In the canal ring, balconies are uncommon because the old facades do not allow them. The few that exist are usually at the back, over a garden, or on a roof terrace added during a renovation. Modern hotels in the Zuidas, the Eastern Docklands and near the Arena offer many more, often on every floor. Some boutique hotels in converted warehouses have terraces on the ground floor facing a courtyard.
A hotel room with a balcony and the glass problem
The main issue is glass. A balcony room almost always has a full-height glass door and often a glass wall beside it. With the lights on inside and darkness outside, the room is visible to anyone on the neighbouring balconies, in the building opposite or on the street below, depending on the angle.
Before the therapist arrives, close every curtain and blind, including the sheer curtain behind the heavier one if there is one. Check from outside if you can: step onto the balcony with the room lights on and look back. If any gap remains, move a lamp or dim the lights until it disappears.
Sound over the balcony
Balcony doors are thinner than walls, and a door left slightly open for air carries sound to the neighbouring balconies. Close the door fully during the booking. In summer, run the air conditioning for a while beforehand rather than opening the door during the evening.
Guests on the next balcony may be sitting out late on a warm night. Keep that in mind when choosing a time, and in hotels with shared terraces separated only by a low screen, treat the terrace as part of the corridor. The note on hotel quiet hours sets out the usual times.
Using the balcony
The balcony itself stays outside the booking. Enjoy it before the therapist arrives, with a drink as the evening starts, or afterwards in a bathrobe once she has left. Nothing about the booking should take place in view, on the terrace or at the open door.
Warmth and the room
Balcony rooms lose heat through the glass in spring and autumn. Turn the heating up well before the booking, especially for nuru, which needs a warm room. Many modern balcony rooms are generous in size and suit couples and four-hand bookings; the guide to hotel room types sets out what each form needs.
The view as part of the evening
Some guests book a balcony room precisely for the view: canal lights, the river or the skyline of the towers. It makes a lovely setting before and after the booking. With the curtains open while the room is dark, the view can remain; the moment a lamp comes on, close them.
Rooftop terraces and shared decks
A few hotels in converted buildings offer a room with access to a rooftop terrace that other guests can also use. In those, treat the terrace as a public space in the evening, like the lobby. Close the door to it once the booking starts and draw the curtains on that side as well.
Private roof decks attached to a single suite are different and more secluded, but they are still overlooked by the surrounding roofs and windows. The same rule holds: the terrace is for before and after, the room is for the booking.
Balconies in winter
From November to March, a balcony room is mostly a room with a large window. Cold air falls from the glass even when the door is shut, and the area near the balcony can feel several degrees cooler than the rest of the room. Move the setting away from the glass if possible and keep the heating high throughout the evening.
Booking the evening
Send the hotel name, the time and the length. The desk replies in about ten minutes and the therapist arrives in forty to sixty minutes from confirmation. A first booking is confirmed with half the fee, and the balance is paid in the room. For one guest with one therapist, the hour is €180; every rate is shown on the therapists page. Balcony or not, bookings are only for guests aged twenty-one and older.