An attic full of surprises

WE all know what Holland is famous for. Tulips. Cheese. Bicycles – billions of bicycles. And tolerance.

The Netherlands has allowed same-sex marriage since April 1, 2001, the first country to do so. It was also the first country in the world to legalise euthanasia. The sale and use of recreational drugs has been tolerated for years and window prostitutes are allowed legally to ply their trade. (This also means, of course, that they can pay tax on their earnings.)

There are laws, but the authorities generally prefer to let people get on with their lives. Take cycling, for example (and in Amsterdam, there is little choice). There are cyclists carrying friends, cyclists carrying babies and dogs, cyclists carrying old rolls of carpet. And yet I didn’t see a single helmet, when we hopped over for a weekend break. There are rules of the road – it’s illegal to jump red lights or cycle at night without lights, for example - but they are largely ignored.

Because first and foremost, the Dutch are pragmatic. They even have their own word for the kind of pragmatism they operate: Gedogen is something that is illegal, but not illegal. The nearest we come to it is “turning a blind eye”.

A perfect historic example of this can be seen at the Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder museum, translated as Our Lord in the Attic, the highlight of our weekend trip to the city. At a time when Catholicism was illegal, wealthy canal house owners created clandestine churches in their attics. Officials knew, but as long as dissenters were discreet, they chose to turn the other cheek. After all, many of the Catholics were wealthy merchants, and no one wanted trade disrupted.

The fascinating museum gives a unique insight into what it was like to live in Amsterdam in the 17th Century. The dimly-lit corridors, authentic furniture and narrow stairs help to recreate this world. Then, to finally arrive in the attic and see the church is an amazing experience.

Another way to view the beautiful old houses of old Amsterdam is to take to the water on a canal cruise. The towering four and five-storey town houses, many of which were built at the height of the Dutch Golden Age, served as home and workplace. Attics and basements were used to store goods such as cotton or cocoa, and hooks were affixed to the top of the long narrow houses to hoist furniture and goods up and through the windows. Apparently, furniture often finds a home on the top floors in the same way today.

Back on dry land, one lovely area to wander around is the Nine Streets, known for its stylish boutiques, cosy cafes and laid-back vibe. Just North of here are the Anne Frank House – long queues - and the Westerkerk, where the artist Rembrandt is buried. To see his paintings in the flesh, you need to hop on a tram and head to the Rijksmuseum, where his portraits rub shoulders with those of the other Dutch Masters, Frans Hals and Vermeer.

The best way to travel any distance in town is probably by tram, or you could hire a bike and take your chances. Just don’t bring a car into the city centre. Fly/drive cruises might seem like a good idea, but driving here would be a nightmare and there’s nowhere to park. The city centre belongs to bikes.

After deciding to forgo a ferry journey, we flew to Amsterdam for the weekend from Teesside, just a one-hour hop from a largely empty airport whose only other regular destination seems to be Aberdeen. The return tickets with KLM came to just under £100 each.

Inexpensive accommodation is available in the city and we bedded down at two newcomers to Amsterdam, Motel One, which opened last summer, and The Hoxton, by the side of a city centre canal.

Motel One, opposite Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Conference Centre, has 320 rooms and is a short walk to both train station and trams. With rooms costing from 69 euros, it’s a great budget choice, and yet doesn’t skimp on comfort. Our compact, but perfectly formed room, had floor to ceiling windows – making us feel part of the busy cityscape outside – flat-screen TV, subtle designer lighting, a hugely comfortable bed with quality bed linen and towelling, and an immaculate shower room.

In the public areas, the design is fun and eclectic, with huge chandeliers and banks of modern lighting, impressive art installations built out of old bicycle components, lovely rugs and comfortable seating. Who says budget hotels need to look bland? Breakfast is taken in the One Lounge, which also houses the bar, reception, and comfortable lounge area.

For the remainder of the weekend, we moved to another great value hotel, The Hoxton, which also opened last summer. This is a welcome third in The Hoxton series with 111 rooms, an Italian-inspired restaurant named Lotti’s and mezzanine bar serving coffee and cocktails.

The five-storey canalside building is impressive, made up of five canal houses, one of which was home to the Mayor of Amsterdam in the 17th century, but in keeping with The Hoxton vibe, while the building is historic, everything else feels young and fun and funky. There is no stuffiness here and as in London, the hotel pulls off the clever trick of combining a comfortable bolthole with being the place all the bright young city things flock to for cocktails, beer and supper. There’s a great buzz about The Hoxton.

The usual Hoxton perks include free Wi-Fi, a breakfast bag delivered to your door filled with a banana, granola and OJ (which means you can enjoy a lie-in and breakfast in bed), one hour of free global phone calls and a fridge stocked with water and fresh milk. There are three different room categories, from Shoebox to Roomy.

The Hoxton is situated beside the Herengracht canal, one of the city’s prettiest, but being there reminded me of shocking incident in a best-selling novel I read recently. In it, wealthy 17th century Amsterdam merchant Johannes Brandt, who lives on Herengracht, has been convicted of sodomy and sentenced to die. He is dragged to the waterfront, a millstone is tied to him and he is pushed off the jetty into the sea.

Thankfully, in today’s uber-tolerant Amsterdam, rather than gathering to witness a homosexual’s demise, the folk of this lovely city would no doubt gather to pat him and his husband on the back, congratulate them, and wave them off on a honeymoon cruise.

• Motel One, Europaboulevard 23, 1079 PC Amsterdam. W: motel-one.com. Motel One have hotels in a number of European cities, including Berlin, Vienna and Brussels and have just opened one in Newcastle city centre. Rooms cost from £59.
• The Hoxton, Herengracht 255, 1016 BJ Amsterdam. Rooms from £70.

W: thehoxton.com

• KLM flights from Teesside to Amsterdam depart at least twice a day and cost from £79