STROOM - Rotterdam, Netherlands 

We have had great lunches in the restaurant of Stroom for at least two years. We love the food and the ambiance. Hence, when we needed a Rotterdam hotel, we went for Stroom. I wish we didn't. It was noisier than we expected, but after midnight it became quiet. The split-level room was nice. Impressive bath. Interesting design ideas. But... if you choose a sound system for an ipod, make sure it works. If you choose a beamer instead of a tv, make sure the beamer works. On the positive side: the double shower was absolutely the best ever! Conclusion: if you think a great shower experience is worth 150 euros, choose hotel Stroom. If not, you will be as disappoined as we are.

I read about this hotel by chance in a newspaper article a few years ago, although it was only last year that I finally got the chance to stay at Stroom. Rotterdam is without doubt by favourite Western European City, and if you're planning to have a weekend here with your partner, then this has to be the perfect place. Having been to Amsterdam many times, I have always had the typically Mancunian notion that there has to be cool and exciting places outside the capital city. Rotterdam provides this in spades, although patience and perserverance are hugely rewarded - I first decided to visit Rotterdam for the afternoon during a trip to Amsterdam, and I left feeling that I didn't get a handle on the place at all. It was only last February, when I sailed to Rotterdam from Hull and stayed at Stroom, that I discovered what the city and this hotel offer. The location of Stroom isn't smack bang in the city centre, although Rotterdam isn't a place which has everything in one compact city centre location. Tram number 8 from Centraal Station takes you to Peter De Hoogweg tram stop, which is across the road from Stroom - Metrostation Coolhaven is also five minutes walk from Strroom, although the tram is easier, and the short ride gives you the chance to see the Erasmusbrug and the Euromast on the way. The hotel istelf is a converted power station, with the front elevation being glass - the building looks amazing and gives a great deal back to the street - the area around the hotel is undergoing impressive development - there is a small cafe bar next to the hotel which provides a nice gezellig place for a drink, although in terms of nearby amenities, the best has to be an Albert Heijn supermarket next door to the hotel - this is the place to come for supplies such as beerm, wine, cigarettes etc - the range of products is fantastic if you're in the market for some Dutch cheese or a draught keg of Heineken at bargain prices. Getting back to the hotel... The check in process sets the standard of the service - friendly yet unobtrusive - you are given a film canister alongside the room key which contains information on Rotterdam and various tourist attractions. One thing I feel bound to point out is that the first time I stayed here there was a guide to Rotterdam published by a non profit making organisation called Use It, which is the best city guide I have ever come across, which contains information on the best and also the cheapest places to go - considering this was free, it was something of a find, although curiously, the staff tried to sell us an official Rotterdam tourist card, which paled in insignificance compared to the Use It guide - it wasn't included in the canister on my second visit in Feb 08, so check out their website for information on the city and what it offers. I have stayed in both a room and also the studio - thew facilities in these are generally the same, although the studio which faces out onto the main street is amazing partly down to the fact that it has a full aspect window as one of the walls, this can be controlled by remote control. There is an Italian designed bath/shower which can comfortably accomodate two people, and has a funky light inside. Other features to the room include an i-pod docking station, plasma tv, as well as an excellent BOSE sound system. The cherry on the cake has to be the Coco Mat bed - having spent an agonising night on the ferry from Hull, to sink into this bed was sheer bliss, the crisp white bedlinen making this an experience to savour. If I had a few days to spend in Rotterdam I could happily spend 24 hours in the building - there is a downstairs restaurant where the food is reputed to be excellent. I have only had breakfast and barsnacks, and the quality of these was excellent, making me wish I'd eaten at Stroom now. There is also an upstairs area where there are beanbags and funky decor, making this a great place to chill and have a drink or two - the cocktails are highly reccomended, and they mix a mean Cosmopolitan here. The price of the accomodation. although at first glance might be high, compare it to hotels in Amsterdam which charge similar rates but for 2* facilities. My only quibble is that I speak about three words of Dutch, and the website, and the hotel in general is geared towards Dutch speakers; it is currently impossible to book directly via the website, and one has to scour various NL websites for special offers etc. If you have stayed in any of the Malmaison Hotels in the UK, this is in a similar vein but more geared up to the independent traveller as opposed to businesspeople. The Niewe Binnenweg is the street in Rotterdam which it generally all happens on, the street starts in the Endrachtsplein area of the central area of the city, however, from Stroom, by walking up Pieter De Hoochweg past Coolhaven Metrostation, this takes you onto a section of the Binnenweg within five minutes where there are plenty of bars, cafes and coffeeshops - this makes a great starting off point before making your way to the Endrachtsplein area which is at the other end. The location is confusing at first, but it enables you to discover the less touristy places. Book it, you'll enjoy it.