Quick Weekend Getaway: Amsterdam

Forget the stereotypes, Amsterdam is fast becoming a fun family destination for a quick jaunt – just an hour away from London.
When it comes to getting a room with a view – it didn’t come better than one with the view of the entire airport from the diamond shaped window pane. We opted for the newly launched chic yet affordable Hilton Amsterdam Schiphol airport – easy when travelling with kids because no sooner than you leave the airport you step into the all-white-everything atrium – a spectacular structure that had a futuristic vibe with its cubic shape. ‘It’s the starship enterprise’ gasped my little boy, pointing up. The architecture had strong elements of the Dutch touch too thanks to the interior designers, The Gallery HBA, taking in the history of the people. It was home to a Van Gogh exhibition with dainty statuettes in a myriad of colours which were pretty mesmerising. The launch party was incredible with the hotel itself as ‘the celebrity’, and guests got their groove on to a fantastic lounge singer performing Rihanna hits, while sipping on speciality gin cocktails from the Axis bar. I envisaged dinner time would be a problem when the only thing your 3-year-old says he wants is ‘pizzaaaa’. But I was impressed by the family friendly vibe at The Bowery where the chef literally made a delicious and simple pizza that wasn’t even on the menu just to keep the little man smiling. For a touch of romance The Vine room offers candlelit seafood suppers, whereas Morgan & Mees in town, is all about the sticky barbecue ribs that just fall off the bone, and Staets offers a fantastic traditional menu including bitter ballen (deep fried meat stew and veg).
After touching down in Schiphol, transitioning to the city is straight-forward, you can take a 40minute taxi ride – or hop on the train, which will get you to the centre in under 20 minutes.
Stepping inside the striking piece of architecture that looks like a sunken ship, the Nemo Science museum was an unexpected delight.
The incredibly interactive space included a lab where you throw on a white coat and do an experiment, or get absolutely soaked in the giant bubble-maker. It’s the first major attraction you see, so is pretty hard to prize your kids away for a live science demonstration afterwards. The view from the roof-top is a moment that should not be missed. Watching the purple-filled skies at sunset while taking in the sumptuous skyline of the historic city and famous canal is pretty special.
Night was falling so it was back to our airport hotel ready for our flight the next morning. It was literally a case of wash and go as soon as our alarms went off, as the airport was right on our doorstep, so no crazy rush in traffic to get to check in.
Grabbing our freshly made waffles (don’t leave Amsterdam without trying these!) and gorgeous Miffy teddy bear for our boy, we reluctantly bid farewell to Amsterdam.
But not for the last time – there’s lots more family fun to be had in this cool capital ?✈️

For more on Amsterdam see:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/../../sarah-tetteh/quick-family-getaway-amsterdam_b_9433058.html