Landing in Amsterdam on a warm Spring afternoon, I was greeted by two friends on the other side of a two-hour passport control line. Hopping onto a train into the capital, I was excited to arrive at my Eric Vökel Riverfront Suites
Checking in
To start our 48 hours in Amsterdam, we booked a dinner reservation at DECK, located on the ground floor of YOTEL Amsterdam. The restaurant boasts high floor-to-ceiling windows that marry the earthly inspired interiors to the adjacent terrace that opens onto the canal. We toasted our girls' trip with cocktails during happy hour (5-7pm), and shared pizzas, gyros and fries - unintentional girl dinner.
I could have stayed in my dreamy bed forever, hiding away at the top of the mezzanine apartment and enjoying the view of the IJ river.
My bedroom was perfectly nestled above the twin bedroom, bathroom and open-plan living area. It could easily be labelled the cosiest slumber-den that every reader dreams of.
Tulip spotting
Embracing Amsterdam in its prime season, Spring of course meant a visit to the tulip fields to see their national flowers. Whilst this visit was my third to the Dutch capital, it was my first time finally seeing the fields thanks to Bloomeffects, where the UK gets their tulips from.
They invited me down to take a peek behind the curtain to see where the business child of founder Kim van Haaster and fourth generation tulip farmer Hein blossomed.
The Chinese-Vietnamese-born beauty executive, who was raised in Australia and lived the hustle and bustle of New York, took a well deserved break to Ibiza and ended up meeting the love of her life on the dance floor of (nightclub) Pacha. As the seasons passed and their love grew stronger, Kim learned all about Hein’s heritage. And bam, Bloomeffects was born.
For the spiritual girlies, the tale could be used next to the dictionary's definition of 'divine alignment'. Bloomeffects produces natural botanical skincare products from tulip dew drops to tulip tink lip and cheek balm - the perfect addition to every girl’s makeup bag.
King's Day celebrations
Strolling through the city and enjoying drinks on the canal was the perfect end to a beautiful afternoon. The unintentional alignment meant I was able to witness the 17th-century streets turn orange for King's Day, which felt very fitting for HELLO! too.
Food for thought: maybe England should copy the Dutch and add a bank holiday to celebrate the monarchy’s birthday - King Charles has always been a fan of bank holidays after all, so I’m sure he'll love it.
Waking up on day two, I made the promise to myself to never visit Amsterdam for just two days ever again. I never wanted to leave. Luckily the flights were in the late afternoon, which meant we had time to grab an orange jumper and join the Capital's street party.
DISCOVER: I’m a travel writer, and this is where I went on my mini-moon
And whilst I didn’t spot F1 superstar Lando Norris and his broken nose… I can safely say that I understand why he risked his life to celebrate his nation’s holiday. An annual trip might now be a part of Renault’s pre-race rituals.
