The Big Six: Dutch design hotels

Villa Augustus, Dordrecht

A former water tower in the Biesbosch wetlands now has 37 distinctive rooms, surrounded by celebrated gardens. Inside, some are dotted with Warhol prints, others feature industrial-style furniture. Many bear a horticultural theme with paintings reflecting the herb gardens and orchards outside. Produce is either served in the restaurant, sold at the local market or turned into sourdough bread, cookies and cakes at the on-site bakery.

Villa Augustus, 7 Oranjelaan, Dordrecht (00 31 78 639 31 11; villa-augustus.nl). Doubles start at €125, room only.

Canal House, Amsterdam

This boutique hotel is the latest venture by the Curious Group – behind Cowley Manor in the Cotswolds and L'Hotel in Paris. Located close to the fashionable Jordaan district, Canal House has 23 rooms in a trio of 17th-century merchants' houses overlooking the Keizersgracht canal. A dark palette pervades, with velvet bedspreads, ebony-hued walls and inky tiles in the bathrooms. Walls are lined with figurative portraits, etchings and antique prints that hark back to the Dutch masters.

Canal House, 148-152 Keizersgracht, Amsterdam (00 31 20 622 51 82; canalhouse.nl). Doubles start at €240, including breakfast.

Kruisherenhotel, Maastricht

This 15th-century former monastery now has 60 rooms spread between the original cloister and a gatekeeper's lodge. Inside, interior designer Henk Vos has warmed the cool, celestial space with design classics from Le Corbusier and select contemporary pieces from the likes of Philippe Starck. The main restaurant in the nave of an adjacent Gothic church is a triumph – strung overhead with futuristic sculptures, designed by light artist Ingo Maurer. There's also an outdoor café in the landscaped central courtyard.

Kruisherenhotel, 19-23 Kruisherengang, Maastricht (00 31 43 329 20 20; chateauhotels.nl). Doubles start at €225, room only.

Haagsche Suites, The Hague

Each of the three suites at this opulent townhouse hotel occupies an entire floor to itself. Interiors blend a lavish mix of gilded mirrors, antiques and crystal chandeliers with kitchenettes that make them ideal for longer-term use.

Haagsche Suites, 155 Laan van Meerdervoort, The Hague (00 31 653 29 32 80; haagschesuites.nl). Suites from €302, B&B.

Stroom, Rotterdam

Bathrooms are given primacy at this old electricity plant on the banks of Nieuwe Maas river. Inside, each of the 21 split-level suites features double rain showers or Jacuzzi-style tubs; many are angled under windows with views of the skies above. Visit the roof to survey the watery surrounds from the terrace.

Stroom, 1 Lloydstraat, Rotterdam (00 31 10 221 40 60; stroomrotterdam.nl). Doubles €75, room only.

Conservatorium, Amsterdam

This former music academy opened as a hotel in January, with eight floors of sleek styling in the cultural enclave of Museumplein. It blends lofty, vaulted ceilings in the vast stained-glass atrium with demure furnishings and muted hues in its 129 bedrooms.

Conservatorium, 27 Van Baerlestraat, Amsterdam (00 31 20 570 0000; conservatoriumhotel.com). Doubles start from €325, room only.