HotelChatter

Because Hotel de l’Europe is still owned by the Heineken family, yes, you are able to get some Heineken brews here that can’t be found in North America, but you can also ask one of the barmen to make you one of their original concoctions. We can recommend the yummy and complex A Ginger Tale, made up of fresh basil, fresh ginger, vodka, Hypnotiq, fresh lime juice, basil syrup and ginger syrup. Delish!

Rates at the Hotel de l'Europe in October come in at 419 EUR ($540) for a Deluxe room.

DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station

For something completely different, check out the DoubleTree by Hilton Centraal Station's Sky Lounge.

This is one sweet lounge! Modern in design, waiters who double as DJs, and views to die for. When did DoubleTree by Hilton get to be so cool??

To top it off, the barkeeps are also very expert at what they do. There is a drinks menu of course, but here all of the mixologists have their own repertoire of cocktail concoctions that they'll make on the spot for you based on whether you want sweet, sour, bitter or fruity. We asked for sour on the day we were there, and the passionfruit beverage was on the money.

DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station [Photo: Janice Tober/HotelChatter

Eight bartenders in total work this busy lounge and, of the top 20 bartenders in Amsterdam, five of them are here at the Sky Lounge. The lead bartender, Tarik (who used to work at the Four Seasons London before setting up shop here) took us on a tour behind the bar, and there we saw nothing but the top brands of spirits, loads of fresh herbs and juices (that's a lot of lemons and limes to squeeze in a day), and house-made infused syrups.

And if that weren't enough, this lounge has not only floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over old Amsterdam and the River IJ, it has a huge terrace and balcony to take it all in when the weather's fine.

The hotel, in the Ooseredok neighborhood, has rates around the 309 EUR ($398) in October.