All hotels have been independently reviewed and selected. We will earn a commission if you book via the links below, but this never affects our rating. Our expert writers are usually hosted on a complimentary basis in order to gain the first-hand experience necessary for their review.

Please note our writer visited Amsterdam prior to the coronavirus pandemic

Glide down canals on a salon boat, stroll through a leafy park, sip cocktails on a waterside terrace, amble along alleys lined with design shops and fashion boutiques. Whatever your idea of a languid break might entail, Amsterdam can take you there. Chill out, cheer up, revive, detox, or indulge in its top hotel city-spas: a pool with a riverside view, perhaps, specialist Japanese massage, hip new products, pampering treatments. Super-chic havens of hedonism that carry away cares for a few days. Here's our pick of the best Amsterdam hotels with spas.

This urbane, sleekly styled hotel gives a contemporary edge to a grand 19th-century building. Apart from the brasserie, restaurant, and cocktail bar, the hotel has a heavenly spa which, with its elegant design, comprehensive treatments and attention to detail (fruit and tea beside the pool, combs and extra toiletries in the changing rooms) is an attraction in itself. Rooms vary in size, though all are spacious by Amsterdam standards, and all share the Lissoni clean lines, demure shades of brown, beige and grey, and the odd bright flash of colour. Read expert reviewFrom£592

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Adventurous haircuts, imaginative dressers, convivial conversation: the cream of Dutch creatives roam relaxedly through the hotel, all soaring ceilings, stained glass, Art Deco angles and boldly coloured tiling. A Cowshed Spa offers relaxing treaments and has barber chairs, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. The wellness facilities include a roof terrace with a 360-degree view over Amsterdam, at a height that allows you to see the whole city – yet still feel part of it – complete with a pool, an enormous gym with top-grade equipment, canal views and a swift laundry service when you’re done. Rooms continue the tranquil, engaging tone of the communal areas. Read expert reviewFrom£143

• The best boutique hotels in Amsterdam

The Amsterdam W, spread over two buildings, is hyper-hip, determinedly contemporary, and pleasurably luxurious. Young, sparky staff are on the ball and trained to deliver W's trademark 'Whatever/Whenever' service. In addition to the rooftop pool, there's a spa deep in the vaults: mysteriously lit, behind heavy vault doors and with a large gym, pool and treatment facilities. When you're hungry, choose from three restaurants: Mr Porter, with magnificent city views and steaks to make carnivores drool, Michelin-starred The Duchess for French-Italian cuisine, and The Butcher, which serves prime-quality burgers.Read expert reviewFrom£273

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De Pijp's hip foodie quarter is home to Hotel Okura, a large, quietly luxurious hotel in a 23-storey building that towers over low-rise Amsterdam; the higher you go, the more spectacular the view. The design is one of relaxed, understated luxury with a quiet Japanese undercurrent, evinced in beautiful woods, clean lines and clear light. Guests have access to the tranquil Nagomi spa, the largest hotel pool in town, and a large, well-equipped gym with professional trainers and natural light. The spa's name translates as 'calm down', a feeling embodied throughout it, whether you opt for a bamboo massage or indulgent facial.Read expert reviewFrom£226

• The best canal hotels in Amsterdam

Beside the Amstel river and a short walk from the De Pijp and Hermitage Museum, you'll find soothingly decorated rooms in what was once the Amsterdam City Archive. Two modern annexes (one reached by a glass ‘air bridge’) blend effortlessly with the old building – expect flourishes of 19th-century municipal grandeur. There’s a peaceful spa, with a gym and good-sized pool (extremely rare in Amsterdam), and rooms share the tranquil mood with white walls, wooden floors and natural fabrics in shades of grey. Beds are king-sized and supremely comfortable, often featuring a gentle design twist, such as a slatted wooden enclosing arch, or a four-poster-like frame. Read expert reviewFrom£186

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Waldorf Astoria comprises six magnificent canalside mansions converted with grace. Prime period pieces remain: a staircase that rises through 60 metres of gleaming marble and stucco (by the architect of the Netherlands’ grandest royal palace), Rococo licks and curls, 17th-century ceiling paintings. In fact, parts reach museum perfection. Among the facilities are a large gym (with view on the garden), an indoor pool, formal and informal restaurants and a cocktail bar, plus a tranquil Guerlain – which promises a chance to 'completely disconnect from the bustling urban jungle' via a series of bespoke treatments.Read expert reviewFrom£770

• The most romantic hotels in Amsterdam

High ceilings and white marble floors give a sense of grandeur to The Grand, while French interiors architect Sybille de Margerie has worked magic to soften the monumental interior with warm colours and witty design touches, creating a contemporary mood. It trumps competition for the most attractive garden courtyard in town: think camellias and tulips in season, tables in shaded individual bowers. The spa isn't huge, but treatments have been created to pamper mind, body and spirit – think classic Swedish massages, hot stone therapy and traditional hammam scrubs. The hotel is a place of elegance and repose in the heart of town.Read expert reviewFrom£293

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Built in 1867, the Amstel is every inch a classic grand hotel which is up there with the Ritz, Reid's on Madeira or Raffles in Singapore; the lobby gleams with white marble and stucco, and is dominated by a sweeping double staircase worthy of a diva's grand entrance. There's a 15-metre-long pool at river level (looking out onto the water) and a wellness centre with a sauna, steam room and hot tub, and a massage menu covering healing after sports through to craniosacral therapy. Rooms are large, with high ceilings, and are reached by corridors wide enough for two ample crinolines to pass in full sail.Read expert reviewFrom£316

• The best budget hotels in Amsterdam

A dream-like design adventure in a former library building on one of Amsterdam’s loveliest canals. Facilities include a restful spa – massages, beauty treatments, and more – and good-sized gym (with natural light). Bicycles are available free of charge; what better way to explore the city? Alice in Wonderland, Golden Age history, and wry Dutch wit meet here when it comes to design, created by Dutch maestro Marcel Wanders. The Wonderland surreal touch continues upstairs (a giant fish that becomes a spoon above the bed; a plate that teeters permanently on the edge of a shelf; your own tulip armchair), but there’s a sound undercurrent of practicality in the rooms.Read expert reviewFrom£270

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The Amrâth was built in 1916 as offices for shipping companies – an ornate confection of carved stone, marble, wrought iron and stained glass, most of it with a maritime theme (mermaids, marine creatures, maps and the zodiac). Access to the nine-metre-long pool (with jetstream), sauna, steam-room and gym is included, and a small spa offers a wide range of treatments, including an instantly relaxing ‘check-in massage’. Rooms are spacious by Amsterdam standards, with high ceilings and big bathrooms (nearly all rooms have a bath as well as shower). A fairy-tale Tower Suite goes through three levels, with a bath at the very top having a 360-degree view of the city. Read expert reviewFrom£147

• 9Telegraph expert rating

  A large, quietly luxurious hotel in a 23-storey building that towers over low-rise Amsterdam. It'...Read expert review

• 9Telegraph expert rating

  Once home of a celebrated 19th-century Dutch artist, now lavishly decorated in a style to which h...Read expert review

• 9Telegraph expert rating

  A 16th-century canal house, restored in a way that preserves its past but steps firmly into the 2...Read expert review