Rooms and doors of Apollobuurt
Accommodation in the Apollobuurt tends to be upmarket. A few large hotels stand along the main avenue and the water, with staffed desks, lifts and generous rooms. Serviced apartments occupy converted villas and townhouses, often let to executives and diplomats on longer stays. Rented homes here are large by Amsterdam standards, with high ceilings, bay windows, proper bathrooms and sometimes a garden at the back. The neighbourhood is almost silent at night. There are no bars of note, the restaurants on the Beethovenstraat close early, and the avenues are lit but empty after ten. Residents value that quiet, and so do visitors, who often choose the area because it sits between the business district and the museums without the noise of either. A well-dressed evening visitor walking along the Apollolaan is exactly what the neighbourhood expects to see. Parking is easy along the side streets, and taxis wait at the hotels along the water, so her arrival is quick and unremarkable. In spring the avenue is lined with blossom, and in winter the villas glow warmly behind their curtains, which suits a slow evening indoors.
