Barbizon Palace

A flash branch of the reliable, homegrown NH chain, the Barbizon is right opposite Centraal Station, so ideal if you want to hop off the train laden with luggage. The public parts of the hotel are all decked out in nice, sleek monochrome, which makes the rooms themselves (decorated in upmarket hotel bland and beige) a bit disappointing. The on-site facilities, however, could never be accused of being run-of-the-mill. They include a meeting room in the 15th-century St Olof Chapel and the superb Michelin-starred restaurant Vermeer for the financially limber diner.