The grande dame of Amsterdam’s luxury hotels occupies a prime location overlooking the Binnenamstel. Its rooms are sumptuous, spacious, and flooded with light, all with barn-sized marble bathrooms. An all-suite Dutch Masters Wing has 23 extravagant apartments, each boasting a copy of a famous oil painting from the Rijksmuseum. Along with its superb foodie pilgrimage restaurant Bord’Eau ★★★, a spa with an indoor pool, and a summer terrace with river views, l’Europe also boasts the swanky Freddy’s cocktail bar and what might well be Amsterdam’s last fumoir, where the smoking of (only) cigars is still very much permitted.