Guest User
September 25, 2024
This was not a bland, could be anywhere, chain hotel, but a smaller independent place, proud of its "Delftness". From the little shelf of blue and white pottery Dutch houses on the wall in my room, the reproductions of Dutch art in the rooms and corridors (Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring was hanging on the wall opposite my bed) to the Royal Delft crockery at breakfast, De Koophandel left me with no doubt about where in the world I was. A very handy central location on Beestmarkt, surrounded by bars and restaurants. I didn't have to go far in the pouring rain for dinner and a beer. In the summer, however, I suspect with the windows open, the rooms could be very noisy with tables of diners and drinkers outside. The shower in my room was surprisingly powerful (by water-saving-trickle Dutch shower standards) and the Rituals toiletries were more upmarket than I might have expected in a non-luxury hotel. The swirly carpets throughout suggest it may have been a while since the interior (apart from the cheery breakfast room) had been refurbished or modernised. The welcome was warm, and I was allowed to store my bicycle inside the building itself.