Zoku

Serviced Apartment

A very lively global nomad’s playground that offers funky loft apartments plus lots of green spaces and coworking spaces. A hotel that doesn’t really feel like a hotel. (Also, a magnet for creative millennials)

Very centrally located on Weesperstraat, in the Eastern canal district of Amsterdam

70 Zoku Lofts and 55 Zoku Loft XL’s and a few specials, offering 133 Lofts in total

Easy breezy. Received a pre-arrival email with details about getting there from the airport, how to check in, etc.

Yes, which is clear before even checking in: you have to head to the top floor and walk through a glorious rooftop garden and greenhouse to check in via a tablet or with the help of a “sidekick” (The staff goes by “sidekicks” here.) Fun future forward facts: Zoku’s chefs make dishes using fresh ingredients from the greenhouse. The garden also grows moss sedum, which, according to a Zoku Instagram post, helps cool buildings, absorb air pollution, and catch rainwater. And I didn’t spot any single-use plastic crap in my room beside a few coffee capsules. No plastic water bottles — Amsterdam’s tap water is great, by the way

I cannot remember. Blame the jet-lag. Probably hypnotic tunes in the lobby/workspace? IDK

2016

Dutch design agency Concrete

No gym, but, understatement alert, Amsterdam’s a biking city. There is a treatment room though, and you can book massages from a team of specialists that consist of “medical fitness experts, massage gurus, yoga and meditation professionals, acupuncture artists and talented beauticians”

Laidback rooftop spot, The Living Kitchen, which serves mostly healthy dishes that change daily. Grab an outdoor terrace seat

Another laidback rooftop spot, Kindred Spirits Bar, for cocktails and coffee. Check out the Zoku event calendar though — they constantly host a slew of events, from rooftop open mics to meditating and writing workshops

No mini bar in the room. Just some tea bags and a Nespresso thing with coffee capsules. And a kitchenette, but I don’t cook, especially when on vacation. You can swing by their grab-and-go 24/7 store on the top floor to buy a snack or a SIM card, borrow a travel adapter, etc. There’s also a pantry on each floor if you run out of basically anything, like olive oil or cleaning supplies

Yes, one Zoku Lofts XXL has wheelchair access

Pets are allowed on the terrace and in the living room and co-working space, but not in the Lofts or Living Kitchen

Allowed but not ideal

If you don’t care about treating yourself to fancy room service in bed, and a roomy loft apartment with a Williamsburg-y aesthetic is more your thing, then it’s totally reasonable

+31 20 811 28 11

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