Hotel Okura Amsterdam offers cultural sightseeing packages

There are many different ways to get to know the deep rooted culture and heritage of The Netherlands, from its famous spring bulb field displays at Keukenhof Gardens to the masterpieces at the Van Gogh Museum, or the iconic Amsterdam ‘canal belt’, a feat of civil engineering and architecture that has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Japanese owned, five star Hotel Okura Amsterdam now brings all these elements together with its new range of enticing packages for 2011.

Keukenhof Flower Package
Between 24th March and 20th May 2011 admire the vibrant colours of spring and be captivated by Keukenhof, the country’s largest and most spectacular flower garden. This year the theme for the display is Germany, “the land of poets and philosophers”.

Hotel Okura’s Keukenhof flower package offer guests the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful array of tulips and flowers on display and to seek out the hotel’s very own Okura tulip in the garden’s walk of fame. During the opening period of Keukenhof, the Van Gogh Museum will be presenting a ‘Blossom’ exhibition revealing a selection of Vincent Van Gogh’s Japanese inspired blossom paintings.

The Keukenhof Flower Package is valid from 24 March to 20 May 2011, subject to availability and is from €268 per night for single use and €321 per night for double use , plus 5% tourist tax and includes the following:

• An authentic Dutch welcome gift
• Overnight stay in a standard room
• Breakfast buffet at Le Camelia
• Admission and transportation to Keukenhof gardens
• Pre-booked admission to the Van Gogh Museum to see the exclusive ‘Blossom’ exhibition can be arranged at an additional price

Van Gogh package
Alternatively, for those wishing to linger and admire the works of the Dutch painter the hotel offers a Van Gogh package throughout the year. This enables guests to see some of his masterpieces, including his Japanese inspired Blossom paintings, whilst enjoying the ultimate in Japanese hospitality in Amsterdam. The Van Gogh package costs from €265 for one night, €490 for two nights and three nights from €716.50, plus 5% tourist tax and includes the following:
• An authentic Dutch welcome gift
• Overnight stay in a standard room
• Breakfast buffet at Le Camelia
• Tram ticket to the Van Gogh museum
• Admission into the Van Gogh museum and audio tour
• A reference book about Van Gogh and influences from Japan

UNESCO package
The Hotel Okura Amsterdam is located on the Amstel Canal and for guests wishing to find out more about the ‘canal belt’, as it is known, the hotel offers a ‘UNESCO package’. This unique, spatial and architectural network of canals is so powerful and recognisable that it has come to function as an icon of the Dutch canal city and in August 2010 was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The ‘Grachtenhuis’ or ‘Canal House’ is a new Amsterdam museum that is due to open in April 2011 to tell the story of the almost four-centuries-old canals with a contemporary multimedia exhibition.
The UNESCO package is valid from 24 April to 7 May 2011, subject to availability and is from €235 per night, plus 5% tourist tax and includes the following.
• An authentic Dutch welcome gift
• Overnight stay in a standard room
• Breakfast buffet at Le Camelia
• Admission to the new Grachtenhuis museum
• Late check out until 3pm
Guests on any of the packages will find a gastronomic welcome at the Hotel Okura, which is renowned in the city for its cuisine and holds three Michelin stars between its four restaurants and two bars. Last month the hotel opened its most recent dining experience – ‘Serre Restaurant, inspired by Ciel Bleu’. This now allows a wider number of guests to enjoy the quality and style for which the hotel’s two Michelin star French restaurant, Ciel Bleu, is renowned but presented with a lighter touch and in a more informal setting. The restaurant’s signature dish is ‘Serre’s Bento box’ – a sumptuous box that contains a complete feast of culinary delights and costs €34.50 or €39.50 per person with wine.

For details on all the pacakges, visit: okura.nl