I recently stayed at the newly opened Mainport Hotel in Rotterdam. So new in fact that I had the pleasure of being the first guest ever to stay in my 8th floor corner room with floor-ceiling views overlooking the harbor! Talk about a score!
I stayed there for 5 nights while speaking at the Travel Bloggers Unite (TBU) Conference on social media. BTW – I highly recommend this conference for travel bloggers wanting to take their blogging to the next level. Oliver Gradwell the owner of TBU does a fabulous job of choosing appropriate speakers (not that I’m biased or anything
Each floor at the Mainport Hotel represents a different part of the world, reflecting Rotterdam’s shipping industry. Mine was the Orient. I loved the bold wallpaper in the hallways and in my room. The sleek and modern design fits in well with the modern vibe of Rotterdam and suited my personal style.
My favorite part of the room were the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the harbor. It’s one of the best views I’ve had while staying in a hotel. I woke up early the first morning with the light streaming in. Travel tip: Close the black-out curtains before heading to bed unless you want to wake up really early. It took me a couple of days to catch onto this.
How’s that for a harbor view?
Another highlight of the room was the huge jacuzzi tub. You could choose to either enjoy the harbor views with a conveniently placed window or watch TV, which was smartly built into the bathroom mirror. Travel tip: Turn the TV on before you get into the tub and bring the remote with you. Don’t learn the hard way as I did.
Wellness is a recurrent theme at the Mainport Hotel. In addition to the jacuzzi tub, many rooms also have their own private Finnish sauna. Travel tip: Request a room with a private sauna at the time of booking if that’s important to you. I’m not a sauna person, so I was fine sans sauna. Even if your room doesn’t have its own sauna, there is a wellness area with a Turkish steam room and a small workout area.
Another bonus for me was the exceptional location. Located in the Leuvehaven, my room overlooked the harbor as did the Down Under Restaurant, where a buffet breakfast is served every morning. The tram, subway and water taxis were literally right outside the Mainport’s doors. It was also a great location for just walking. I took several walks along the harbor since it was right there. For dinner I also walked to one of the many nearby restaurants. The only time I actually didn’t walk was when I went abseiling from the Euromast, and even that only took several minutes with the tram. Travel tip: Definitely try abseiling from the Euromast, unless you’re deathly afraid of heights. I LOVED it!
Because it was a soft opening, there were still a few bugs to work out, but these were all very minor and didn’t have a large impact on my visit. The staff were professional and friendly and I really enjoyed my stay at the Mainport. I would stay there again the next time I visit Rotterdam.
Rates at the Mainport Hotel start from €150. You can book your stay here.
