When I arrived to the boutique Rotterdam hotel, the Mainport  Rotterdam Hotel, I was exhausted.  It was a very long travel day with the overnight flight from New York, the six hour layover in London, the train from Amsterdam and the taxi from the train station.  Luckily, the hotel restaurant was still open, my check in was quick and I would be able to fall into bed soon. Everything about the hotel was five star boutique hotel easy – the staff were fantastic, the harbor location perfect to explore the city and the food was fresh and tasty.  Did I mention the very cool design features and focus on wellness?  A good hotel is one you don’t need to (or want to) leave and the Mainport Hotel, a member of Design Hotels (partner in the Starwood/Marriott Hotel program) is one of those hotels.  You do need to leave at some point because Rotterdam is a surprising city to discover through its food, architecture and street art.

Location – Mainport Rotterdam Hotel

The Mainport Hotel, part of the Netherland Inntell Hotel chain, is across the street from the iconic design Erasmus bridge and river Maas and a short walk (15 minutes) to the Markthal (Market Hall Rotterdam), Cube Houses of Rotterdam, Rotterdam Street Art Tour and over the bridge to the Cruise Terminal, Fexix Food Factory and Hotel New York (formerly the home of Holland America Cruise lines). The taxi from Centraal Station was ten minutes and 10 Euro without traffic.

With both the tram lines, metro stop outside the hotel (stop is Neuhaven) and water taxi stop on the water side, the location is easy to reach by public transit.  You can buy a metro card at the Tourist Office for 3 number of days for €21 unlimited use of transit (metro & tram) and discounts to attractions.

Check In Mainport Rotterdam & Lobby Experience

Arriving at 8:30 pm, the sunlit lobby was empty and my check in quite quick and friendly.  The hotel has a table with fruit flavored water all day in the lobby along with a few seating areas as well as a smoking room off to the side. The colorful furniture, design elements such as a world map and bespoke lighting features add to the open feel of the hotel.

The North American Room at Mainport Hotel Rotterdam

Each floor of the hotel has a different theme aligned to a continent (associated with shipping routes) which is highlighted in its design inspired rooms and floor decor.   I was assigned to the top floor, North America.  I had just left NYC and had wanted to be on the penguin floor or other themed floor but alas, I was surrounded by the Statue of Liberty in the hallway and western patterns in my room.

The elevator requires key card access to access your floor and shared services floors (spa/gym, restaurant). With clear walls, the elevators provide a visual reward for your eyes as you spy the area’s waterfront and residential buildings.  As I exited and turned right, I began the long walk away from the elevators toward the end of the darkened hallway. When I opened the door to my room, I first saw the big buttons and the hardwood flooring.  I could instantly tell I was going to LOVE it here in this design hotel.

The room was nicely planned out – I had space at the entrance to drop my stuff then on the right the bathroom and on the left the closet, minibar and other amenities. Walking ahead on the wooden floors to the bedroom, the television was on the left wall and could pivot out toward the bed to watch.  The bed was flanked on both sides by a small table with a desk in the corner and chair ahead by the windows.  The view was the street below (I did not upgrade to a water view or spa room).

The Wellness Bathroom at Mainport Hotel Rotterdam

My friend said the bathroom was “swish” when she saw the large soaking tub with bath salts (I sent her a photo as she loves baths while traveling).  The hotel focuses on wellness and the large tub was just one part of the theme. The shower was in the corner (no door) and the large vanity (with imbedded television) across from the tub.  It took a few minutes to realize that the water closet was separate in the hall behind the frosted glass door.  The spa toiletries were by Malin + Goetz.  The towels were plush, the water pressure prefect and the contemporary design just soothing.

Restaurant Down Under at Mainport Hotel Rotterdam

The restaurant called “Restaurant Down Under” has a bar, lounge and outdoor patio tables along the water is located one level below the lobby and can be reached by stairs or the elevator (-1).  The small bar area has a wall of colorful furniture that serves as the lounge while tables cluster to make up a small dining area outside of the much larger dining room used for breakfast.

Breakfast Buffet at Restaurant Down Under

The hotel has what they call a “live cooking buffet” which means there’s a sous chef to make eggs, omelets, waffles, etc. surrounded by a buffet of hot and cold foods.  The champagne and daily changing smoothies welcome you at the restaurant entrance.

I received an email to add the breakfast to my reservation but given my food intolerances, I tend to order ala carte for less when I’m onsite.  When I arrived and asked the front desk for an ala carte menu (I couldn’t find one online), I was told they didn’t have that option.  I explained that I couldn’t eat most of the foods in the buffet so I only needed fried eggs, fruit and juice so they very nicely set up a daily rate that allowed me to eat at the buffet for less.  I was happy that they were willing to work with me on this especially as the area doesn’t have early morning breakfast options and I wasn’t keen to walk 15-20 minutes or take transit elsewhere because of my conference schedule.

For the rest of the world who can eat without food allergies, the buffet is jam packed with options – a hot bar, cold bar of meats, cheeses and salads, cereals, fresh fruits and yogurts, a bread table with loaves to slice and croissants and pastries.  There was a juice area, coffee/tea area as well as the chef making eggs to order. The people around me were indulging in many plates of breakfast treats.

Dinner at Restaurant Down Under

At dinner, the restaurant was generally empty which was somewhat surprising as the menu was quite nice with influences from around the world to match the theme.  I enjoyed two dinners (steak entree and then a cod special)  that started with a bread tray that was amazing!  My healthy cod dinner was a plethora of colors – purple potatoes, white asparagus, and pesto – yum! Dessert was just as colorful and full of flavor and textures.

Spa Heaven at Mainport Rotterdam

The hotel’s focus on wellness can be experienced in the Spa Heaven.  The area has a small gym, pool, spa treatment rooms, Turkish steam room and a hammam area.  I did a drive by of the area for the pictures as my conference timing didn’t allow me to take advantage of these amenities (treatments have a separate cost). My loss as they seemed quite lovely options.

Final Thoughts – Mainport Rotterdam Boutique Hotel

The Mainport Rotterdam Hotel was fantastic design hotel with friendly staff and a comfortable room. I was happy to have found this boutique hotel option for the conference visit.  I really enjoyed the hotel and would make it my go to for future visits to Rotterdam. Bonus points for being associated with Starwood (now Marriott) Hotels.  I find myself drawn to these unique design focused boutique hotels and have not been disappointed yet.  In fact, I’m constantly surprised by how the hotel product continues to evolve with wellness features to make the stay comfortable and relaxing.

If you could design the food hall or farmer’s market of your dreams, what would you include?  What experiences do you want locals and tourists to enjoy?  The smells, the tastes, the sights and sounds – what senses are key?  Now imagine that your dream hall is filled with vendors and cuisines from around the world all presented by the local vendors – how many countries would be represented?  At Markthal Rotterdam, the Market Hall, one uniquely designed building houses not only luxury apartments but also a large mural “Horn of Plenty” as well as over 100 fresh food stalls and numerous specialty food shops. Your eyes will be fighting your stomach the entire visit.

Lining the inside of the building and spilling out to the sidewalks are restaurants and bars to enjoy the views of the courtyard and market square.  Your imagination didn’t dream this much up did it?  Now add in a supermarket on the lower level (bring your own bag) and you are set to satisfy any (and all) food cravings at Markthal Rotterdam. It’s best to plan out your visit and wear stretchy pants because there’s just too much to tempt you and you could get full in just a few stalls.  The goal is to sample the world’s flavors.

Markthal Rotterdam was opened in 2014 as forward thinking option for a covered food hall.  Due to European regulations changing with respect to selling foods outside, the market hall became a great solution.  Markthal Rotterdam has an archeological collection on display (I totally missed this exhibit) and they offer guided tours of the market (sign up on their website as the tours are not regularly scheduled).

I’m not even sure where to start (I took over 200 photos!) but the first stall I saw when I entered was the cheese. I realized that this was the middle of the market and I would need to do a circle and then go up/down aisles to get a full understanding of what was on offer.  It helped immensely that I had just eaten breakfast on my way to the Rotterdam Cube Houses just yards away so I wasn’t hungry…..at least my stomach said so because my head and heart were dancing with ideas of food…so much food and desserts.  Look over there…chocolate…over there custard tarts from Portugal……wait, are they freshly made stroopwafels with nutella?

I spoke with a few vendors (fresh vegetables, oil olive purveyors and the British Pie guy), many of whom have shops elsewhere in the city.  Their Markthal Rotterdam stall is a small selection of all of their offerings, if you have time you can visit their shops after the market.  While the market was initially designed to serve the local community, folks I spoke with said it’s about 80% tourists (and cruise ship passengers) vs. 20% locals.  These were just guesses from their customers and as to why it seemed to come down to “people want to get everything in one place and not go stall to stall”.

As for me, who drives to three supermarkets at home just to get everything, I thought this one place, multiple stalls was much better than my three parking lots, multiple traffic lights and time suck but each culture is different. I wasn’t able to compare costs to see if the foods were more expensive than the supermarket down below.  For the most part, the prices seemed reasonable to me, I paid cash (note a few vendors are credit/debit card only) and at no point thought it was expensive.

My Food Highlights at Markthal Rotterdam

Iberian Ham – after my time in Spain, I learned how one can be happy with a just a plate of the thinly sliced ham (and Spanish Cava).  I chose a petite sandwich to allow me to leave room for other treats. My attack plan was to sample the market not overindulge at one place.

Portuguese Pastis de Nada – considering I diverted a cruise ship tour in Madeira to the local bakery to find these, chances are anytime I see them, I will eat them.  This couple had a simple booth and oven and were turning out fresh custard pastries.  I bought a box of two for later.

Olive Oils, Vegetables and Charcuterie at Casa Reinders – in speaking with the founder’s son at Casa Reinder, I learned of the rich history the family has with oils, truffles, mushrooms and other vegetables.  He let me sample what I thought was a weed (vegetables are not my forte) but was actually a uniquely thin (and tasty) asparagus stalk.

After having done an olive oil tasting in Barcelona a few years back, I continue to be intrigued by the many types of olive oil, the flavors, the quality and freshness.  There are tasting samples at the stand and for tourists (like me and you), small bottles to bring home. Take note of the flavored salts – those are a unique souvenir that you can easily bring home in your suitcase.

The Chocolate Company had so much chocolate, it was overwhelming!  As a chocolate addict, there was too much choice, I could not compute.  They actually had dairy free chocolate for me (if I was being good that is and we all know I’m bad when it comes to chocolate).  The tasting spoons are meant to swirl into a hot beverage but I chose to eat it on its own.  With chocolate sauces, truffles, breakaway bars, spoons and other possibilities, you need to add this stall to your visit.

The PieMan Bakery – I was surprised to see an English pie stand in June – those flaky filled treats are best in colder weather and it was his last weekend in the market until the fall.  The selection of pies was quite impressive.  The fresh ingredients, flaky crusted pies came in a variety of fillings like steak, Thai chicken, lamb, veggie, pulled pork, feta & spinach, curry and a few other flavors for quite a reasonable price.  In winter, these would be my go to meal or snack.

Cupcakes & Pastries – somehow, somewhere, my cake sweet tooth was gone during this trip.  Normally, I’m all about a red velvet cupcake or other local treat cake.  The owner of MoMade makes the cupcakes and desserts for the day, when they sell out, the shop will close.  So if you are window shopping the cupcakes to come back later, I would recommend buying your favorite flavor earlier than later. The “American” donut stand made me laugh because I don’t know where one buys those colorful donuts, definitely not at Dunkin Donuts!

Pretty Chocolates – Artistry in chocolate is a tough one – are they really too pretty to eat?  My niece would disagree after eating the chocolate high heel treat in London.  The shapes and colors are bound to catch your eye and you think they are cookies but are actually chocolate! They are great gifts or special treats for you later in your hotel room, on the train/plane/ship.

Happy Hour (in/outside) Markthal Rotterdam was tempting with the lovely sunny weather.  With food and drink specials and bar seating inside and cafes outside, it’s a hard decision to pick just one place.  I’d start at the World of Drinks (a liquor store) and go from there!

What country wasn’t represented in Markthal Rotterdam? I’d be hard pressed to figure that out but I welcome you to try.  I think they hit all the favorites and introduced me to a few countries I hadn’t visited yet and their cultural foods if I wanted to be adventurous.  So go enjoy the market, the food stalls, the specialty shops, indoor and outdoor cafes and happy hours and special events at Markthal Rotterdam.  You definitely need a few days to explore it all but if you only have one day then go forth and eat and bring a bag for all the tasty treats to take with you.  Remember there are no calories on vacation!  At least I keep telling myself that…especially in Rotterdam, quite the surprising food and design city.

Arriving late to the conference, I missed out on the Rotterdam Street Art tour.  But lucky for me (and you) that I discovered the ReWriters app that you can download (for a small fee) and tour the city’s street art on your own.  If you are familiar with street art, you know that it is a living museum that changes daily and really is never the same tour twice. I encourage you to take time to check out a city’s street art as it takes the pulse of the city, country and the world through local and international street artists. The Street Art in Rotterdam is a bit unique as it showcases local Dutch artists and much of it is commissioned by shop/building owners so the shelf life is a little longer than most street art.

Rotterdam Street Art App by ReWriters

The ReWriters app is definitely worth the money as it is lovingly developed to not only showcase the Rotterdam Street Art on one of three walking tours but each artwork is featured in the app with artists detail as well as description and background of the wall art.  One bonus feature for me, although it does use data, is having the location set so that as you walk, the phone will prompt you when the street art is nearby (**Note: It requires “Location Always” to work so turn that off once done).  No longer are you the Google Maps blue dot wandering aimlessly through alleys and streets (I’m a bad blue dot), the ReWriter app directs you the best it can (I had one blip only due to a construction zone blocking the walls but a resident figured I was lost looking for art and pointed it out). You can choose to download the “offline” version which does everything except real time direct you to the art – so decide if you want to be the blue dot or not.

Rotterdam Street Art – City Center Art Walk (Modified)

Given my lack of time and location far from the iconic Centraal train station which is the starting point of the main City Center walk,  (estimated time of three hours for five miles or 8km and 167min) I cut the main walk down to what was nearest to my hotel (The Mainport Rotterdam) and would provide a good assortment of art.  The city center street art Rotterdam tour is 8km/167 mins. (about five miles and nearly 3 hours).

To be honest, I was pretty impressed with the modified route and the plethora of art on the walls to find.  A bit like an organized scavenger hunt of Rotterdam Street Art with an introduction to new artists in the medium.  The street art that I saw was primarily painted pieces by local Rotterdam artists – I didn’t see wheat pastes, stickers or yarn bombing or my walk (a few mediums of street art in Paris, London and Melbourne).

I began my tour at #17 by Ces53 entitled “Painting in the global tradition, slight return” not far from Leuvehaven Street and the Maritime Museum.

I then made my way to Witte de Withstraat which is filled with restaurants, cafes, entertainment and a popular King Kong hostel and bar (note they have dorms and private room options).

If I didn’t find the art, there was enough food and drink to make me happy but I found the art easily and took a break for delicious frites from Frietboutique by Sammy & Pebbles.  It helped that art stop #26 was on the nearby shop side wall – this popular piece “Love Birds” also served as the artist’s marriage proposal (she said “yes”).

The artwork is quite varied, colorful and located throughout this small section of the city along storefronts, planters (cleverly disguised security barriers), and side walls laid bare before new construction and in the normal places.  It didn’t much stick out but blend in as much as it could especially in the children’s park.  But each piece of art has an origin, a story to be told and a lesson to be learned (hopefully). You can see influences, feel themes and also escape into the art (see the steps for you to interact with the art).

Rotterdam Street Art – Message & Security

The art in the children’s park has quite a story – “Children are more dependent on their electronic devices than human contacts” by the artist duo TelmoMiel.  “This wall shows the life of modern kids that shut themselves off from the outside world.  The majority of today’s emerging generation does not learn how they can expand their world by using their own mind instead of using technology and social media”.  What at first seems playful with a child in a box is meant to convey so much more.  I’m not sure I really got that on my first viewing of the art in the playground.  The ReWriters app definitely added the missing background information and context – I wonder how many folks who see the art daily get the intent behind the playfulness?

When the city became concerned about security in public gathering places, they added concrete barriers along the street to prevent cars from driving on the sidewalk and at people.  Street artists were asked to brighten the square barriers and artists such as Ox-Alien and various artists from the Lastplak Collective contributed their works on each side of the squares.

Other Street Art in Rotterdam

With so much street art highlighted in the app, there are other art pieces that haven’t made the ReWriters app but you can see as you wander the area.  Buildings boasting portraits, paintings and murals.

The streetscape lined with lighting and words such as “Cool”, “Witty” and “Zwart”. Once you see street art, your eyes are keyed in to find more hidden secrets on the walls, in parking lots behind fences and in the alleyways.   Storefronts have jumped into colorful art to hide the drab security gates and the local group #MaisonSavant creates murals based on their Outsider Art program which helps disabled people. I found their Mural  Wall #3 -2018 on Witte de Withhof as I was struck by the colors in the alley as I was walking by.

Even the neon sign with the Andy Warhol quote “In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes” can count as street art in my opinion.  The fleeting nature of celebrity, of fame, is similar to the fleeting nature of street art.

Final Thoughts – Rotterdam Street Art

As a fan of street art around the world and a few famous international artists, it was nice to see the local flair of the Rotterdam Street Art and the Dutch artists. For the most part, the art wasn’t controversial as it might be elsewhere especially as the city and shop owners are keen to commission the street artist to create artwork on their property.

That said, if you are keen to see the Rotterdam Street Art, you can happen upon it, pay for an organized Street Art Rotterdam walk or go it alone like I did downloading the ReWriters app and exploring the city’s charm through its art and food.

You can choose how you consume the art, how you interpret it and how you share it with friends, family and social media.  If you do share on social media, please remember to list the artist and hashtag #streetart so that their work is credited appropriately.  It doesn’t take much research to find the artist of the work you experience so please be responsible with the art.  My wander around Rotterdam was quite fun as I discovered new artists, colorful art and learned more about the art.  On my next visit to discover Rotterdam to #MakeItHappen, I look foward to doing the entire Street Art in Rotterdam walking tours to see even more local art.

Rotterdam is a city of striking modern design buildings that are quite impressive.  The most unique might be the Cube Houses in their playful yellow color near the new Market Hall.  While a photographer’s dream of angles, light and color, you can actually go inside one Cube House and experience it up close in the Show Cube Museum Rotterdam.  The cost is 3 Euro (cash).  If you thought you lived uniquely, you’ve got nothing on the cube house Rotterdam.

The Cube Houses were designed by Piet Blom and built between 1982-1984.  At first, I thought it was missing some colors from my childhood Rubik’s cube, it actually feels a bit dated to me because it does stick out compared to the newer architectural gems in the city. Until I saw the photos from above, I didn’t realize how they are meant to be trees in a forest (Blaakes Bos development) in the dense city (now the pillars make sense).  With ample total space of nearly 1,100 sq. ft., much of it is not usable due to the angled ceilings/walls, residents and owners need to be creative with their use of space. For those in teeny tiny NYC, London and Paris flats, the cube houses of Rotterdam are palatial for you.

People live in the cube houses and only one owner has decided to make his house a tourist attraction, Show Cube Museum.  Another rents their cube out on booking.com and the larger cube is now a popular hostel.

Show Cube Museum Rotterdam

As I walked up about 10 stairs to the courtyard to be surrounded by the Cube Houses, it was just a bit further back on the left that the show cube museum entrance was located.  You will need to walk up about 10-15 concrete steps to the front door and then go inside up another (narrow) staircase to the entrance desk.  At this point, I was already hot and my big size 11 (EU 42) feet were not happy with the tiny staircase.

Unfortunately with all the stairs this is not a good idea for those who have difficulty walking, are small space phobic or hate the winding stairs.  I saw a women with a cane who made it up the outside stairs and took one look at the entrance stairs and had to leave.  I explained to her the challenges and she made her own call.

Show Cube House Rotterdam – Living Area/Main Floor

With the entrance desk and souvenir area on one side of the floor, the main floor had a built in sofas (low to the ground) with a mounted television.  The angled walls are not for those tall folks (like me).  On the opposite side of the “lounge area” was a small kitchen (one step down).  The kitchen was nicely designed albeit a while ago and functional. To be honest, the European kitchen had more functionality built into the small space than I have at home in the U.S. Outside of the kitchen next to the sofas was a desk area for your home office needs.

Show Cube House Rotterdam – Bedroom/Bathroom

Going up the small winding staircase, I arrived at the Bedroom and Bathroom.  The bathroom was behind glass so you could not go in but the size seemed somewhat normal.  The bedroom was actually a good size except for the slanted walls again and low bed (as someone who hits her head every single time in angled rooms, this is not my dream room).  Since this is a “show” cube, the owner doesn’t live here so the furniture you and I would think to include isn’t here.  It’s basic stuff to give you an idea of the space.

The floor plan felt like the letter D – the bedroom at the top, the bathroom on the left side and an office area with bookcase on the side and bottom (other cubes make this area a second bedroom)

Show Cube House Rotterdam – The Loft Sunroom

There was a ladder like set of small stairs to get to the top of the show cube.  Given it was a hot day, it was really hot inside and heat rises so in the loft with windows closed it was sweltering.  I joined a few others up there and looked outside and took a few photos.  It’s a sunroom that was definitely getting the sun.  This could be a lovely area for morning yoga, meditation or to enjoy the night sky.  I’m sure when the windows are open it has a nice breeze to cool it down and make it a nice place to escape to.

Stay in a Cube House Rotterdam

After your visit to the Show Cube, you may want to experience it for yourself and now you can!  There are two options for staying in a cube house in Rotterdam.

• Book your Cube House Rotterdam stay via booking.com for the 2 bedroom (4 people) furnished Cube House with kitchen so you have the whole place to yourself.  Ideal for those who take advantage of the market hall across the square and centrally located for the subway below.
• Another option is to book a hostel bed with Stay Okay Rotterdam.  Hostels are not hotels so be prepared to rent just a bed (or bunkbed) in shared facilities for much less than a hotel.  The hostel has its own vibe that many travelers enjoy.

Overall Impression – Show Cube House Rotterdam

The Show Cube House Rotterdam is definitely a unique tourist attraction in Rotterdam and as they are next to the impressive Market Hall, it’s easy to visit pre/post the market food hall visit.  The other Cube Houses of Rotterdam are occupied and given that the space is about 400 sq. m3 (1,100  sq. ft.) it can be a good option if you are keen to deal with the quirks (slanted walls, floor plan, stairs) and the estimated pricing €230,000+ as a buyer.  As a visitor, the €3 entrance fee is quite reasonable (I forgot to use my Rotterdam discount card for 25% off) so I say give it a go and visit as it is a unique architectural design attraction in a city brimming with architectural wonder.

So would you want to live here knowing about the flow of tourists all day (and night) and the space challenges? Would you choose to stay overnight in a cube house or the hostel version?  Or would you be content to give it a visit like I did and decide that was enough to check the box?