Cty Books

Pluses: - perfectly located. - very original design. - nice views to the main canal. Minuses: - no staff on-site, but this is deliberate choice. - steep stairs.

Great place to stay to explore Leiden! Great place to stay to explore Leiden! We stayed for a couple of nights and were in the Netherlands for a wedding and visit friends, which meant we were usually out late. This meant we weren't too disturbed by the bars under the hotel as they close relatively early (around 12pm-1am on Fridays and Saturdays). Earplugs are provided which work really well. The location is the main selling point for this hotel if you don't mind a bit of noise at night, very central and gives you an amazing feel for the city as well as good food, bars and sights at walking distance The space itself is lovely! It has character and a nice finish. Although some of the reviews say they have trouble with the digital keys, it worked flawlessly for us. The only negative to our stay was the responsiveness of the host. The response via Whatsapp was very delayed or didn't happen at all, and I tried calling about luggage storage (which was available) but did not get a response. Overall would recommend and will stay again if visiting Leiden.

Older couples beware Maybe I should have read more reviews.....I knew there was not an elevator, but I did not realize how steep the spiral staircase was to room 6, but then there was also another spiral staircase (made of wood and metal) to get to the bedroom. In addition to that the bedroom has beams to knock your head into. .... overall at 55/59 years young we did not feel comfortable. Also, room was super hot when we arrived. There were no directions to the thermostat and shades were open...after a meltdown we figured out the thermostat... directions would have helped. On a positive note, we did enjoy a stovetop, sink, fridge, and microwave. Overall, if lots of spiral steps are not your thing, CTY books might not be a good choice. If you like lots of character and being near restaurants/shopping, you might like it.

This is a beautiful small hotel right across from the City Hall. I loved the author themed-room, spacious, beautifully decorated, comfy (+AC). The location was perfect, lively Wed market, AH supermarket nearby, and a gelato place next door. The killer is stairs. They were steep, narrow, winding, and you have to haul your luggage up. Also, it is a staff-less hotel meaning no one to welcome you, all the housekeeping requests via Whatsapp and things get done silently without any acknowledgement. Also, Leiden is a university town and you'll need a pair of ear plugs Fri-Sun. One more thing, don't forget to charge your phone because you can not even enter the hotel lobby. Still, I would stay again if I revisit Leiden.

Beautiful property in a wonderful location. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again, but there are a lot of steep stairs up to the room and in the room itself. This might be trouble from people with mobility issues.

This is one of our favourite accommodations ever! Wonderful location and beautiful room and view facing the canal (room 3). It could get loud at times but closing the windows and shutters helped a lot. We had no issues sleeping. The bed is super comfy! It’s perfectly equipped and a good size. We didn’t want to leave