Today, Dutch hostel chain Stayokay will officially open a brand new hostel in part of the famous Cube Houses complex in Rotterdam. The houses were designed by the Dutch architect Piet Blom and were built between 1982 and 1984.
The unique architecture has been an attraction for tourists from the Netherlands and abroad for 25 years now. In December 2009, the Cube Houses became the most modern of Rotterdam’s listed buildings.
Festive Opening
Stayokay is eighty years old and will be celebrating its anniversary on Wednesday, 24 March 2010 with the official opening of Stayokay Rotterdam. Rotterdam’s mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, will be unveiling a Cube House named after him in festive spirit. A special two-person room with private entrance has been built in this separate house on stilts.
  Cube Houses: one of the architectural symbols of Rotterdam
The expressive and colourful cube-shaped houses on concrete pillars are located right in the heart of the city, near the Old Harbour. All forty-nine rooms, with a total of 245 beds, are equipped with their own shower and toilet. No two rooms are alike. The light is different everywhere, as are the dimensions and the view from the Cube Houses. In some rooms, the walls slope towards you, whereas in others, they slope away from you. In order to accentuate the cube effect, an extra cube hangs in the platform of the main building, its tip pointing downward. Four catwalks and a lift bisect this cube and connect the floors. Spending the night in a tilted cube is quite a unique experience.
 
Unique location in metropolis
Rotterdam is known throughout the world for its large, modern port. The multi-faceted city is rich in modern architecture, museums, restaurants, shops and the major events it hosts. Rotterdam also has a fantastic skyline. Almost everything visitors might want to see in the port city is at walking distance from the hostel. Rotterdam is also easy to discover by bicycle or public transport. The Cube Houses are located above the Blaak, with a partial view overlooking the Old Harbour, a historic area of the city where one can often see unusual ships mooring. The restaurants and pavement cafés in this area known for its lively nightlife attract students, locals and tourists in particular.
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
