Tips from Felicia - The James

Felicia is our Operations Manager. She has been there from the start-up phase of The James and deals with operations on a day-to-day basis.

Describe Rotterdam in a sentence?
Rotterdam is a special city with a story behind it, a modern city where there is always something to do. A city with many hidden places.

What is your favourite Hotspot?
YOLO, this bar offers over 200 exclusive drinks and cocktails made by the best bartenders in the Netherlands. You have various luxurious, special bites to enjoy in a beautiful setting. In the summer months, this is definitely my favourite hotspot.

YOLO restaurant-bar

YOLO restaurant-bar is a boutique shared dining restaurant & cocktail bar. You will find us in the vibrant district Kralingen in Rotterdam, on the Marina in a historic building with a striking and authentic steel ceiling from New York. We have a sunny terrace overlooking the Marina. Brunch, lunch , dinner & cocktails.

Apart from the well-known Market Hall, Cube Houses etc., do you think there are any places that are less known but definitely worth visiting?
By water taxi, I would head to Kop van Zuid, to spend your evening or afternoon exploring the history and culinary delights that lie south of the River Maas. Here you will find, among others, Hotel New York with a fantastic cocktail bar; the NY basement, and one of Rotterdam's newest foodie additions, the Foodhallen.

Then walk across the pedestrian bridge to trendy and edgy Katendrecht. There you will find some great little restaurants along Deliplein, these restaurants are a real household name in Rotterdam.

In addition, of course, a visit to the SS Rotterdam is not to be missed.

Ss Rotterdam By Westcord

Welcome to ss Rotterdam. Hop on board and get ready for adventure! This was the former flagship of the Holland America Line is now permanently anchored in Rotterdam and full of history. ss Rotterdam aims to make your visit as relaxing and enjoyable as possible, which is why so many guests continue to come back year after year. Given the close proximity of popular landmarks, such as Wilhelminapier (0.7 mi) and Ahoy (1.1 mi), guests of ss Rotterdam can easily experience some of Rotterdam's most well-known attractions. Guest rooms offer a flat screen TV, climate control and a refrigerator, and ss Rotterdam makes getting online easy as free internet access is available. You can also take advantage of some of the amenities offered by the hotel, including a 24 hour reception, a concierge, and room service. In addition, guests can enjoy an outdoor pool (kids only) and breakfast during their visit. As an added convenience, there is parking available to guests. If you’re looking for a restaurant, consider a visit at Lido Grill on board. There are also many other restaurants conveniently located on a short distance from ss Rotterdam. Best of all, ss Rotterdam makes it easy to experience many great Rotterdam attractions like Kunsthal Rotterdam, Wereldmuseum, and Chabot Museum, which are some popular art museums. ss Rotterdam puts the best of Rotterdam at your fingertips, making your stay both relaxing and enjoyable.

For a fun night out with friends, where do you go like this?
This is definitely the Foodhallen! The interior of the Foodhallen is super cool, hip & modern. You can get special small dishes at all the different stalls which makes having drinks at the Foodhallen really unique. Here I enjoy the delicious Gin tonics and in the weekend a DJ plays good music and you can dance in the evening while enjoying tasty snacks!

Foodhallen Rotterdam

Founded in 2014, Foodhallen is home to a wide range of high-quality concepts and a household name for foodlovers. We curate the unique food culture of a city and connect people in iconic places. We’re always looking for new ways to give local cuisines an international platform, with diversity in our DNA, and flavor at heart. At the Foodhallen, we celebrate flavors. Rotterdam welcomed us in 2018, and we're not planning on leaving anytime soon. Actually, we're just getting started. We're very proud to be able to present Rotterdam's finest on one of the most lively locations, and will continu to explore all the good stuff the city has to offer. Join us for a journey into Rotterdam's finest of flavors!

Brunch at the weekend is best at?
Definitely Lilith, as they serve the most delicious "breakfasts" all day long. Lilith is best known for its American Pancakes, which come in all shapes and colours. My favourite: a Chai latte and the pancakes with blueberries! Doing healthy is also possible, have an Acai Bowl garnished with coconut, for example.

In a busy city like Rotterdam, is there a place for you in the city where you can completely withdraw?
Elysium, everyone in Rotterdam knows Elysium. Technically, Elysium is not in Rotterdam but in Bleiswijk ;) Still, this is the place where you can completely retreat and relax. Elysium is the most famous sauna in the Rotterdam area.

Tip: go on Mondays then it's swimwear day.

Another great city spa is Retreat, it is a very exclusive boutique spa and their Diamond Facial is amazing!

Retreat

Retreat represents a sensory journey to relaxation and recovery. As a sanctuary, located in the heart of Rotterdam, Retreat offers a place where you can withdraw from the daily hustle and bustle to enjoy a thoughtful collection of effective, beneficial and result-oriented treatments, developed piece by piece to restore the natural balance for body and soul on the ultimate journey to well-being. Using both proven Eastern and Western methods and ingredients, the treatments at Retreat focus primarily on personal customization. Individual needs are identified and, thanks to targeted and result-driven methods, solved, relieved and tackled. The carefully chosen team of experts makes the personal attention at Retreat unrivalled.