Escort Amsterdam Centrum, the canal ring by night

Because the companions live nearby, arrival usually follows confirmation by well under an hour, and often sooner. The practical limits are the city's own. Cars move slowly on the canal streets, several bridges are closed to traffic, and on Friday and Saturday nights the squares around Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein fill up. On those evenings, allow a little extra. She will be dropped at the nearest corner and walk the final stretch, which is often the most discreet approach anyway.

Please share the exact hotel name or street address and, where relevant, the room number or the name reception will recognise. It saves minutes in the lobby.

Evenings in the centre tend to begin close to the hotel. A glass in a canal-side bar, dinner in the Spiegelkwartier among the antique dealers, a performance at Carré on the Amstel, then a slow walk back across the bridges. Angelika is at home in a jazz bar and good company in a crowded room. Samanta brings a composed, noir elegance and a real interest in design hotels. Liana, gentle and well read, suits a quieter suite and a longer conversation. Tiffany notices every detail and enjoys champagne rather more than she admits.

Many guests prefer to stay in entirely, and that is equally correct. The centre offers the choice; the collection supplies the company.

Addresses in the centre can mislead. A hotel listed on the Herengracht may have its entrance on a side street, and house numbers on opposite banks of the same canal do not match. Name the hotel rather than only the canal, and say whether reception closes at night, as it does in some smaller canal houses. If you are staying on a houseboat, which is not unusual here, give the mooring number and the nearest bridge. With those details, she walks straight to your door.

If your hotel sits on the western edge of the canal ring, the companions of the Jordaan are just as close. South of the Singelgracht, De Pijp and Oud-Zuid begin, each with its own line-up. For the hourly structure and longer formats, see the rates.