THE idea of a night in a hotel room 100m (330ft) up a mast in Rotterdam might sound bonkers. It is, in fact, brilliant. To be absolutely truthful, it is bonkers and brilliant. The bonkers bit explains the brilliance.

The mast is the Euromast, built in 1960 to offer spectators a better view of a flower festival that the city was hosting. It then consisted of a viewing platform and a restaurant. At the time it was the tallest building in the Netherlands, but when a higher rival emerged the owners of the Euromast responded by adding another 80m on the top and constructing a strange rotating lift to take enthusiasts to the summit.

That was the better part of three decades ago. After that nothing much happened and it lost the fashionable edge that it enjoyed in the 1960s. Last year, though, the owners of the Hotel New York, itself an impressive and interesting place to eat and sleep, decided to transform this part of the Rotterdam skyline. The brasserie was recast as a more enticing venture and two hotel rooms, named Heaven and Stars, were opened by the viewing platform.

You might think that what you require to stay at the Euromast is a head for heights. In fact, it is an element of nerve. For while the platform itself inspires confidence in those who stand upon it, the two rooms require an element of suspension of disbelief to make the experience work properly.

That is because, beautiful and luxurious as they are, they look out directly on to the viewing platform and, therefore, from 10am to 10pm, directly at the people standing there. The nature of the glass means that they cannot see in even though you can see out, but it takes a little while and a few attempts at pulling faces at people and receiving no response before you are quite ready to believe it. That is especially true when you take an (enormous) lazy breakfast provided in the room after 10am and loll around in dressing gowns scoffing your fare while enthusiastic tourists scamper around the viewing platform oblivious to your very existence, never mind that you are in a state of mild undress.

There is, nonetheless, one important factor to remember. The window adjacent to the bathroom (with a vast hot tub) is not made of the same glass as the rest of the room, which is why the blind is provided. Exhibitionism has its limits.

It is the night rather than the day that the Euromast rooms are made for and they explain why there is “brilliant” as well as “bonkers” in this adventure. At night, the restaurant offers splendid food as well as a magnificent horizon and then the happy couple can return to a deserted viewing platform to sup the complimentary champagne and stare at the stars. This is a relatively expensive venture — £255 — and most guests stay for one night to celebrate a special occasion. As memorable evenings go, it takes a lot of beating.

Nor is the Euromast the only argument for visiting Rotterdam. If you were to prefer to spend the day sightseeing (rather than prancing about semi-naked in your room sniggering at others sightseeing), then Rotterdam is something of a revelation.

The architecture (largely rebuilt after the Second World War) is frequently fascinating. Somewhat bizarrely shaped buildings pop up almost everywhere. The most famous are the Kijk-Kubus houses, apartments shaped like Rubik cubes, which make for an enticing spectacle.

Put that together with an airport of a mercifully manageable size compared with the monster that is Schiphol in Amsterdam, the joys of watching a working river and the network of city islands, and Rotterdam rapidly becomes addictive. The Euromast rooms are without doubt the most intriguing way to stay in an unexpectedly intriguing location.

Need to know

Euromast Hotel’s two suites cost £255 each per night, including breakfast, and a bottle of champagne. Tourist tax is £11 extra (00 31 1024 11788, www.euromast.nl).

Transavia.com (020-7365 4997, www.transavia.com) flies twice daily between London Stansted and Rotterdam with fares from £38.38 one way.