Picking a Hostel in Amsterdam can be mind boggling – so here’s a guide to make it all the easier for you. From hip hostels to chic boutique hotels – Amsterdam really is a holy grail for travellers on a budget.
It sounds like a spoof: "The towels are rarely cleaned, the light bulbs are replaced irregularly, the hotel water runs cold earlier than the guest would wish for . . . even the hotel sign saves energy by only having one letter lit up at night."
But the publicity blurb isn't for a Fawlty Towers-style retreat, it's Amsterdam's Hans Brinker Budget Hotel's brutally honest statement of its eco credentials. The managers say they have only just realised the hotel - which opened in 1970 - has been "accidentally eco-friendly" all along, and are now targeting green travellers.
It's an ultra-basic hostel near the Van Gogh museum with 500 beds in dorm rooms but it's hugely popular and super cheap (from €21 a night).
An alternative stay is St Christopher's, Amsterdam, Ideally located between Dam Square and the Red Light District, this hostel has funky dorms for six or eight, all with their own bathroom. There's a chill-out room, private beer garden, the slick Belushi bar serving good value food and booze, and a buzzing nightclub, 'The Winston Kingdom'.
Tulips from Amsterdam... so the song goes. Amsterdam does indeed have a wonderful array of Spring bulbs from February to April but is an amazing place to visit all year round. This is a real bustling capital city run with typical Dutch efficiency and flair. There is so much to see and do, and a whole variety of ways to get around from tram to bicycle to boat to walking.
We like the look of Hotel Seven One Seven on Amsterdam’s most beautiful canal, Prinsengracht. As a converted town house, from the outside this hotel looks like a private home, and what started out as a weekend party pad has progressed into a bona fide top notch business.
There are eight rooms including two executive suites. Both executive suites, Picasso and Schubert, have views of the canal. There are four more rooms planned in the near future which are bound to be as tasteful and beautiful as the current set up. Room rates are 425 euro to 680 euro which includes tax and breakfast.
As well as a free minibar and WiFi in all of the rooms, there are also pastries, afternoon tea, beer, soft drinks and house wine available on request at no extra charge. This is a simply lovely place to stay. You can guarantee feeling tremendously relaxed after a couple of nights at Hotel Seven One Seven.
Luxury living in Amsterdam. Looking for a hotel accommodation in Amsterdam? You might be surprised; we actually found more of those than cannabis shops and prostitution dens.
Hotel Okura Amsterdam in the south is near RAI exhibition centre; since it is near Amstel Canal, the hotel has its own dock for canal boats. The opulent rooms have Wi-Fi Internet access, a writing desk, and a safety deposit box; some have flat screen TVs even in the bathrooms, and a bedside electronic control unit for lighting, curtains, and clocks. Let’s not forget the Michelin-starred in-house restaurants: Ciel Bleu which serves French haute cuisine, and TeppanYaki – Sazanka, which is a Japanese grill. La Camelia, a brasserie, and Yamazoto, another Japanese restaurant, serve delicious food as well; there are bars in the hotel too. With a health club (Technogym exercise equipment, Turkish bath, and solarium included), a shopping area, a swimming pool, a salon, and traditional Japanese sauna and massage facilities, you might not step outside at all. In the historic Dam Square lies NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, located near museums, department stores, and the Central Railway Station. In-room facilities include coffee and tea machines, high speed internet access, safety deposit boxes, work desks, Jacuzzis, direct-dial telephones, and smoke detectors. Elevators are wheelchair accessible, children’s playpens are available, and laptops can be rented; have your clothes dry cleaned, trousers pressed, and kids babysat. Hotel Pulitzer certainly deserves an award for its grandeur; it was in Condé Nast Traveler's 2004 Gold List, and overlooks the Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht canals. Spend some time in their restaurant, bar, or gym, or marvel at their art gallery, courtyard gardens, and ballroom. Every room contains a piece of Dutch history, as well as a kitchenette, a safe, a mini bar, Climate Control, and wireless Internet.