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Netherlands
When strolling around Amsterdam, one is amazed at the sheer number of sandwich shops. From gourmet to barely OK, the "broodje" is as ubiquitous here as raindrops and smelly cheese. It's fine - for the first few weeks - but you soon begin to dread the bread.
Enter Tomatillo. Their slogan is "Beyond the Broodje", and they couldn't have done a better job of adding something to the Dutch lunch (and dinner) table. Their Tex-Mex menu offers everything from burritos to tacos to tostadas, washed down with a cool Dos Equis or Negro Modelo and followed up with a amazing brownie or rhubarb crumble. All entrees are under 10 Euros, which helps the digestive system too.
It's all made fresh, tastes great, and friends from the UK and the States who know about such things claim it is one of the best places they've been to in town. I'll second that - I've tried everything on the menu.
You can sit down here, order a delivery, or just as easily take it away and turn the corner and park yourself on the grass in Vondelpark, not more than 200m away.
Overtoom 261, 1054 HW Amsterdam
+31(0)206833086
www.tomatillo.nl
Open 12:00-21:00 (closed Mondays)
Google map: bit.ly/pSwwdC
I found it to be the best club in Amsterdam. For just €1 entry you get to enjoy very good live rock music every night. Not to mention the reasonable prices.
Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 49
Amsterdam
1017 PW
www.waterhole.nl
This youth hostel is in the perfect location and the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Our room was clean, we had a TV, sink, space - it was everything we wanted.
Cosmos is two blocks from the red light district and close to everything else.
There's a nice coffee shop (El Guapo) right across the alleyway.
This is my favorite hostel.
Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1012NG
Nieuwe Nieuwstraat 17
www.hostelcosmos.com
+31206252438
Amsterdam Central Station
This is a super fun youth hostel. The staff is very knowledgeable and I met a lot of great people from all over the world.
I would definitely recommend it - but be careful walking up the steep stairs up front if you've been enjoying a little too much of what Amsterdam has to offer.
Nieuwe Nieuwstraat 17,
1012NG, Amsterdam, Netherlands
0031206252438
www.hostelcosmos.com
Amsterdam Central Station
The busiest outdoor market in Europe, it's got more than 300 stalls - it makes a change from doing the normal tourist stuff!
De Pijp District
Full of character, situated in the trendy Jordaan area. Excellent Dutch apple cake, and a wonderful array of interesting lunchtime snacks with healthy options. Very reasonably priced as well. Sit outside on the canal and watch the world go by.
www.cafethijssen.nl/
Brouwersgracht 107, 1015 GD Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31(0)20 6238994
Google map: bit.ly/lJQBuN
Massive electronic music festival at the beginning of July each year which transforms Amsterdam into a hub of dancing and revelry! 50 Euros for a ticket is a steal, with loads of concerts and experimental films, electronic music videos and art installation all available over five days.
This year’s highlights were Justice and Erol Alkan. Awesome performances!
Around the city
www.5daysoff.nl
This Amsterdam hostel was very friendly and fun, with some very cheap pints in its ‘Uptown Bar.’
It’s among some lively coffeeshops and bars or is just a few hundred metres from the Van Gogh and Modern Art Museums for something more cultural!
Accommodation is cheap and includes breakfast and internet.
Vossiussstraat 46-47, Amsterdam, 1071AJ
www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/netherlands/amsterdam/1461/
CitizenM offers affordable luxury hotels near or in European metropolitan locations. The hotel has a lobby with a check-in kiosk and offers “canteenM”, a bar/lounge for light food and drinks. The rooms are 13x10 and integrate cutting-edge technology represented by LED lights, black out remote curtain, and a Phillips mood pad and flat screen TV. The hotel is modular in that each room is built in a warehouse and is brought in by truck and dropped into the building infrastructure.
In summer the temperatures in Amsterdam, like in any city, can get quite unbearable. Hire a bike and head for the green Bijlmermeer in the south-east of the city, only half an hour from the centre.
On summer weekends there is the Kwakoe Afro-Caribbean festival, which makes Notting Hill look like a family picnic. Football, food and kaseko and no multicultural pretensions.
When you get really hot and even the ginger beer doesn't work, take a dive in the sparkling clear waters of the Gaasperplas.
metro 53 or 54: station Bijlmer/Arena or Gaasperplas
Open air food and music in Amsterdam's little known Afro-Caribbean area.
Friday: Amsterdamse Poort
Saturday: Ganzenhoef
Nearest metro stations:
Amsterdamse Poort: Bijlmer/Arena
Ganzenhoef: Ganzenhoef
You pay upfront to have free entrance to key museums and art galleries and free tram, bus, metro transport. I bought one for 48 hours and found it very good value for money. I certainly got more than 43 Euros worth of museum, canal trip and transport from it.
You can buy it from Holland Tourist Information at Schipol by credit card and it makes it easier to work out a budget for the rest of your stay and you can hop on and off the fantastic trams without having to worry about buying and stamping tickets.
Based in the newly developing southern edge of town international business sector, this pod type hotel with self-service check in, has some nice features in the rooms: chaise longue and mood lighting.
The room space is above average for the price and the beds are massive and comfy. The pod is like a four poster bed with a wetroom and stools attached at either end. It lodges in the World Trade Centre and so there are cafes etc in the building for breakfast and cyclist watching.
The women all seem to turn up for work in black high heel boots, cycling, of course, and the men struggle to steer and hold their briefcases at the same time. They then disappear underground on a moving walk way to park their bikes. Dutch transport efficiency at its best.
Anyway, it's well linked to Schipol airport (train) and to Centraal on number 5 line tram, all in the same station Zuid. Very good value for money and pleasant escape from the city rush.
Station Zuid, World Trade Centre, www.qbichotels.com/
Great campsite on the edge of the city, 15 mins to Dam Square on a tram. Cheap tent rates or hire a little cabin, central heating and bedding included in the cost of these. Good breakfast can be bought from the bar in the morning, and food all day at not extortionate prices. Good clean showers, if a little cramped when you are taking one. Bike hire on site as well, and saves you having to find parking in the city centre at very expensive rates, you just leave your car at the campsite!
Yes, I know that Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania, not Ethiopia, but this little eatery specialises in Ethiopian-style dishes - and you can hold the predictable jokes too.
There's a limited but great-value repertoire here, and on an empty stomach the all-in get-your-hands-dirty dishes are to die for. If there's a group of you, order a variety of mains (all served on a stodgy bed of pancakes) and you can pull off a massive dinner for under 15 Euros per head.
Rapenburgerplein 6
+31 20 6223485
Bus no.22 from Centraal Station
Get an 'I Amsterdam' card, it gives you free travel, free entrance to a heap of attractions (including a boat trip on the canals) and 25% off a range of restaurants.
It's very moderately priced and comes in 24-, 48-and 72-hour sizes and can be obtained at the VVV Information Offices of the Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board.
Take a folding bike on the train with you for free on Eurostar. There's no better way to get the feel of a new place than cycling around. No waiting around for buses or taxis either and you save the fare too.
If you get caught out after a long explore far from where you're staying or the weather turns, just fold up the bike and jump on the nearest public transport back.
The Brompton is the best folder and with the travel pannier, there's plenty of room for everything you need for a long weekend. It's a superb design too that always causes interest and therefore breaks the ice especially as it's actually one of the tiny handful of bikes still manufactured in the UK. Take a folding bike - you won't regret it!
Finding a hotel in Amsterdam during peak season can be a drag. This converted canal house has a prime location bang in the town centre on the Singel - but doesn't yet suffer from the curse of the Lonely Planet. The road at the back can be a bit noisy at night, and the stairs are steep, but that goes for a lot of places; the very efficient staff and most acceptable prices (single from 60 Euros) make up for it. There's also apartments to hire if you like.
Singel 310
(0031) 20 6266043
info@hotelhoksbergen.nl
www.hotelhoksbergen.com/
Sometimes you want to experiment, sometimes you want to splash out - but on other occasions you just need somewhere safe and simple (especially if the family's in tow). This tidy little restaurant just off Prinsengracht does the job, with friendly service and main courses from about 12 Euros. A lot of locals hanging out here, so it must be decent. There's a fair selection of fish dishes; check out also the pork sate.
Berenstraat 12
(0031) 206232373
restaurant@zwaantje.demon.nl
www.zwaantje.demon.nl
Very friendly small restaurant serving traditional Dutch food. Great chef gives good tips, not only on food but places to visit! Delicious three course meal for two costs 33 Euros!
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