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Netherlands
We visited Amsterdam with our three year old daughter, while I was heavily pregnant.
Knowing that we would be having early nights in our hotel room, we upgraded to a room "with a view", using money saved from not using evening entertainment or so many museum admissions.
Our room overlooked on of the ubiquitous squares and we spent evenings eating a rather nice room service menu people watching.
It may not sound exciting,but we loved it and kept sane at the same timeR with no worries regarding baby sitting services.
The Times hotel in Amsterdam was excellent value of money, newly renovated and had friendly and helpful staff - especially after by luggage was lost by the airline!
Best Value in town: Eden Rembrandt Square Hotel. Apart from being a newish hotel, in one of the best areas of Amsterdam (especially at New Year!) offering all creature comforts and very comfortable beds, it is not easy to find free internet connection in Amsterdam in many places.
There are two desktops in the lobby and WiFi network. You can easily connect with your own laptop as there is an LAN connection in the room free of charge. However with the red light district only a 7 Euro tram ride away, the Internet was not required this trip!
Absorb Amsterdam's culture even as you sleep by staying in the Lloyds Hotel which is part of the Cultural Embassy in the centre of town. They have reasonably priced 1 star right through to a more extravagant 5 stars and many of the rooms have furniture created by Dutch designers. The staff are incredibly friendly and there are often local bands playing at the Cultural Centre in the evenings. A really lovely base from which to explore this beautiful city.
Central city
www.lloydhotel.com/
The Bulldog Hotel is great - very friendly staff, clean rooms and all in the heart of Amsterdam.
If you're a seasoned traveller, you probably want centrally-located, hotel-style accommodation - no way would you stay in a hostel - in Amsterdam that won’t see you selling off your family members' body parts in some canal-filled back street.
The solution? Hotel Amstelzicht. Picture large, open windows with an uninterrupted view over the Amstel canal and coffee shops, bars, restaurants and attractions at your fingertips.
The only catch is that, being built in 1659, the stairs are very steep. But as one of the guys who works there says, it’s traditional and his grandmother of 89 has done it this way since …well, forever.
Stay at Lloyds hotel - 117 rooms with a luxury rating from one to five stars. The interior decoration is a combination of classic and modern Dutch design.
Oostelijke Handelskade 34
1019 BN
The Seven Bridges Hotel in Amsterdam (31-20-6231329) is superb, with individually-styled rooms and an interesting reservation policy.
Breakfast is served in your room, so make sure you are suitably robed in the morning.
Staying in Amsterdam and want a cheap and interesting hotel? Then try the Hotel Arena. It is a former orphanage. The rooms have Ikea-type furnishings and the buffet breakfast suits all tastes from muesli to fry-ups! The hotel is on the tram route directly to the centre.
Hotel Arena
In 2003 I stayed in the Canal House Hotel in Amsterdam, a quaint small hotel in a central location with fantastic, quirky features throughout.
I was there for an exhibition at the Rai Conference Centre and after four days of exhibiting my feet were aching - though not too badly, as I have a pair of 'exhibition' shoes that I have used for years. On my return to England I found I had left my shoes behind and emailed the hotel to see if they had found them.
I got a fantastic reply back with a parcel containing my shoes and a note saying 'Confortable shoes are so hard to find and we are happy to return them to you. Please enjoy many more years use and come back to us if you are ever in Amsterdam again'. With such warmth and courtesy, I surely will.
The Ambassade is the best kept secret in Europe: Amsterdam's best hotel, it has a perfect canal setting, beautiful rooms and it's not expensive. It is loved by writers, who are encouraged to leave signed copies of their books in the exquisite library.
Try the Banks Mansion Hotel, an old bank converted into an art-deco style hotel. It does free alcohol and great breakfasts.
www.carlton.nl/banksMansion/default-en.html?CFID=28260199&CFTOKEN=35574546
A great place to stay is The Hotel Estheréa, which is ideally located on one of the most beautiful and quiet canals in the centre of the city, just 300 metres from the Dam Square and the Royal Palace.
Central Station, the main shopping district, museums and theatres are all within walking distance. Hidden behind an elegant 17th-century facade is a stylish and charming four-star hotel with 71 recently renovated rooms. The excellent facilities include a beautifully decorated lounge, library and bar, all offering a warm and intimate ambience. The elevator reaches all five floors. Hotel Estheréa has been a family owned hotel for more than 60 years.
The Botel, a floating hotel, is a good, cheap-and-cheerful base for exploring the city. Located adjacent to the railway station, it is within walking distance of all of the main attractions.
The Acro Hotel is a fantastic budget hotel in a great location (Jan Luijkenstraat 44).
www.acrohotel.nl
Acro Hotel, Jan Luijkenstraat 44, 1071 CR, Amsterdam (T +31 (0)20 662 05 26 )
At the excellent Hotel Fita (Jan Luykenstraat 37), comfort, a warm welcome and a scrumptious breakfast await.
The hotel is near the Van Gogh Musuem - handy if you arrive on a Friday evening, as it is open until 10pm and there are no queues, so you can explore and then enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Buy a strip of tram tickets when you arrive at Central station - you'll save money and hassle, and can hop on and off trams as you wish.
Whether you're in Amsterdam for business or pleasure, I can highly recommend the brand new Qbic Hotel (so new, nobody knew where it was when we went).
It's situated inside the World Trade Centre (Tram line #5) and just round the corner from the delightful Beatrix Park. The rooms are funky and the staff are incredibly friendly.
Just one thing - make sure you are with somebody you know well - the rooms are open-plan and there are only 3 sides to the bathroom!
This hotel is wonderful. The rooms are nice and renovated, beds are very good, breakfast is huge and good and the staff is very friendly. When there were no taxi's available on the day of departure, the manager brought us to the airport with his own car. We really can recommend this hotel.
Nicolaas Witsenstraat 4, central Amsterdam
www.hotelnicolaaswitsen.nl
Tel: 31 20 6266546
Built in 1902, this hotel is well known for its Art Deco style café, which has large stained-glass windows and a terrace which overlooks the Leidseplein. A good place to pay a visit to, even if you’re not staying there.
Leidsekade 97
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