bennnie

I'm headed to Amsterdam for 2 week business trip and I would rather not stay in a hotel near the office in Hoofddorp. Looking for a good neighborhood that would be walkable to Central Station, so that I can use train and shuttle to get to office park. Any suggestions on where to look? I would like quiet, safe, away from RLDs, but still near restaurants and shops. Thanks.

PalenQ

The Jordaan is your perfect area for proximity to Central Station, safety and cute canals - for a modern hotel check out the IBIS which is right at Centraal Station!

I agree that Hoofdorp's hotels, a spillover from Schiphol Airport, is not that romantic.

Dukey1

Take a look at the Crowne Plaza around the corner from Centraal Station then.

bennnie

With a two week stay, I was considering a short term rental. But maybe a hotel is better. As I recall from a short day trip the immediate vicinity of the Centraal Station was a bit iffy - is my impression correct or out dated (its been 7 years).

PalenQ

Amsterdam in general has cleaned it act up a lot in the last few years - the Mayor even has plans to get rid of most if not all of the Red-Light District - at one time Centraal Station has a seedy element but it seems the cop presence both undercover and overcover is much greater than before.

The western side of the station is the red-light district - the western side is completely different - rather upscale hotels and offices, etc.

sandralist

I've been in Amsterdam recently and I don't consider the area around the train station a charmer. However I don't consider most of the Jordaan to be part of that area. It is a very long and curving district and a lot of it is at a remove from the train area. Whatever the attractions of any part of town I would recommend staying nearby a tram or bus stop with a relatively quick straight shot to the central train station since you may not always feel like walking.

I would also want a short term rental rather than a hotel or at least a residence-hotel type set up with a kitchen. I am sorry I can't recommend something specific from personal experience and don't know if this would be in your budget or to your liking but this is the sort of location set up I would be looking for (but maybe further out and away from Dam Sq. and hopefully something cheaper)

http://www.amsterdamjewel.com/location.html

sandralist

Or this might work for me even though it is not walkable to station because of the tram.

http://amsterdam.citymundo.com/apart...ertoom-l10785/

PalenQ

On Overtoom the OP could walk to a secondary train station on the line from Hoofdraop/Schiphol to Amsterdam C.S. Forget the name of it but I've done it from the Overtoom area, a nice area because it abuts Vondel Park - one of the nicest, quiestest, safest if not cheapest areas to stay in in Amsterdam- not far from the museums on Museumplein either and an area with oodles of nice, sedate small hotels, such as the Hotel Memphis.

Michael

Look at a map of Amsterdam and consider the intersection of the Brouwersgracht and the Prinsengracht as the center of the neighborhood (part of the Jordaan) where you want to stay. We stayed in the Willemstraat and were happy with our location.

menachem

Easy access to Rai train station can be had from De Pijp neighbourhood, or the area around Kennedylaan. De Pijp is Amsterdam's quartier latin. Rai has a direct line to hoofddorp via Schiphol: 20 minutes.

Overtoom is a looooooong way from Rai or Zuid.

Jordaan is very inconvenient as far as public transport goes.

Michael

<i>Jordaan is very inconvenient as far as public transport goes.</i>

We were 15 minutes walking distance from the train station.

Tulips

I would take the advice of a local like Menachem.

Dukey1

Wouldn't you agree that the convenience/proximity of public transport depends on exactly WHERE in the Jordaan or any OTHER neighborhood in Amsterdam you end up?

To make a generalized statement that the Jordaan is "very inconvenient" tells me everything I need to know about the RELIABILITY of the speaker's OTHER recommendations.

PalenQ

Overtoom is a looooooong way from Rai or Zuid>

Yes it is but you apparently do not know about the stations in between Sloterdijk and Schiphol - on the west side of Amsterdam - there are two stations and one is about a 15-minute walk - can't think of name but I used it several times when staying in the Overtoom area - closer than RAI or Zuid and also a direct tram.

Amsterdam Lelylaand or something like that is the name of the station.

hetismij2

Lelylaan and Sloterdijk are quite a way from the centre. OP could just as easily stay in Hoofddorp and get the train into town for the evenings as stay there. Probably cheaper to do that too.
De Pijp makes sense, as does Jordaan, imho.
Since you will be in Amsterdam for two weeks it is worth you getting an OV chipcard, rather than spending all the extra on individual chipcards every day on teh train.

bennnie

Thank you all for the advice. Still sorting through options. Not One question - I thought I read that De Pijp was a red light district - article indicated that there are 3 rlds, not just one. Is this right?

annw

Look at Amphora B&B in the Jordaan district. Like an apartment but they do bring breakfast goodies daily as well as wine and fruit and nuts for evening. Check Trip Advisor.

PalenQ

De Pip is a neat area I have stayed in but for the average first-time traveler it is too far out (yes it ain't that far out) - they want canals and that is the Jordaan, closer as possible to Centraal Station.

Lelylaan and Sloterdijk are quite a way from the centre.>

Yes but they were talking about Overtoom - the main commercial street that hugs the west side of Vondel Park and one of the nicest places in all of Amsterdam to stay IMO because of its proximity to the park and a real neighborhood to boot - Hoofdoorp is a complete blah place to stay - a new town virtually and the hotels near the station there are all upscale modern chains for business types' needs.

menachem

I used to live on tweede lindendwarsstraat, just off lindengracht and westerstraat and the noordermarkt. our experience was that you always had to walk outside of the neighbourhood to get to public transport, as there are no trams in the northern end of jordaan (i.e. anything above rozengracht)

Lelylaan is a crap station to be after working hours: i've never felt particularly safe there: Zuid and Rai are better.

I also like De Pijp much better than Jordaan: it's less touristy, it's more of a mix (local, real Jordaners can be a tad, cough, nationalistic in their outlook) and it's more of a welcoming neighbourhood to my mind. If you live in a city for a couple of weeks, getting the hang of the tram system is a piece of cake. Amsterdam inhabitants, for the larger part, don't live near the canals either.

Lastly: De Pijp is just as fat out as Overtoom is.

PalenQ, I lived in Amsterdam for 10 years! I always use public transport. Don't go "ignorant fool" on me, mate!

menachem

De Pijp is not a red light district. There are a couple of prostitutes along Hobbemakade and that's all. They're moved out as soon as they vacate their "room".

Along Het Singel, in the centre, there's a similar stretch of canal where there are a couple of "businesses"

Also, the Pijp has that calmer rival to Vondelpark, the beautiful Sarphatipark and beautiful nineteenth century, Palladian architecture, a remnant of Sarphati's "golden mile", which included the present day Amstel Hotel, Paleis van Volksvlijt, roughly where the Dutch National Bank now is, Sarphatistraat/Ceintuurbaan and Sarphatipark. Sarphatipark still is one of the city's most prestigious addresses.