Bobbi

I'm currently trying to book hotels for a three week Europe trek that starts in Amsterdam this Oct. It seems that I'm already kind of late in doing so as I've received several rejections! I'm now down to hotels I've not heard much about. Also, I have not been able to find the Eden Hotel's location. Has anyone been to either of these hotels or have another to suggest. I've tried others previously mentioned (Doelen, Owl, Toren, Canal House, Tulip Inn Dam Square) on Fodors in the $100-$150 range with no luck. Help!! Thanks, <BR>Bobbi

Mikki

We were in AMS last June. We stayed at Hotel Estherea and were pleased. Our travel agent had originally booked AMS Museum Hotel. We happened to walk by it during our trip and were glad we didn't stay there...looked dated and sloppy. If you book Estherea, ask for a canal view.

Bobbi

Thanks Mikki, <BR>That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for! The Eden is looking better so far. I checked on the Estherea but the rates are out of my price range this trip ($170 US). <BR>Maybe I'll have better luck checking some of the filled hotels a couple weeks before we leave? Is Amsterdam always filled this early? I had a much easier time booking in Paris, Venice and Florence!

Holly

Bobbi: I just got back last night & spent my last 2 nights in Amsterdam at the Avenue Hotel. It's located between the station & the Dam. The 1st room they put me in was pretty scary; on the 1st floor & overlooked a sludge pit & a guy shovelling said sludge. The window had a lock on it, but I asked for another room higher up for security reasons & they moved me to the 4th floor. Room still overlooked the construction (oh well) but I didn't fear for my safety. Some of the rooms I glanced into seemed actually quite nice. They quoted me 180 guilders in January for a single (around $100 at that time), which was worth a little less than $90 when I left, & came in at $75 when I paid my bill because the dollar is so strong right now. And the room was actually a double, not a single. I know it's hard to tell what any hotel in Europe is like from the outside, but I'll say that 3-star hotels in Amsterdam are definitely not up to par with the rest of Europe. I would recommend the Avenue, but insist when you're making your reservation (if you decide to go with that hotel) that you want a room on 4th floor or higher, mainly because those seem to be the rooms that have been remodeled in the past decade or so. I don't think any of their rooms overlook a canal because of its location. The only place I've been able to find their website is through Holland Hotels at www.holland-hotels.com Good luck!

eli

hotel eden is called also top eden and west ..... eden it is located in amstel 144

alex

Eden is opposite the Opera House (or main concert hall), on Amstel, 1/2 mile south-east of Dam Square. Cloase to floating market. Stayed there a Christmas - very busy and not very impressive, small "cell" like rooms. But pretty cheap and sufficed for one night stopover. Check out www.bestwestern.com for rates.