Give us some of your top choices.

OK. The Pulitzer. The Sofitel Grand. The Hotel d'Europe. The InterContinental.

I'd stay at the Amrath. If you'd like to save about 500 bucks a night use Priceline's NYOP and bid on a 5 star... see the Netherlands forum at TripAdvisor for info...

Brook....if you sincerely prefer old grandeur, I suggest The Seven Bridges hotel, on quiet Regulier Canal, walk most everywhere. Location is a winner. You'd have to come down appreciably from your stated top budget, but we were exceptionally pleased with the utter elegance and charm of this smaller hotel. It is definitely "old grandeur"...very pleasant owners and sumptuous breakfasts to start your day.

I'll see if I can find their webpage.

Many more anniversaries for you!

stu

Brook: The main pages for Seven Bridges hotel....also photographs. Trip Advisor ranks it #6 among 549 hotels in Amsterdam. Both Fodors and Frommers give the 300-year old home a high ranking.
Stu


http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g188590-d236078-Reviews-Seven_Bridges_Hotel-Amsterdam_North_Holland_Province.htm

Brook...another page for 7 Bridges

http://www.sevenbridgeshotel.nl/cms/

you might read the reviews on booking.com and Expedia from travelers who actually stayed in those hotels, look at pictures at the hotel web page etc.....perhaps talk to a travel agent?
The lineup you have is probably the best in the city.

Out of your list, we've stayed at Pulitzer and the Grand, no complaints (though rooms at the Pulitzer can vary quite a lot) - can't go wrong with any of those hotels, I think, but just to make your choice even more difficult, consider
http://www.conservatoriumhotel.com/

I would also recommend the d'Europe but I'm not sure you'll get everything you want for a mere $700 but what you WILL get is a great location and certainly not some tarted up B+B.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/nl/american.html?aid=311088;label=hotel-10031-nl-rQ77h5*2ILalgAqIe_jnjwS3370776933:pl:ta:p1:p2:ac:ap1t1:neg;ws=&gclid=CI3E26nuq7QCFYVFMgodGiQAXw

Ok the venerable American Hotel has been a mainstay luxury hotel in Amsterdam for years - meets your request to a T - great location within walking distance of practically everywhere.

A legendary place known for its big cigar-store Indian that once stood outside but I think due to PC is not inside. A simply gorgeous dining room that exudes old grandeur. Smack on the Leidesplein and near all the museums.

Posted by: brook33003 on Dec 20, 12 at 2:31pm Posted in: Europe
Someone please put me out of my misery and help me choose a hotel in Amsterdam.

When you get there you could spend an afternoon in a *coffie shop* and come out with no angst, or so they say. Just kidding, of course. I'm not that *snarky*.

If I could or wanted to spend $700 a night on a hotel I would choose a suite in the Grand Hotel Kraznapolsky. Though not on a canal it is one of the best situated in Amsterdam, at the Dam national monument. Many trams run on the Damrak and Rokin so you are a minute away from a stop and minutes away from almost everything in town.

The *Kraz* faces the royal palace across the Dam Square. It is virtually next door to De Bijenkorf (Amsterdam's most famous department store), the Bourse (oldest stock exchange in the world), diamond cutting shops, Madame Tussard's, and just a short way from P.G.C. Hajenius on the Rokin if you like cigars.

True, some comments on TripAdviser are very critical but some are highly complimentary. The Tower Suite (one only) and several Junior Suites would most certainly be some of the best rooms in the city. If you have any left over from the $700 use it for tips to Kraz staff. You will be a favored guest for sure. Dutchies love *black money* which escapes the atrocious taxes in Holland.

For another anti-Kraz story let me mention a visit my Dad had there many years ago, probably in the early 1960s. He checked in late and went to his room. The bed had not been made. He took the dirty linen to the front desk and asked for clean sheets and towels. The clerk looked him in the eye and replied *You Americans are always complaining*.

Wherever you stay get your booking and guaranteed room reservation soon. Holland fills up in tulip season. There is an invasion of Germans who get many holidays combined with *bridge days* during May. You'll hear plenty of French, Italian, and British spoken also.

If you can move your trip up to the last few days of April you will be treated to a great party throughout the city on Queen's Day, April 30. See my photolog at http://tinyurl.com/yln3hrp.

Tips for A'dam:
Do not walk in a bike path. They are NOT well marked for first timers but you will hear a loud bike bell if you stray into one. You'll hear the get-out-of-my-way bike bell on some of the narrow *streets* as well.
Try d'Vijff Vlieghen (Five Flies) for diner. Old and unusual and good food for good money.
Also on Spuistraat is the Luden, my favorite restaurant in Amsterdam.
Have a *jonge jenever* in the traditional overflowing fluted glass at the Hoppe Cafe. This is one of the oldest *brown bars* in the city. After the shops close you can easily meet professional and business people of your generation who want to practice their English. Go in the side door where the *insiders* hang out. Buy a round and you'll have friends for life. See the photo in the Queen's Day link.
A few doors away is the Cafe Luxembourg, one of the newest cafes and very good for lunch. It has probably been at this location about 30 years and is internationally famous.
The Hoppe and the Luxembourg are at the Spui, a short walk from the Kraz. This area is still fairly local, not mobbed with tourists as is the Leidseplein.
Stop in Haarlem on your way to Keukenhof. Stay loose and wait for a warm afternoon with no rain for your visit to Keukenhof. The tulips fold up at night and look best when they have had time to open up in the sun.

Since I'm not getting a commission on this sale that is enough said.

as I said, I stayed at the Kraz and did not like the location one bit.
Dam is not exactly a lovely spot and dep. stores in Amsterdam
are nothing special IMO.

Thank you thank you thank you, everyone! I still don't know exactly where we're staying, but you've all given me a lot to consider here.