taconictraveler

I have been searching for a property (house or apartment) to rent for at least a week, for us and our friends in or very near Amsterdam, for May 2013. We would need 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.

I have been on several websites, and have two or three Dutch friends who have tried to help us, but so far, have not come up with anything suitable. It seems such places to rent are scarce, at least in the city or cities.

Does anyone know of a place or a site that might be suitable? If anyone can find it, I think it must be a fodorite!

lavandula

I did a search for you and the only one I have found sort of suitable so far is:

http://www.homeaway.nl/vakantiewoning/p418957

It has the right number of bedrooms but only 2 bathrooms, and 2 separate toilets. It's in the area Oud Zuid (Amsterdam).

The rest on the list all have 4 bedrooms but only one bathroom But might be worth a look. Once you start going up in bedrooms you get a lot of bunk beds.

http://www.homeaway.nl/search/refine...ure:2013-05-02

To get similar websites to what I had, I googled 'vakantiewoningen'.

Lavandula

ggreen

You didn't specify which sites you've searched - have you tried Airbnb? I've only heard good things about experiences here in NYC (though I know the Fodors boards show mixed results). Since you have friends in the Netherlands, maybe they can verify any space for you before committing... Good luck!

hetismij2

Multiple bathrooms in a Dutch house is very very rare. Most have just one bathroom (or shower room) and a second WC. Only very occasionally will there be two bathrooms.

I seriously doubt you will find a house with the number of bathrooms you want.

taconictraveler

Thanks to you all for trying. I have searched vrbo and homeaway, and I can't remember what other ones, but my conclusions so far are that it will be very difficult.

I am looking for a place for four couples, all retired, who have traveled together a couple of times, but in rural southern Tuscany and in the Dordogne - a far cry from Amsterdam in terms of housing. However bunk beds won't work.

But let me ask, am I incorrect in thinking that airbnb is really mostly for younger people, in possibly less comfortable quarters??

ggreen

taconic, I certainly can't speak for more than my own experience, but I recently "managed" my friend's apartment here in NYC while she was out of the country, and I've been looking into using it myself for a trip to Asia at the end of the year.

From what I understand researching the site and speaking to people, they have a good track record of matching guests with lodgings. One of the things they promote is the idea of guests being part of a neighborhood, and encourage hosts to be helpful in that regard. Also, there are safeguards in place such as reputation-building and verified photos. My friend said when she signed on to be a host, they sent someone to take pictures instead of relying on the host to provide them.

For my friend's apartment, there were three different airbnb reservations, the first of which was a Canadian couple who were probably in their late 50's or early 60's. The next was a man in town on business for a long weekend, and the last were two 30-something photographers from Berlin. All were interested in using the service for the same reasons so many Fodorites use vrbo, etc.

As for the types of spaces, from what I can see there's a very wide range from single rooms to entire homes. The Canadian couple told me they've been coming to NYC for years and renting apartments through the usual suspects. They loved my friend's apartment and were very happy they "got what they paid for".

So, go on the site -- www.airbnb.com -- and check out the "How it works" and "About" pages, and take a look around. (I was surprised to find out that one of the founders no longer has his own apartment but has lived only in Airbnb properties for the last year and a half!) Be sure to check the reviews of lodgings you're interested in, too.

Best of luck!!

Cathinjoetown

Have you tried for two two-bedroom apartments in the same building?

ggreen

I'd been thinking along those lines too. On Airbnb for example, when you view a place's details, there is a "similar listings" box and you often can figure out if there's another place in the same building.

In my comments about Airbnb, I forgot to add that one of the people I met in relation to my friend's listing was a young movie producer who told me he's been using Airbnb almost exclusively to scout locations because the verified photos are so accurate. FWIW.

hetismij2

I think even with two apartments in the same building you would still struggle on bathroom numbers.
Would you accept a house with two bathrooms? Consider a B&B maybe? Some B&B rooms include a kitchenette. You would be sure of each couple having a private bathroom.
Consider looking outside Amsterdam, where there is a bit more room for large houses. Or consider a holiday park - book a couple of bungalows next to each other.

hetismij2

What about this? http://www.homelidays.co.uk/amsterda...-171010en1.htm

There is this - but it is expensive! http://www.homelidays.co.uk/amsterda...-281822en1.htm

taconictraveler

Thanks again for all the good ideas.

I was thinking about two apartments in the same building as a possibility.

Hetismij: that one apartment looks like a possibility. Rather not pay that much, but....

However, I could. Ever get this crowd in bunk beds on a boat!