Overnight at AMS
 

Aug 2nd my KLM flight gets into Amsterdam, AMS, at 10:15 pm. Flight out next day to USA leaves at 8:25am. So I'm stuck there AMS overnight. Any easy to get to and inexpensive hotel rooms at or in AMS? Or just anyplace just to sleep a few hours? Is it safe to snooze off on a bench in the airport? Thanks for any suggestions.

regards - Carolyn

We've stayed several times at the Schiphol Ibis and have had no complaints. Much better than staying at the airport IMO.

Someone did a trip report about staying in the pods at AMS. They are supposedly within the secure transit area. You can search the Europe forum to see if you can find a link to their review, but I think they thought it was fine.
http://www.yotel.com/

You could try the citizenM hotel, which is walkable from the terminal building. My husband stayed there last month and said it was comfortable and funky. It's worth pre-paying online if possible.
http://www.citizenmamsterdamairport.com/

There are plenty of options nearby. In the secure area of the terminal is the Yotel. It is easily accessible from the non-Schengen side of the airport. I stayed at the Yotel in Heathrow and thought it perfect for something like your layover. If you are claustrophobic, stay away, but otherwise, the beds are great, the TV worked, towels were plush, and the shower was good.

There is also a Mercure Hotel attached to the airport, but I have read poor reviews.

You can also walk (if I remember right) to the Sheraton, Hilton, and Citizen M. Given your itinerary, I would try to stick with these hotels (or the Yotel) for convenience.

Further afield, there is an Accor complex that includes an Ibis and another budget hotel (F1, maybe?) not too far away. Don't know what the shuttle is like.

There are also a ton of hotels in Hoofdorp with shuttles. I have stayed at the Crowne Plaza and the NH. Both were fine, but I would take the NH over the Crowne Plaza, though the Crowne Plaza bar was really quite nice.

Closer, but in the other direction is the Dorint. I stayed here as well and really liked it. Gorgeous hotel and very nice, modern rooms (if small) - nice pool. But, it isn't cheap and I would probably just take the convenience of one of the airport hotels.

Finally, if you wanted to rough it, there is a quiet area with barcalounger-type seats on the upper floor of the non-Schengen area. Just follow the signs to the airline lounges. They are pretty comfortable seats, but I would probably spring for the hotel.

One other thing to note... The shuttles from AMS are not always as reliable as you might want them, and the cabbies are not happy if you ask to be taken to a nearby hotel. So, weigh your patience in waiting for the shuttle into the equation.

I mention this because my company has an office near the airport, and it is like pulling teeth to get a cabbie to take you to the office

The Ibis shuttle has always been reliable for us. YMMV.

who's "carolyn"?

Thanks very much all of you, all most helpful. Carolyn has decided to stay at the Yotel Schiphol Airport that night, 55 Euro. She will be coming back from watching her daughter, Elaine Youngs, play in the FIVB beach volleyball tournament in Klagenfurt Austria.

So rizzuto my buddy, that's who Carolyn is and better yet she is my sweetheart girlfriend of many years :-)

regards - tom

i know well that you are, to put it politely, careful with your expenditures. Still, the price of acquiring her own Fodor's account for Carolyn would be very small, indeed.

but it's so much more romantic to share a Fodors login :S- .

regards - tom