I am doing the Fodor's research for a friend. She uses a travel agent that she is not very happy with. Since I have gotten such great information here I asked if I could help her plan her trip. She is looking for a 4/5 star hotel and things she must do and see. Thanks for any help you can give. Laura

Take a look at the Park Hotel in Amsterdam (on the web). It is a 4 star hotel, in the Museum district, on a canal. It is near the Rijks museum and van Gogh museum. We have stayed in this hotel on our last three trips to Amsterdam and will stay there again. Ask for a room facing the canal. The service is great and the buffet breakfast is amazing.

On the Dam the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky

Just watch the vomit on the steps of the monument outside the front door. Great hotel but boy are there some sights out the front !!!!

Dam Square is plain and crowded. Suggest you look at the Ambassade Hotel on the Herengracht canal. They have a website.

We stayed at the Canal House Hotel for our honeymoon a couple years ago and loved it. The website is http://www.canalhouse.nl/. I think it is 4 stars. I'm not sure what your friend is looking for in accommodations, but the hotel is full of antiques, and our room was very cozy, comfortable and spotless - but not formal.

The hotel is in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam. Jordaan is a beautiful neighborhood - the most picturesque area we encountered. It's in walking distance to shops, restaurants, cafes; only a few blocks down from the Anne Frank House.

In terms of "must do's," the Anne Frank House was incredibly moving and I highly recommend it. I also just loved walking around, exploring and taking pictures of canals. Also enjoyed the Rijksmuseum.

Krasnapolsky is a nice hotel, but beware of the cheaper rooms; they are awful, and the area is indeed not the nicest. I have stayed at the Pulitzer on Prinsengracht, and that is nice (a Starwood I think). If you want to spend a lot of money, go for Blakes; gorgeous, minimalistic, with fantastic Thai restaurant, in a historic house on the Canals (Keizersgracht if I'm not mistaken).

Other fodorites who love Amsterdam probably will know more about this topic than I do, but based on my recent trip there, your friend might want to think a little differently about hotel choices in Amsterdam - e.g. think "character", not stars/ traditional concepts of luxury.

Amsterdam seems to have a number of amazing little hotels (bigger than B&Bs, but smaller than American hotels), lots of character, but not necessarily all trappings of comfort level you'd get in a traditional luxury American 4/5 star hotel. And th 4/5 star hotels in Amsterdam might be ugly boxes that don't blend with the rest of the city. (By contrast, in Hong Kong, if you can afford it, a "super luxury high rise tower is exactly what you do want, because it fits with Hong Kong.)

I stayed in cozy, quirky, beautifully decorated hotel in Amsterdam - bigger than a B&B, smaller than a traditional hotel - in the museum district - it's called the de Filosoof. Not a luxury hotel (probably a 3 star), but very attractive, and I was much happier with this choice than my 5 star hotel in the Hague the next day, or my 4 star (the Toro Hotel) in Amsterdam later that week.

For further research, you might look at the new series published by Eyewitness Travel Guides - it's called "Top 10 in ...". It had a series of great "top 10" lists for hotels: top 10 for business, top 10 for luxury, top 10 for character, top 10 for families, etc.

Also Tripadvisor is a great consolidator of information for hotels etc. I always check it when I'm researching hotels because it pulls together information from a variety of sources and includes user reviews.

We stayed at the Victoria, a four-star hotel right across from Centraal train station. If you like the big North American-style hotels, you'll love it. The room was big, even by US standards. It also had that generic upscale decor with nice bath amenities. The location is great, right off the Damrak and steps from the tram hub and the top sights. It can be a very noisy area well into the night, but the hotel's soundproofing is more than adequate.

We just returned from Amsterdam and had a delightful 5 nights at the Canal HOuse with a room that faced the Canal (#26?). It is a lovely hotel and a great breakfast room overlooking a back garden. It is surrounded by wonderful restaurants and within walking distance to public transportation (one doesn't want to drive there!) or you can hoof it like we do to anywhere. Also there is a laundromat a short distance away where you can do it yourself or have someone do it for you. And I agree that the neightborhood is fabulous!

In 1997 we stayed at the Park Hotel and really enjoyed it Staff went out of their way to be helpful, room was very large, buffet breakfast included was great, and being in the heart of activities was nice. Our room had a view of the square (canal, cafes, casino, etc).

There was one draw back. At that time only 2 hotels in Amsterdam had air conditioning. The Marriott and Hotel Americain (I think)(Both are on the same square as the Park and could be seen from our hotel). We were there in August and although it was suppose to be there normal low 70s, instead it was low 80s. As a result windows had to be left open and it was a little noisy.

If she is really looking for a 4 or 5* find out how she feels about air and what time of year she is going.

The things we truly enjoyed were a canal cruise, Anne Frank House tour, Heineken Brewery tour (including the free beer at the end), Diamond house tour (a little commercial but interesting), shopping and the casino.

I second (or third) the recommendation for the Canal House. We, too just returned from a 3 day stay there. I don't think it is quite a 4 star, but is very quaint. I felt more like I was a guest in someone's house rather than a hotel - it was that quaint. It is comfortable and cozy, but not luxurious. The staff is very nice and will give you recommendations for anything you need. You are facing a canal, and my husband and I enjoyed walking along the canals at night... You are away from the 'touristy' part of Amsterdam, and you get more of a feel for the town than what it is most famous for.

It is down the street from Hotel Toren, which is hard to get into as it is in all travel books.

On a prior trip, since all the hotels in Amsterdam were booked up due to a convention, we had to stay at Denn Hagg - at a Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, nonetheless. Although it was a 5*, and had all the luxuries one could want, I was a little disappointed. I was hoping for something quaint and romantic. The Canal House fits the bill.

Have not read all reply's but can not believe someone has not mentioned the Hotel de l'Europe. Have stayed there a few times, and always enjoyed it very much. Try to get a room overlooking the canal. The rooms are quite large and close walking distance or short trolley ride to any and all activities, museums, shopping !

Absolutely agree with The Canal House. Great stay. Wonderful location. Fab breakfasts. Entertaining cocktails. Cozy room with a wonderful bed and bath. No lift.

We had two delightful stays at the Pulitzer. Two completely different rooms... but both charming.

My husband and I adored the Pulitzer too. Consisting of old canal houses, the rooms are different. We didn't care for the first room we got so switched to a canal view one, which was much nicer. The staff was fabulous. We liked the Pulitzer's location and enjoyed their breakfasts.

The Canal house does have a lift but you need to walk up a small flight of stairs go thru the breakfast room to get to the lift. It is in a quiet neighborhood and away from the "touristy" area but yet close to some wonderful restaurants, public transportation and a laundromat.

You're right firstmate; the l'Europe is very good, I have stayed there too. The grandest hotel in Amsterdam is probably the Amstel; don't think anyone mentioned that. I don't like the location though.