I want to suprise my wife with a trip to Amsterdam the last week of April. Anyone been there at theat time? Can you recommend hotels or B & B's? What about seeing the tulips, do anyone have any suggestions. We will be there for 4 nights. Any suggestions and recommendations will be appreciated.

JOE

Hi,first of all if you are going the last week of April, you may hit Queen's Day..That is if you haven't departed by April 30th..It is a big party all through Amsterdam, all the trams are shut down and it is like 1 big flea market/party...You might not want to book your flight home for that day..
There are ton's of hotels, depends on your budget..Also depends what area of Amsterdam you would like to stay in..I would suggest, if you are only 4 days to say somewhere central..We are staying at the Hotel Agora from April 11th until the 19th..It is a typical Dutch canal house that has been refurbished and it is €135 per night.It is down the street from the Flower Market and on the Singel Canal..If you want to spend more the Estherea Hotel is very nice, also on the Singel Canal and close to everything that is central...We are taking a bike tour through the Tulips on April 15th..There is another one going on April 29th, i think...
www.letsgo-amsterdam.com...A canal boat cruise is a nice idea...If you are into museums there is the Van Gough and the Rijksmuseum..Anne Frank House...Just walking around is fun, and that you will do lots of it i am sure...Leidseplein is full of restaurants and bars...At that time of the year there should be street entertainment there and on the Dam Square. Shopping on Kalverstraat...I could go on forever.. Just depends what you like to do..I am sure others will have more suggestions..Happy planning, Amsterdam is a fun city and I am looking forward to going back in a few weeks...

Ride the trams and canal boats, and just stroll - there's always something to catch the eye.

Definitely try to be there for Queen's Day if you can - people really let their hair down, and the things they put on sale might just provide the kind of souvenir you wouldn't normally expect to find.

See a film at the Tuschinski cinema,if only for the decor.

You should get plenty of good ideas and impressions from:

www.channels.nl

and the official Dutch tourist site:
http://www.holland.com/uk/cities2/amsterdam/index.html

Don't miss a trip to Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse at that time as it is peak season. Also, I second the recommendation of the Hotel Estherea (http://www.estherea.nl/). We stayed there a month or so ago and it was very convenient and just what we needed. Don't waste your money on the breakfast though. Not worth it in my opinion. Don't miss the Pancake Bakery just up from the Anne Frank Huis and the Haesje Claes (not sure of spelling) restaurant around the corner from the hotel is good too - typical Dutch food.

I can highly recommend the Seven Bridges Hotel. A small, charming, inexpensive (for Amsterdam) hotel in a perfect location. I LOVED staying there. They are also listed here on Fodor's:

http://www.fodors.com/rants/rrread.c...=name&pg=5

Are you going THIS April? If so, you need to get a hotel right now. Because of the tulips, April is a very popular time to go there.

Here is a great online guide, everything you'd want to know...

http://homepages.cwi.nl/~steven/amsterdam.html