Hi,

I recently posted a question asking for help to find accommodation in Berlin/which were the best neighborhoods to stay in. Now, i'm after some advice for the Amsterdam leg of our trip

I am having a lot of issues finding decently priced accommodation for us. I do understand that Amsterdam is very expensive, however it is turning out to be more expensive than Paris accommodation wise according to my research!

We are a couple in our early 20s, looking to stay somewhere central that isn't too far away from nightlife, restaurants, attractions. We will be in Amsterdam for 5 nights, in either August or October (waiting on partners leave for work to be confirmed) I have received such great advice from fodorites in the past, that any advice you have for this topic would be so appreciated. Our budget is between 90-135 euros a night (is this possible?). We are struggling to find accommodation in this price range.

Would it be a better idea to rent an apartment via AirBNB or VRBO? Do any of the readers have any suggestions on good hotels/apartments they have stayed in before?

Thanks for your time.

Have you looked at eurocheapo.com It is actually powered by booking.com. They seem to have a number of places in that price range and I like them and booking.cm because you can filter by being able to cancel fro free if you need to. Amsterdam is quite small as cities go, and has great transport so you don't have to be quite as sensitive to neighborhood as in a large city like London for example IMO

We liked the Owl Hotel - very close to Leidseplein which has a lot of restaurants. It's also close to the museums, parks and only a few tram stops to other attractions. As an added bonus we took a bus from the airport which stopped at Leidseplein so didn't have to bother with a train & tram.

We rented through AirBnB, we were within the canal rings and walking distance to the train station. I think that we paid less than $100 per night for the room--shared the brand new bathroom with the owner. Look for my trip report; click on my name to find it. I think that your price range is very possible as long as you are willing to rent a room rather than have your own apartment.

It should be easy to find a decent place for 135 Euros/night in Amsterdam on Booking.com, unless you are visiting at a very busy time in Amsterdam. As in any city, the busier it is, the more hotel rooms are in demand, the higher the prices.

If you want to stay in a really nice Hyatt hotel in Amsterdam for free, there's still time to get a Hyatt Chase Visa card - if you spend $1,000 in the first three months, you get two free nights at any Hyatt hotel in the world (provided there is availability on those dates). The annual fee of $75 is waived the first year; you can just cancel before the end of the first year to avoid paying anything, as long as you can charge $1,000 on a Visa in three moths. I did this in Paris in 2013 and stayed two nights free at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme (normally about 700 Euros a night). In June I'm doing it again with two free nights at the Andaz Amsterdam, Prinsengracht (normally about 400 Euros/night). Doing the Hyatt deal now for August might be kind of tight but you might swing it for October, if they happen to have award rooms available.

Sorry cant help with specifics. But you need to understand that Berlin is very cheap in terms of accommodations and Amsterdam is not. I think you will have trouble at that price unless you move further away from the center.

Have you even BEEN to Booking.com?

I just put in a five night span in August for the Amsterdam central area and ALL KINDS of hotels came up that were WELL WITHIN your price range so what is the problem here?

Look, this is not some city where you will probably get robbed, mugged, and all the rest of it so this whole thing about "best" needs to be "within the amount I am willing to pay-BEST" and plan on using public transport.

Sharing a bathroom with the owner? Sorry, not necessary.

There may be something going on in the city. Look at the same premise one week and two weeks before and one week and two weeks after. If the week you are looking at is significantly higher, you will be fighting an uphill battle by sticking with your target date.

@Dukey1 - Yes i have been looking through booking.com, however we are going in the first few weeks of August, do require a room with a double bed, as well as WIFI and Air conditioning in an area close enough the centre of the city - this does seem to narrow down options quite a bit. I'm not complaining at all of the lack of places, i just would love some good advice on places we can stay.

A lot of the accommodation that is left on booking.com is in Oud Zuid - is this too far out of the city centre? Looking at a map it seems like quite a while

@Dukey1 - Yes i have been looking through booking.com, however we are going in the first few weeks of August, do require a room with a double bed, as well as WIFI and Air conditioning in an area close enough the centre of the city - this does seem to narrow down options quite a bit. I'm not complaining at all of the lack of places, i just would love some good advice on places we can stay.

A lot of the accommodation that is left on booking.com is in Oud Zuid - is this too far out of the city centre? Looking at a map it seems like quite a while

jpie - i've started looking on eurocheapo and it looks like there are a few more options on there thank you!

Mars123- Owl Hotel looks great, however it is slightly out of our price range. If it comes down to it we can extend the range a little bit!

I am still in the process of looking through Airbnb, so i will keep you updated on what i can find! Michael - we would be renting a private home if we did rent at all, we aren't very comfortable with renting just a room and sharing a bathroom with the owner.

If your dates are fixed, then you have to find the best compromise of location, price, and amenities. You've already got the basic sites most of us would use to find a place. Maybe those dates are very busy and therefore expensive. That's one of the hazards of travel: you might land in a place that's busy and expensive when you are there.

Hi Andrew - completely understand what you are saying. Our dates aren't fixed, we do have room to move slightly, but it would involve re-organising the order of cities we are visiting (could potentially land us in another city for an equally as expensive week). But will have a play with dates and see where it lands us

Look at Amphora B&B in Amsterdam -- you can thank me later

<i> Amsterdam accommodation trouble
Posted by: kiwiabroad3000 on Mar 28, 16 at 8:15pm</i>

AC in Amsterdam? You are more likely to need to turn the heat on, even in August.

There are loads of B+Bs available at prices well under $100 a night. Try searching on
https://www.google.com/#q=bed+and+breakfast+amsterdam

I prefer to stay in Haarlem. It is much more pleasant and less expensive, and less than 20 minutes to Amsterdam by train.

Try the Hotel Fita. It may be a bit above your initial budget but breakfast is included and is amazing. Also, the staff there is so friendly and helpful - they even did our laundry for no charge!

I wouldn't stay in Haarlem if Amsterdam is your focus even though it is a lovely city.

>>however we are going in the first few weeks of August, <<

Not according to your OP . . . >>in <i>either</i> August or October<<

Why not wait until you actually know when you are traveling.

>> . . . do require a room with a double bed,<<

Not quite sure why this is a limiting criteria since the vast majority of rooms have a double bed.

A/c is definitely not required in October, and probably isn't required in August.

check out pension homeland. by now it must seem like I have a vested interest in them, but I have not. Almost everything is free for augustus, price can't be beat and the location is really really special, I promise

http://ws01.smarthotel.nl/obe/(S(b5d...hotelid=130428

hope the link works, otherwise it's

http://pensionhomeland.com/logies/

PS, be aware that there is a crackdown going on aimed at AirBnB landlords. Many people sublet their council houses and the hunt is on.

menachem is correct.
Here is the offical tourist webs where you can look and find something that suits your price range.
http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visitin.../where-to-stay
Note what they say about Private holiday rentals.
"Legal requirements

Make sure that you book your stay with a bona fide host. Don’t hesitate to ask your host if he or she complies with local rules, and do take a close look at the pictures of the apartment. Does the accommodation look like someone lives there, or like a home that is rented out permanently? In that case it may be an illegal holiday rental. Apartments for more than four people are always illegal. The municipality enforces actively on illegal accommodations. Do note that tourist taxes always have to be remitted. If you feel unsure as to whether an apartment is being rented out legally, take a look at the official guidelines here* (*website in Dutch so please use your browser's 'translate' function in order to access the information in English)."
If you want a cheaper vacation then you have to avoid the busiest time of the year. No matter where you go.