anyone stayed at the canel house or amsterdam wiechamn. What did you think?

I would like to see some replies to this message too because I am trying to decide between the Canal House, or a little cheaper - the Agora, or the Hoksbergen. All 3 of these hotels have gotten rave reviews, but any additional info would really be appreciated to help me decide. I wonder if it would really be worth it to pay more for the Canal House.

I stayed at both the Canal House and Hotel Wiechmann in August '98. The CH is much fancier--the breakfast room is beautiful and the food selection was better. All rooms are antique furnished. The Wiechmann is less fancy; you get what you pay for. They do have some rooms with antiques, but you must specifically request one (and pay more). Both locations are excellent. CH is a more romantic hotel, closer to Anne Frank's house. Wiechmann is clean and good for the price.

Westayed at Hotel Agora this past March. I posted my evaluation on the "Rants& Raves" section of this site. I also posted my comments to this forum, but right now the search function doesn't like me

Found my comments: <BR>--------- <BR>The Hotel Agora doesn't "present" well on first appearance. The facade looks like a business rather than a charming canal house. You have to be buzzed in. The lobby is long and bare. The masses of flowers spoken of in the Fodor's review were two small bouquets of white flowers that blended into the white walls of the lobby.From the front door to the room it took 3 swipes of your key card. It initially felt like a youth hostel in a bad neighborhood. The rooms are simple, with maybe one "antique" apiece. [I saw 2 rooms]The rooms are clean and well-maintained, but not charming or chic. <BR>So why recommend Hotel Agora? First your hosts. They may not know all the answers, but they are very kind and accomodating. For example on the morning we left they gave us breakfast early and gave our [early arriving] taxi driver a cup of coffee! Breakfast was great! The assortment of breads was augmented by meat, cheese and yogurt. You could eat all you wanted. Again the room wasn't "charming", but there was a candle coffee warmer on each table and a candle chandelier AND classical music playing. And the bathrooms were VERY modern with ceramic tile, a GREAT shower and a hairdryer. The location is also great. You are an easy walk from almost every major Amsterdam site. Hotels aren't cheap in the central area, and this one isn't "gorgeous", but it has a lot going for it.

We've stayed at the Canal House a couple of times, loved it. In addition to the attractive rooms, great dining room and cozy bar, the CH is wonderfully located on the canal but just a few steps from the Jordaan area, with its fun shops, cafes, bars. Worth the money IMO.