Amsterdam, how many days??
Oct 6th, 2008, 06:47 AM
#21
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BudgetQueen, although you said you rarely book ahead, I'd recommend trying Priceline if you can be un-spontaneous for a few days! 
If you specify a four-star hotel in the city center, you can almost always win one for around $129 (much cheaper than even a basic B&B and the three that seem to come up most are the Moevenpick (on the harbor), the Hilton (museum area), and the Krasnapolsky (city center). None are in the RLD. Just a note from my personal budgeteering experience -- we're headed to AMS this week!
If you specify a four-star hotel in the city center, you can almost always win one for around $129 (much cheaper than even a basic B&B and the three that seem to come up most are the Moevenpick (on the harbor), the Hilton (museum area), and the Krasnapolsky (city center). None are in the RLD. Just a note from my personal budgeteering experience -- we're headed to AMS this week!
Oct 6th, 2008, 07:25 AM
#22
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First, apologies for jumping in here to ask for info, but wondered if Gruezi and NorCalif could share some restaurant tips? My husb and I will be in AMS 4 nights, although we'll be with friends for her birthday two of those. We're staying at Hotel Estherea @ 303 Singel and would like ideas for cafes/music clubs for the evening.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Oct 6th, 2008, 08:13 AM
#23
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I hope this isn't too much information, but I've pasted below my trip report to Amsterdam which includes information on the hotel we liked, a day-trip we took, and some wonderful restaurants. Our family of four spent 5 nights there, and we loved it.
"LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Amsterdam! You always hear of the Red Light district and the coffee shops and the laissez-faire attitude, but you don’t hear how open and friendly the people are, how lovely the canals and side streets, how wonderfully trendy the restaurants and cafes, how people are out strolling at all hours of the night and you feel safe everywhere. I think I’d expected it to be quaint and charming (which it is), but in a dark wood-paneled cliché way, not in the young and contemporary way it is.
The standard reply we were given in Amsterdam, when we asked for anything, was always “Of course!” How refreshing.
We stayed in a fabulous location, at The Hotel Residence le Coin, which was directly across a small street from the Hotel de l’Europe, down the street from the Hotel Doelan, on Nieuwe Doelenstraat (sp?). A great neighborhood in the heart of old Amsterdam.
The hotel has a lift and A/C, also free use of the hotel’s washing machine and clothes dryer in the basement (which was welcome as we’d been traveling over a week when we arrived there). Each room has a little kitchenette, a nice-sized bath, large rooms with wooden floors and a sitting area. It’s fairly new, so everything sparkles. Very friendly front desk, too.
Two cafes on the same block as the hotel were wonderful: Café Katoen for a university atmosphere, and Café le Jarden, for great table seating on the canal.
Amazing dinners at two restaurants in particular:
“Stout!”, at Haarlemmerstraat 73 (www.restaurantstout.nl). Fabulous ‘foamy asparagus’ soup with shrimp, chateaubriande, fresh fish, dessert course, wine list. Very trendy lighting. Great service. We’d gone to the neighborhood in search of a restaurant called “Lof” which we’d seen written up. We didn’t like its atmosphere, but were lucky that Stout! was just across the street.
Also at “Restaurant Dining Eleven” we had a great dinner. It’s at Reestraat 11. Also trendy and contempory, well-presented and beautifully-served meal.
Another nice dinner at “frenzi”, at Swanenburgwal 232. Very simple and contemporary. We arrived shortly after 10:00p.m., when most restaurants close in Amsterdam, and persuaded the owner to sell us any left-overs they had in the kitchen! They put together a nice Caesar salad with cooked-in-the-shell shrimp and mango. Very nice.
Also a good brunch at a place across the street from frenzi—called “Puccini”. Creative salads and sandwiches. Very nice also.
We took a canal cruise one evening. Toured the Anne Frank Huis and the Van Gogh Museum. Visited the Nieuwe Kerk (sp?) Our teens went to a concert at the Paradiso and loved it.
One afternoon we did the 2:30 “Best of Holland” excursion to Volendam and Marken, with a stop to see wooden clogs made, Gouda cheese created, and to visit windmills. It was by bus, with a boat from Volendam to Marken. A lot of fun. Even our two teens liked it.
Our teens also liked shopping at one street in particular, between our hotel and the museum district. Also a Zara shop there, and many others like it. They thought the selection and prices were better in Amsterdam than what they’d seen in London and Paris even.
A detail about Amsterdam if you go there-- carry enough Euros in cash, because many places won't accept a credit card for a 'small' purchase (i.e. under 25 EU).
The only unpleasantness we encountered in Amsterdam related to cab rides and inconsistent pricing. Especially when our two teens were grossly overcharged cabbing to the hotel from the concert. They were well aware of the route, having walked it already twice, but we'd wanted them to cab home late at night. They knew the cabbie took a very round-about way back in order to over-charge. Also, when we arrived at the taxi sand at Central Station, I was literally swarmed by rather aggressive cabbies and felt uncomfortably jostled by them all."
"LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Amsterdam! You always hear of the Red Light district and the coffee shops and the laissez-faire attitude, but you don’t hear how open and friendly the people are, how lovely the canals and side streets, how wonderfully trendy the restaurants and cafes, how people are out strolling at all hours of the night and you feel safe everywhere. I think I’d expected it to be quaint and charming (which it is), but in a dark wood-paneled cliché way, not in the young and contemporary way it is.
The standard reply we were given in Amsterdam, when we asked for anything, was always “Of course!” How refreshing.
We stayed in a fabulous location, at The Hotel Residence le Coin, which was directly across a small street from the Hotel de l’Europe, down the street from the Hotel Doelan, on Nieuwe Doelenstraat (sp?). A great neighborhood in the heart of old Amsterdam.
The hotel has a lift and A/C, also free use of the hotel’s washing machine and clothes dryer in the basement (which was welcome as we’d been traveling over a week when we arrived there). Each room has a little kitchenette, a nice-sized bath, large rooms with wooden floors and a sitting area. It’s fairly new, so everything sparkles. Very friendly front desk, too.
Two cafes on the same block as the hotel were wonderful: Café Katoen for a university atmosphere, and Café le Jarden, for great table seating on the canal.
Amazing dinners at two restaurants in particular:
“Stout!”, at Haarlemmerstraat 73 (www.restaurantstout.nl). Fabulous ‘foamy asparagus’ soup with shrimp, chateaubriande, fresh fish, dessert course, wine list. Very trendy lighting. Great service. We’d gone to the neighborhood in search of a restaurant called “Lof” which we’d seen written up. We didn’t like its atmosphere, but were lucky that Stout! was just across the street.
Also at “Restaurant Dining Eleven” we had a great dinner. It’s at Reestraat 11. Also trendy and contempory, well-presented and beautifully-served meal.
Another nice dinner at “frenzi”, at Swanenburgwal 232. Very simple and contemporary. We arrived shortly after 10:00p.m., when most restaurants close in Amsterdam, and persuaded the owner to sell us any left-overs they had in the kitchen! They put together a nice Caesar salad with cooked-in-the-shell shrimp and mango. Very nice.
Also a good brunch at a place across the street from frenzi—called “Puccini”. Creative salads and sandwiches. Very nice also.
We took a canal cruise one evening. Toured the Anne Frank Huis and the Van Gogh Museum. Visited the Nieuwe Kerk (sp?) Our teens went to a concert at the Paradiso and loved it.
One afternoon we did the 2:30 “Best of Holland” excursion to Volendam and Marken, with a stop to see wooden clogs made, Gouda cheese created, and to visit windmills. It was by bus, with a boat from Volendam to Marken. A lot of fun. Even our two teens liked it.
Our teens also liked shopping at one street in particular, between our hotel and the museum district. Also a Zara shop there, and many others like it. They thought the selection and prices were better in Amsterdam than what they’d seen in London and Paris even.
A detail about Amsterdam if you go there-- carry enough Euros in cash, because many places won't accept a credit card for a 'small' purchase (i.e. under 25 EU).
The only unpleasantness we encountered in Amsterdam related to cab rides and inconsistent pricing. Especially when our two teens were grossly overcharged cabbing to the hotel from the concert. They were well aware of the route, having walked it already twice, but we'd wanted them to cab home late at night. They knew the cabbie took a very round-about way back in order to over-charge. Also, when we arrived at the taxi sand at Central Station, I was literally swarmed by rather aggressive cabbies and felt uncomfortably jostled by them all."
Oct 6th, 2008, 09:44 AM
#25
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We stayed in Vondelpark. It is close to the Rijksmuseum. Even though we never got near the red light district we saw drugs and drug culture everywhere.
I'd suggest staying in Haarlem or another small town outside the city. Spend your time seeing the gardens, windmills and farmland that make the rest of the country charming.
In Amsterdam, we liked the canal tour. The museums are just okay. If you will be seeing museums in Paris, London, Rome, Florence, Munich, Berlin or a number of other cities on your trip, you can skip museums here.
As a minimum (depending on what you want to see) a one-day trip into Amsterdam may be plenty. Add at least one day outside of Amsterdam to see other Netherlands sites.
I'd suggest staying in Haarlem or another small town outside the city. Spend your time seeing the gardens, windmills and farmland that make the rest of the country charming.
In Amsterdam, we liked the canal tour. The museums are just okay. If you will be seeing museums in Paris, London, Rome, Florence, Munich, Berlin or a number of other cities on your trip, you can skip museums here.
As a minimum (depending on what you want to see) a one-day trip into Amsterdam may be plenty. Add at least one day outside of Amsterdam to see other Netherlands sites.
Oct 6th, 2008, 11:27 AM
#26
<i>In Amsterdam, we liked the canal tour. The museums are just okay. </i>
Well, I've been to Paris, Rome, Berlin, Munich and London, and I absolutely loved the museums in Amsterdam. Some of my favorite artwork lies in those museums. Please don't miss them!
gruezi
Well, I've been to Paris, Rome, Berlin, Munich and London, and I absolutely loved the museums in Amsterdam. Some of my favorite artwork lies in those museums. Please don't miss them!
gruezi
Oct 6th, 2008, 11:35 AM
#27
My favorite place for dinner was De Reiger Nieuwe Leliestraat 34.
It's what's called a brown bar restaurant. Cozy, friendly, and great food. I ate there alone twice because I enjoyed it so much and I was made so welcome.
gruezi
It's what's called a brown bar restaurant. Cozy, friendly, and great food. I ate there alone twice because I enjoyed it so much and I was made so welcome.
gruezi
Oct 6th, 2008, 11:41 AM
#28
Everyone sees thru different eyes I guess, but I did not see "drug culture" everywhere in the city. A few people I noticed, a few places but nothing that was as all-pervasive as people sometimes make it sound, or would in any way negativly effect a tourist on vacation.
Oct 7th, 2008, 07:06 AM
#31
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Ah. Good point, BudgetQueen. You can't be guaranteed two beds, and I personally "won" a king room. I've never tried requesting two beds after a Priceline booking so I can't be much help there! Perhaps another poster has had experience?
Oct 7th, 2008, 07:16 AM
#32
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We absolutely loved A-dam. It's one of the best cities we've ever visited for just walking around...which is what we always love to do.
Nice people, laid-back vibe, clean, good transportation, good food, convivial pubs, and everyone speaks English. What's not to like?
Our pix: http://travel.webshots.com/album/556041688oRprzx
Nice people, laid-back vibe, clean, good transportation, good food, convivial pubs, and everyone speaks English. What's not to like?
Our pix: http://travel.webshots.com/album/556041688oRprzx
