Hotel recommendations: Amsterdam and Luxembourg City
 

I know there are many references to favorite hotels in Amsterdam and some for Luxembourg City, but I'm feeling pretty lazy and finding those recommendations buried in longer trip reports is proving overwhelming in addition to the rest of the research I'm doing.
Can I be lazy and ask for hotel recommendations in each city, please?
Hubby and I are spending 6 or 7 nights in Amsterdam (our base, will do day trips) and 2 or 3 nights in Lux City. Priority is location, location, location so that we can easily see sights and access restaurants/bars/cafes. Local flavor/ambience would be great, too, as opposed to a chain hotel. Budget? We don't want 5 star/deluxe properties, but nothing less than a 3 star/moderate, either. Is this too vague? The personal recommendations on the forum have proven SOOO valuable in the past - I hope the experts in the area don't mind sharing their favorites:)
Thanks very much in advance for all suggestions.

http://www.vvvamsterdam.nl/
give all info about Amsterdam.
There is a wide choice in hotels.
Very central are: Krasnapolsky, Radisson SAS, Golden Tulip, Ramada,
Le Coin, Esterea, Ibis (next to central station).

No personal recommendations?

For location in Amsterdam, the Leidseplein area is ideal for your priorities. The area is packed with restaurants and night spots, within walking distance or an easy tram ride to most of the best museums/sights, adjacent to great places to walk (Jordaan, Vondelpark), and there's an Avis rental office for day trips by car.

Several nice, mid-range hotels are in the Leidseplein: the American Hotel (now managed by the Eden group), the Marriott, and the NH Amsterdam Centre hotel among them.

Check on www.tripadvisor.com. I've booked the Canal House Hotel for 4 nights in May based on tripadvisor and reviews here.

www.kaphotel.nl

was a nice enough 3-star in a great location (near Leidseplein) on a quiet street. Hotel Asterik is similar and across the street. very nice breakfast in charming dining room is included in room price. this is not a fancy place but suited me fine.

A friend of mine has been researching Amsterdam Hotels, and based on a lot of work has narrowed it down to

Piet Hein www.hotelpiethein.com

NH A'dam Centre (mentioned above)

Ambassade www.ambassade-hotel.nl

Toren www.toren.nl not all bathrooms are ensuite, not sure if they have an elevator

Fita www.fita.nl room rate includes breakfast, laundry, and telephone calls to the USA.

There is variation among the above in rates, having a/c or not, having elevator or not

all of these hotels have excellent locations and reviews at tripadvisor.com
The Toren is a little out of the center in the Jordaan area (where Anne Frank house is) but not inconveniently located.

There are a million threads on Amsterdam hotels. We were very happy with the location, room and common areas at the Estherea. You should be able to get weekend rates for around 100Euros.

The Best Western International is a fine hotel right across from the Main train station in Luxembourg. It is a fine hotel & that is reasonably priced & w/in an easy walk of all attractions. It is a couple of blocks 'up the hill' to the city proper but not far at all. I would suggest a stop over in Namur (if my geography serves) or Maastricht en route if at all possible..

I've stayed at various hotels in Amsterdam. Let me preface my response by saying that A'dam is a place where you really get what you pay for - don't spring for something ultra-cheap because you'll end up in a no-star.

My favorites?

On a B&B level: t'Hotel on the Leliegracht. (Pronounced oot hotel, it means "the hotel" - so practical and clever, so Dutch!). Really sweet place on the quietest, cutest canal. The location borders the Jordaan neighborhood. No elevator, but the last time I was there, the nice (and fit) fella at reception carried up my bag. Clean, simple but not spartan. I had the big front-facing room on the top floor. Staying there made me want to move to Amsterdam. Oh, and the breakfast is very good too.

On a hotel level: The Ambassade on the Herengracht. The Ambassade is comprised of several ancient canal houses which were gutted and strung together into a beautiful hotel. The rooms are all different - the place is full of nooks and crannies. My room did not have a view of the canal, but was so pleasant and welcoming nonetheless. Excellent, excellent staff. Rather grand breakfast room - very cool experience. I took a cab to the airport on departure, but the front desk offered to have a porter walk me to Centraal Station and help me board the train if that had been my preference. And if that weren't enough, there is a lovely little spa on the first floor of one of the Ambassade's buildings, called the Koan Float. It has flotation tanks - which I did not try, but I had a super massage there.

Re the Estherea: I would pay the extra freight and get one of their best rooms (with the canopied beds and the old Dutch chandeliers and the view over the canal). I stayed in one of their bargain rooms and it was not a good experience.

We loved our first visit to Amsterdam last June (family of four)and really liked our rooms w/kitchenette at the Hotel Residence le Coin.
Here's my trip report, in case you're interested in some recommendations:
"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). "

Jennepoo: Look no further than the charming "Seven Bridges"..excellent boutique hotel smack on the Regulier Canal, walking distances to everywhere of interest..quiet street...reasonably priced in the range of a three-four star type. Owners are gay couple, fine guys, pleasant as can be. Rooms spotless and larger than normal. Just type in "seven bridges hotel"...

Stu T.

Parc Bel Air in Luxembourg. Easy access to downtown, on a beautiful park, surrounded by some good resturants. That would be my first choice. Everyone I know who has stayed there has reported excellent experiences.

My two cents - I prefer hotels in the Canal District such as the Toren or Canal House. It is an area that is quieter but still has alot of wonderful restaurants and canalside bars. More residents than toursits. You can easily walk from there to the busier parts of the city and main tourist attractions. If you want to be more in the center of activity, go for a hotel around the Leidensplein. Also Tripadvisor is a great place to get hotel ideas - well laid out to skim thru and then get details/reviews of those that interest you. Have a great trip - I love Amsterdam!

Minor correction to MaureenB's very insightful post: I believe it's the Cafe de Jaren she's referring to, on the same block but on the other side of the street as Le Coin. Great cafe for people-watching. The deck outside is so cool - I've watched patrons arrive via small boats of all sorts.

Dovima, you're right-- thanks for the correction. It's the Cafe de Jaren I meant to say. It does have a fantastic deck doesn't it? Wish I was there now!

Parc-Belle-Vue
5 avevue Marie-Therese in Luxembourg City. We have stayed there on 2 different occasions.Nice rooms, good location, Reasonably priced and a very nice breakfast.There is also parking available (for a fee), but even after we checked out we could leave our car for the rest of the day at no extra charge. The web site is www.hpb.lu

This is a priceless thread! I'm looking at hotels now. Amsterdam, Luxembourg, get ready for my "russian invasion" :))

IMHO the best of Luxembourg is not in Luxembourg City. Plan to get out into the towns and rural areas - it's lovely.

I will be in Amsterdam in two weeks I will be staying at the Hotel Grand Albus. Anyone know of this hotel?

Re: Amsterdam hotel

After the Ambassade priced itself out of my range, I switched to the Dikker & Thijs Fenice Hotel, a quite nice canal hotel just north of the Leidesplein. They have a website:
http://www.dtfh.nl.

I had a 5th floor non-smoking room overlooking the canals and rooftops of A'dam, which suited me perfectly. And my very reasonable rate included taxes, daily buffet breakfast, and a ticket to the Rijksmuseum or Van Gogh Museum (my choice).

We're staying at the Doelen later this month. It has good reviews, looks like a good location, and is recommended by a friend.

I'll give my opinion when we get back!

Byrd

Byrd -

I was at the NH Doelen earlier this year. Very nice place, staff was gracious.

I had a canal view room and it was lovely. Older furnishings, small but had a small table and sitting area where I drank my tea. It was very clean (and I'm real picky). Tea and coffee makings are furnished. Bath was very pretty, marble, modern and small, but had everything you need.

canterbury,

Thank you for the report. That's nice to hear!

We're really looking forward to our first trip to Amsterdam.

Byrd

Hi Byrd,
The Doelen is on the same street as the Cafe de Jaren mentioned above. It might be a good idea to have breakfast there instead of the hotel, costwise. However, the breakfast room at the Doelen has quite a history..... The Doelen is the building in which Rembrandt first exhibited his "Night Watch" to the public. The salon where the painted was displayed is now the breakfast room, with a reproduction of the painting in it. I loved the building but was lukewarm on the management at the Doelen. It's a property that is overdue for a makeover and could be so much more than what it is right now. However, it is a clean decent place to sleep and if you get an upstairs room with an Amstel River view, it's more than OK. And if you decide to arrive by yacht, they can accommodate you by means of their dock in the back!

dovima,

What a great little item about the Doelen bareakfast room!

Breakfast is included in our rate, so we'll be sure to remember that when we have our morning coffee.

Thank you for the historical note.

Byrd

We had an excellent stay at the OWL HOTEL in Amsterdam. www.owl-hotel.nl The room was small, as expected, but clean and maintained. The desk staff, night clerks, and the lovely women making breakfast (which was included), were all super helpful. We liked that the Owl is set back on a residential street right off of the Leidesplein, within walking distance of VondelPark, the Museumsplein, the Heinenken Experience... oh, and a grocery store. We were able to walk everywhere, only using the tram once to check into the hotel.

As much as we enjoyed it, we'll probably rent a houseboat or apartment next time.

I highly recommend L'Hotel Francais in Luxembourg City. It is small, cozy, affordable and right on the main square of the central pedestrian zone. The entire city is easily walkable from the hotel.

Bisco, this hotel looks so nice on the website, is this a safe location for a single woman? Also, it's a 3-story hotel, is there an elevator?

ttttt

I stayed at the Amsterdam American Hotel in April 2006 and it was great. Perfect location for public transporation (a tram stop is just across the street) and overlooking Leidseplein where there were plenty of restaurant options.

I was glad to find this post..

We are thinking about a side trip from Paris to Amsterdam in a couple of weeks. We looked at Mae's B&B as recommended by ms_go. Their cancellation policy is 14 days and so we'd have to be sure we are going.

Therefore looking at other places and this thread is helpful...

Would love to know a bit more about locations. While we usually walk everywhere this trip will be a bit slower because of ankle...

still trying to find a reasonable train fare for the RT in a 3/4 days??? any thoughts???

Thanks

I second L'Hotel Francais in Luxembourg City. The location right on the square can't be beat. It does have an elevator. We have been there twice, had a room overlooking the square, and opened our windows to a concert on the square.

I'm going to Amsterdam in April with my husband and parents. Can anyone recommend a nice hotel, not too expensive, with a great location to museums and attractions (I love the idea of being on a canal)? I've checked out some of the earlier comments and they've been helpful. Just looking for any more input. Thanks so much!

Margaret

Triangle hit re: Lisa_Ann.