Most atmospheric hotel in Amsterdam
 

Hello, my husband and I will be in Amsterdam this summer. We would like to stay in a 4 or 5 star hotel. We want something atmospheric and beautiful with comfort. Any suggestions??

Check out the Intercontinental Amstel at http://www.worldexecutive.com/citygu...m/hotel_1.html <BR>I stayed there for a couple of days (on someone else's dime) and was very impressed. My very large room had a beautiful view of the canal below and the largest and nicest bathroom I have ever seen in a hotel. It's a bit of a walk to the Central Station but very close to the Leidesplein (sp?). <BR>The hotel may not be what some may consider "atmospheric" but it sure is luxurious.

The Pulitzer hotel (a Sheraton, I think) looked very nice and is in a charming part of town, right on a canal. They also offer a terrific canal boat ride in a absolutely beautiful boat that seats, at most, 12 people - much nicer than packing into one of those tourboats that seats 100. It was the highlight of my long weekend there. The Hotel Pulitzer is on Prinsengracht 315-331, and their phone number is +31 20 523 523, and the fax is +31 20 627 675 3. It's very very close to the Westerkerk and the Ann Frank house. Enjoy!

Elizabeth, my wife and I were in Amsterdam in November and had a very pleasant four-day stay in a one-bedroom suite at the Ambassade, a four-star property. (A family that also posted recently to this site thought less of the property. You can search for their review and our own.) <BR> <BR>For ambience and atmosphere, you want to stay in a canal house hotel, and either the Ambssade or the Pulitzer, mentioned above, are the classic hotels converted from canal houses. Either hotel would be very convenient for exploring the city, as well as for looking out your window as the sun rises and sets. <BR> <BR>I would avoid the big chain hotels by the Leidesplain; they are inconvenient, and the Leidesplain is a garish, Times-Square-style area. Definitely not atmospheric.

Stayed at the Hotel Ambassade last week and had a lovely room. Overlooks the canal - atmosphere! They have a web site but I'm not sure of the URL. Also the Canal House was recommended to us but was booked out for our dates. <BR>

Here's more info on the Pulitzer. Although not exactly posh ( the canal houses are very old and were being renovated during our stay a year ago) it is, I believe, a 5 star hotel. It shows in the service which was outstanding. For instance, the porter took it upon himself to haul our luggage out to the street corner for us. And one night at dinner we didn't order appetizers but some were brought to us anyway, compliments of the chef. Their buffet breakfasts were a delight but there were other touches too like the little candy boxes which were replicas of their canal houses. And always, great service. The location is excellent for walking - not too far to the museums or downtown - and is just down the street from the Westerkirk (with the tallest tower in Amsterdam) and Ann Frank house. There's a small grocery store around the corner and cheese shop nearby. If you stay there, try to get a canal view room, but wherever you are, you willl probably have a wonderful time. We sure did! <BR>

I recommend the hotel Doelen in Nieuw <BR>Doelenstraat.It is central but very quiet, old and Grand.Most hotels in A'dam are very tight for space, but this <BR>is spacious.It's a 4-star but I prefer <BR>it to the 5-star Pulitzer.A good 3 star <BR>is the Eureka, also central but quiet. <BR>The Grand Hotel Krasnapolski (Dam Sq) <BR>has a wonderful restaurant but you can use it without being a guest - rooms cost more than they are worth, also it's <BR>too near the redlight. <BR> <BR>

You will probably see in your guide books a description of Het Canal House. We stayed there for 3 days in '97 and loved it - a double townhouse on the canal just a short walk from the Anne Frank House, the Westerkirk, and great restaurants and brown cafes, and not too much further of a walk to the Dam Square. I was somewhat concerned that it is American owned - I thought that might mean less local flavor - but I was wrong. The American owner has been in Amsterdam for about 30 years. Our room on the second floor faced the front street and canal and was spacious, with high windows that opened into the room - breakfast was in a luxurious dining room - there's a small bar for late afternoon drinks, the owner is a lively conversationalist and he'll recommend fantastic places for dinner nearby. This place will meet your criteria at somewhat less cost than the Pulitzer and others. <BR>

I would not recommend the Ambassade, although many people think it is great. I would go with the Amstel Intercontinental, and wish we had stayed there. As we walked around Amsterdam in March, we were very surprised that many of the hotels were not at all nice, even though they had good ratings. Couln't believe how run down the Crowne Plaza looked, same with the Hotel de l Europe, and the American hotel. Any by the way, take your gas mask, as the smoking is horrible. Hope you have a nice trip. We just returned Monday from Barcelona...that's one great city!