Places to stay in AMS?

Old Nov 9th, 2007, 10:24 PM
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Places to stay in AMS?

Good fares available for Thanksgiving week, got to pick up some miles.

Would go to the big museums so thought about staying in Museumplein but is it really a residential area?

Not expecting great weather so maybe minimize walking around?

Open to apartments or hotels and suggestions of which area.
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Old Nov 9th, 2007, 10:56 PM
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Hi Scrb,
We stayed with Peter at Boogaards B&B, don't know if this or not but we were more than happy.
http://www.boogaardsbnb.com/index.html

Best wishes for a great holiday.
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 06:40 AM
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You can stay anywhere between Leidseplein, Vondelpark and Museumplein for easy walking to the 'big' museums. Trams are a great way to get around, and you can get a 72-hr pass for about 13E across the street from Centraal. Museumplein is a large open area, no landscaping really (is there a soccer field there?) but surrounded with typical Amsterdam houses, cafes, shops. The Concertbegouw(sp?) is off Museumplein as well.

Some potential hotels in that area:
<>Hotel Piet Hein - 120-170€
http://www.hotelpiethein.nl/
<>Hotel Aalders - 95-149€
http://www.hotelaalders.nl/en_site/
(might be a bit 'dated' but clean)
<>Hotel Fita - 130-160€
http://www.fita.nl/
..and there's always the Marriott...
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 06:49 AM
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No "soccer" field at Museumplein, just a big patch of grass. It is due to be dug up and redesigned yet again soonish.
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 06:54 AM
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Open to apartments or hotels and suggestions of which area.

Have a price in mind?
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 08:34 AM
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The tourist area of Amsterdam is not that large. We preferred the Jordaan area over Museumplein in our first visit in October,and walked from our hotel to the museums, etc. You could of course take the tram.
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 08:37 AM
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Meant to add:

http://www.canalhouse.nl/

E150 in early October. We really liked it and would return.
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 10:56 AM
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Look into Hotel Zandbergen, http://www.hotel-zandbergen.com. It doesn't get much more residential than this, and about a 10 min walk (or 1 min on the tram) down to the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. The proprietor is wonderful and will ensure you have all the info you need to have a great stay in the city. We were thrilled with our choice of accommodation there.
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 01:46 PM
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Thanks for the great suggestions. ITA is showing SFO-MSP-AMS and back for $714 complete on KLM.

But when I actually try to book it on nwa.com, they don't even show that route, but a route through Detroit with a 11-hour layover!

I called KLM/NW and they said the fare would be over $1000.

So I think I will have to save these ideas for another time.
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 02:19 PM
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Did you look at the KLM site too? Often although they code share they show different routes.
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 02:21 PM
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Oh I see they direct you to NWA - sorry.
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 02:23 PM
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But NWA do list the MSP route if you do a search, not as cheap as you said -990 dollars, but the route is there.
Shame you won't make it over.
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 02:47 PM
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Strange thing is, the hubs like AMS, LHR and CDG are actually more expensive than other cities.

For instance, it's cheaper to go to FCO via CDG than just to CDG on AF right now.

For off season, fares are pretty high right now. A couple of years ago, I went SFO to FCO for about $750 complete.

Now, it's at least $1300 or so (unless I take that funny Detroit route and stay there 11 hours and arrive Monday in Rome).

But I can get to Vienna for about $860.

Other option I'm considering is going to Rome from LAX for under $1100, LAX-CDG-FCO and back.

It's more than AMX and VIE but weather is about 20 degrees Farenheit warmer.

I should have planned this much longer ago than at the very last minute.

That is why I will save AMS for another time.

Again, this info. on different districts is very helpful.

One thing I wasn't sure about was if there was an all-encompassing transport pass, including canal buses.

I think Frommer's said there is one but it's like 23 Euro a day so you have to really use it a lot. But they also refer to some electronic thing which sounds like the London Oyster card. Is there a discount for using that?
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Old Nov 10th, 2007, 02:54 PM
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Don't recall name of hotel we stayed, somewhere near DAM Sq., but used the tram to get to the museums and elsewhere when we weren't walking. Weather was raw, but with thermals, sweater, socks, scarf and gloves, we did fine. When not using the trams, we walked from/between museums, restaurants, shopping.
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Old Nov 11th, 2007, 12:24 AM
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I highly recommend the Banks Mansion Hotel. A truly fantastic hotel.
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Old Nov 11th, 2007, 12:31 AM
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scrb, they haven't yet introduced the OVkaart, which is like the oystercard but covers all public transport throughout Holland.
They are doing trials with it still, but have announced the full introduction of it will be delayed yet again.
The cheapest way to get around is with a Strippenkaart which can be used on the buses and trams, not on the canal boats.
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Old Nov 11th, 2007, 07:05 AM
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I highly recommend Hotel Fita (stayed there a week in May 2007). I've sung its praises on the forum before. Sparkling clean, quiet, in a residential street but walking distance to Leidseplein for restaurants. Two minutes walk to the Van Gogh Museum--you couldn't sleep closer to the VGM unless you slept IN it. Fantastic breakfast. Close to a tram stop that goes straight to the train station. Easy to get an airport shuttle to the Hotel Fita.
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Old Nov 17th, 2007, 08:47 AM
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srb, when I try to access the KLM site in Canada, I'm redirected to the US NWA site. That site almost always doesn't show KLM direct routes from Vancouver, and has me flying all over the states. This last time, I researched the flights I wanted through the KLM NL site and then phoned a travel agent with my specific requests. She was able to book the specific flights I wanted at a really great price. Just a thought.
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Old Nov 17th, 2007, 09:21 AM
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When you want to search for cheap fares let http://www.kayak.com/ do the heavy lifting for you. Then contact the airline and sometimes get a better deal.

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Old Nov 19th, 2007, 09:03 AM
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I want to thank everyone for the suggestions. I too am going to Amsterdam and needed the same suggestions regarding hotels. We got a great deal on tickest from Manchester NH to Amsterdam in February for $419 including taxes & fees, so we couldn't say no.

But now I'm searching for a hotel and trying to learn the various neighborhoods, so all your help has been great. I'll check the ones mentioned for availability and rates, for we are on a tight budget.

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