What to do for a week in/around Amsterdam
 

My brother is turning 40 this year and has never been out of the country - in fact he has hardly been on vacation much at all and I want to suprise him with a trip to Amsterdam as a birthday present. I am a little concerned about us not having similar likes but we always have fun together so I know we'll find something to do. However, I am interested in some suggestions on what to do both together in the afternoon and late into the evening. Also things I could do by myself in the morning to mid afternoon since my brother stays up late and sleeps late as well due to his working during the afternoon and evening whereas I work primarily during the day. I am more into museums and sights but am not necessarily looking to spend hours on end looking at paintings.

Also, I am looking for some suggestions on places to stay (that are reasonably priced (under $100USD)) and good places to eat. My brother is a chef and enjoys a good meal - although we don't want to have to spend a small fortune for a good meal :)

I am planning an October trip and spending up to a week.

We might also be interested in some day trips if they draw our interest.

David

I highly recommend getting the book "Let's Go Amsterdam" which I used for my 1st trip 2 years ago. I'm not usually big on a bunch of guidebooks but this one is an excellent resource.

Here are some suggestions to a frequently asked question...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34578231

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34580685

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568347

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34542068

Try the 'search' function - it isn't perfect but I got the above threads easily, and this is only going back to January '05 !

Are you looking for a twin room to share? $100 is a bit low for anything decent - if you pay too low a rate, it's going to be of questionable quality... but here are some decent inexpensive choices:

Hotel Kap **
http://www.kaphotel.nl/
Twin / shower 75E

Hotel de Munck **
http://www.hoteldemunck.com/
88 - 98E

Hotel Fita ***
http://www.fita.nl/
115-120E

Hotel Filosoof ***
http://www.hotelfilosoof.nl/
125 - 138E

Hotel Brouwer **
http://www.hotelbrouwer.nl/

You should be able to find plenty of favorable comments both here and on Tripadvisor for any of the above.

Entertainment:

http://www.boomchicago.nl/

the movies:
http://www.pathe.nl/home.asp?bios_id=1
City Cinema, Kleine Gartmanplantsoen 13-25 (at Leidseplein)

"The Internet Guide to Amsterdam" - print and study...
http://homepages.cwi.nl/~steven/amsterdam.html

Thanks Travelnut -I probably should have been more flexible in my pricing but having been to London and Munich in the last year and finding such good deals (around $100 both times before taxes) I thought maybe Amsterdam would be achievable in the same range. I'm going to the Priceline forums tonight to see what others have found when going that route.
David

Golden Tulip on Nieuwezijdskolk is very nice. I stayed there over New Year's and the rate was reasonable. I liked the location as well. There is another one in Leidseplein that is also very nice.

DavidNWendy, I think the Priceline rates for Amsterdam are pretty good - in the $105 USD range for a 4* hotel, plus taxes and fees. Not as good as London or Munich of course.

My conclusion from researching Amsterdam is that there is little point in trying to get budget accommodation - the cost savings over Priceline are insignificant, and the quality is much reduced, and for the rare instances where that isn't true the location is remote.

So we will either stay in a hostel with excellent reviews, or bid on Priceline - there seems little point in trying for an in-between position. There do seem to be some good suburban B&Bs, but even those wouldn't work for us, because we are getting in very late at night, and want to store luggage on the last day. Many small hotels do not have service late at night either.