Visit Amsterdam

Hello, friends!

Here I am back with another hotel review. Today it is about Hotel Luxer, a 3-star cheap Amsterdam hotel. One of my relatives booked a room there for one night, when he was in Amsterdam on business. The main reason for choosing this budget Amsterdam hotel was its fantastic location – very close from the Central Station, it took him approximately 5 minutes to get to Hotel Luxer Amsterdam on foot. The Red Light District and Dam Square, as well as several popular museums, were within walking distance from the hotel. Non-stop train to/from the airport was nearby.

Hotel Luxer Amsterdam was very secure with 24-hour video surveillance (that is very important for solo travelers), there was a 24 hour reception and a bar. Hotel Luxer Amsterdam had 47 rooms, smoking or non-smoking rooms were available on request. Hotel Luxer Amsterdam was not a pet-friendly one, so pet lovers should avoid booking rooms in this Amsterdam hotel.

My relative’s single room was perfectly adequate and, it was clean, bed linen was spotless. The room was equipped with a shower, toilet, telephone, television, safe, alarm clock and air conditioning. The room was generally OK, nothing luxury – just a good place to get your head down for a couple of nights.

Breakfast was not included in the room price and cost EUR 10.00 per person. My relative decided to eat out of the hotel, he liked “Drink and Sink” bar across the street.

Hotel Luxer Amsterdam is a cheap Amsterdam hotel in the center, it is a good place for exploring the city.

Bye!

Hello, friends!

“Hotel Old Quarter Amsterdam is an ideal hotel for young people looking for a cheap weekend away” that’ what my friends from France think about Hotel Old Quarter, cheap 2-star Amsterdam hotel in Warmoestraat 22, where they stopped at the end of April. This cheap hotel in the centre of Amsterdam is just in a two-minute walk from the Central Station Good and near the Red Light District. Pierre says that you shouldn’t expect 5-star facilities and services in Hotel Old Quarter Amsterdam because of the hotel’s price - you get just what you pay for. But that doesn’t really matter for four lads coming for another weekend away and who are not going to spend their days (and nights, I suppose!) on their hotel rooms, let’s face it! Probably they wouldn’t book Hotel Old Quarter Amsterdam for a romantic getaway with their girlfriends!

Hotel Old Quarter Amsterdam offers rooms for any taste - luxury rooms with a beautiful view of a charming Amsterdam canal, simple rooms with shared shower and toilet in the hall and something in between.

My friends settled in a quad room with four single beds. Their room was clean, equipped with working cable TV, phone and heating. Beds were a little tough, but the bed-linen was fresh.

The hotel staff couldn’t be more helpful - they were always ready to provide my friends with any info they required.
Continental breakfast was included in the room rate, but there was nothing special about it, just average for all 2-star Amsterdam hotels.

All in all, Hotel Old Quarter Amsterdam is a good cheap hotel; my friends liked it a lot.

See you!

Hello, dear friends!

I haven’t written in my blog for quite a long time, but I haven’t given up the idea of reviewing hotels. So, here is the next hotel description from a friend of mine.

Omega Hotel Amsterdam is a cheap Amsterdam hotel perfectly located for tourists who came to the capital in order to explore the city’s cultural heritage. The National Museum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Municipal Museum of Modern Art are nearby the hotel. The Vondel Park is on the doorstep as well – it is a great place to relax. From Omega Hotel Amsterdam you can also easily reach most popular shopping streets and the “Leidseplein”, a perfect place to enjoy Amsterdam’s vibrant nightlife. The exact address of this cheap Amsterdam accommodation is Jacob Obrechtstraat 33, Amsterdam (Vondelpark Area).

My friend was traveling with his sister so they chose a twin room room with 2 single beds. Their room was very small and would have been uncomfortable had they been spending the whole day in the room, but it was OK just to sleep there. The room was clean and it was equipped with a bathroom, television, phone, hairdryer, minibar and safe.
English breakfast was included in the room rate. The choice of food was OK, dishes were delicious. The lady that was serving food was very nice and concerned.

Omega Hotel Amsterdam had no internet connection in the room but there was a desktop computer in the lobby, guests could use it for one euro per hour.

A friend of mine liked the hotel and he would definitely recommend this cheap Amsterdam hotel and go back there again.

That’s all for now, bye!

Hello, dear friends!

Here I am back with a new Amsterdam hotel review. The following review has been sent by my on-line pen friend, Jennifer, and I am going to cite Jennifer’s letter with her permission. Here it is:

“Tulip Inn Amsterdam Centre has a 3-star rating. We stayed in this budget Amsterdam hotel for 4 nights and found it to be a great hotel for the price we paid (it was cheaper compared to other 3-star hotels in this area of the city). We decided to book rooms in Tulip Inn Amsterdam Centre due to its convenient location in the heart of Amsterdam. Its central location made this hotel a good place to start an exploration of the capital. Some of the sites which we were going to see during our trip could be easily reached from Tulip Inn Amsterdam Centre. The Royal Palace on Dam square, Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk museum and Kalverstraat were within walking distance. There was a tram station right in front of the hotel and we could get anywhere within the city.

As I was traveling with my cousin, we booked deluxe room with two single beds. Our room was small but functional and there was everything necessary for a comfortable stay – telephone, television, hairdryer, tea and coffee making facilities, safe. The hotel staff cleaned apartments up to 12.30 pm, which was very handy for us who liked to sleep in the morning. The hotel was very noisy, though, because there were renovations being carried out.

We liked Tulip Inn Amsterdam Centre, and, if you are looking for a cheap hotel in Amsterdam in a great location, this hotel is for you.”

Dear, Jennifer! Thank you very much for the information, I hope you will send us more Amsterdam hotel descriptions and I promise to publish them here.

The number of people with high level of income is steadily on the rise and when at last they decide to take a break from their busy and hectic lives, they want indulge all their wants and needs whatever they are. And the hotel owners have to generate and offer something very special to win tourists’ affection and attract them to their hotels. Modern hotel is no more just a comfortable place for sleeping with good food and a swimming pool. There have to be something more than just a set of basic amenities and services. Luxury hoteliers are trying to create all kinds of new, unique, top-end amenities, services, special offers and packages, which can seem sometimes strange, weird, and even mad. Let’s have a look at top seven exceptional guests’ services in hotel industry.

1. The Benjamin, an executive suite hotel in New York, offers the Before Children Package of services. That means that you get your personal Sleep Concierge who will help you choose from a pillow menu with some 12 choices for a good night sleep. Moreover, if you select the hotel’s Dream a Little Dream package, you will also receive some sleep tips, lavender turn-down service and a white-noise machine, which is really a special device that produces a sound somewhat like a waterfall to enhance your sleep. The next morning your Sleep Concierge will be there to decipher your dreams.

2. If you don’t want to leave your lovely dog at home, take it with you to Nine Zero hotel, Boston. This pet-friendly hotel offers special “In the Doghouse” pet package which will treat your four-legged friend like royalty. Pet sitting, pet grooming, pet walking and pet massage, let alone pet bowls and pet beds in your room, are included in the package. The above mentioned Benjamin hotel has a “Dream Dog” program which includes 3 bed options, Dream Dog bathrobe, Doggy DVD, “Dog-on Television” and a Spa gift basket for your dog.

3. The Hyatt Andaz London hotel is number one choice for book lovers as it offers one of the most unique services for its guests – “bibliotherapy”. The hotel has a “reader-in-residence”, whose duties include diagnosing hotel guests’ literary needs and prescribing particular texts, which he reads aloud to them. Moreover, there is a special book menu to choose from. Enjoy a peaceful evening with a man reading aloud for you.

4. The Houstonian Hotel specializes on spa and fitness in the state-of-the-art . The hotel offers all kinds of spa services and facilities: massages, facials, body-treatments, rainfall showers, steam room, indoor float pool and so on. The Hustonian Hotel has a special babymoon package for mothers-to-be, which includes Prenatal Massage, repair and restore vitamin C facial to reduce pigment marks associated with pregnancy and foot rescue program. Fathers-to-be can enjoy Deep Tissue Massage while waiting for them.

5. If you want to get the real jail experience, book a cell in Jailhotel Lowengraben in Switzerland. All hotel rooms have the authentic jail touch and allow you to taste life behind bars. Maybe it is the first prison you will never want to leave.

6. Fairemont Chicago hotel has its own bath sommelier who offers hand-drawn baths in mint, pepper mint, chocolate, milk, mud, sugar or citrus for the best relaxation ever.

7. Guests of Hotel Sax Chicago can enjoy its Celebrity Rider Package. The hotel staff will find out requested celebrity’s personal preferences and requirements and duplicate them for you. Just be sure you can afford it!

Hello, friends!

Here I am back with some information about Amsterdam and its places of interest, which, I hope, will help my sister’s friends (and it will be also useful for all those planning to spend a couple of days in the capital of the Netherlands) to get the most out of their weekend trip to Amsterdam.

Have a good and filling breakfast in the Amsterdam hotel where you stay (many Amsterdam hotels, even budget Amsterdam hotels, offer rooms with breakfasts included in the room rate, if they don’t they still offer breakfasts for some extra charge) or in the numerous cafes nearby your Amsterdam hotel. A good breakfast will give you energy for a day exploring the city.

Plan ahead which places of interest you would like to visit in Amsterdam, choose from dozens of famous museums depending on your interests and preferences. Art admirers should definitely visit Vincent Van Gogh Museum, featuring 200 paintings and 550 sketches by the famous artist. I have been there and I had a great time being carried away by famous art masterpieces and that’s really one of those must-see places in Amsterdam. Some other options for art lovers are Rijksmuseum, Museum Het Rembrandthuis, CoBrA Museum of Modern Art and Stedelijk Museum. Those looking for some unusual experience should visit unique Erotic Museum, located in the heart of the Red Light district.

Amsterdam’s gorgeous architecture is well-known, so don’t miss an opportunity to see classical Dutch architecture and modern Renzo Piano’s buildings.

If you visit the highest tower in Amsterdam, Westerkerk, you will be able to enjoy a beautiful view of the city.

These are just some ways of spending your weekend in Amsterdam. Have a good time!

Hello, friends!

A couple of my sister’s friends are going to spend a weekend in Amsterdam and I have been asked to help them with some information about the city and its places of interest. As I don’t know Amsterdam very well, my husband’s sister added her instructions as well. Thanks to Joanne for her help!

I suppose that beforehand planning is required if you want to get the most out of your weekend trip to Amsterdam as the city offers so much to see and experience. Booking your Amsterdam hotel or any other kind of Amsterdam accommodation in advance will prevent you from disappointments. A nice hotel room which meets your requirements and needs would be a good starting point for exploring the city. And doesn’t matter whether it would be a cheap Amsterdam hotel or a luxurious apartment in a 5-star Amsterdam hotel (the choice depends on your preferences and the thickness of your wallet), you just need a place to rest and sleep after an interesting but tiring day in the capital.

And now, when you decided where to stay in Amsterdam, its time to think about the way you are going to travel around the city. Here is a helpful hint to make your city exploration cheaper and easier - rent a bike. Bike rentals will allow you to save money on taxi fare and prevent from waiting in traffic jams or taking crowded buses. Many locals prefer biking, because it is a quick and healthy way of getting around the city.

I will continue later on…