AMSTEL...DAMN

Advantages: Inexpensive, widely available
Disadvantages: Boring, widely available

...AMSTEL brewery (which is now a subsidiary of Heinekin), was founded in 1870 and is named after the river on which Amsterdam is situated. They produce 10 different kinds of beer which are: Light, 1870, Gold, Malt, Lente Bock, Oud Bruin, Bock, Herfst Bock and - the beer that this review concerns- Lager. Amstel Lager Beer is sold in over 75 countries worldwide so it is fairly common. http://www.amstel.com There's not a lot more to say so after a quick joke we'll get right down to it....... A guy walks into a butcher's shop and the butcher says, "Bet you a tenner that you can't jump up and touch the meat that's hung up on the ceiling." The guy says, "No thanks." Butcher says, "OK, bet you twenty quid that you can't jump up and hit the meat that's hung up on the ceiling." Bloke says, "No thanks mate." Butcher says, "OK...

proxam 26.06.2002 (16.11.2003) · Read review
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Review of Amstel Premium Lager

Amstel Botel, Amsterdam

Advantages: Location, clean and tidy
Disadvantages: Small rooms, thin walls

...I've just returned from a 3 night stay on the Amstel Botel with a friend - we are very regular visitors to the Dam. The location is fantastic - our main reason for settling on this. Turn left out of the Centraal station, a couple of minutes through the bus bays and you are there. Be careful not to slip if the metal walkway is wet! With trams, the metro, trains and buses all going from the Centraal you can pretty much get to anywhere from here. On arrival we found the receptionist more interested in talking to his female colleagues than checking us in. I don't think we made ourselves too popular asking for more hangers (there were only 2 in the room originally). The night porter is from Cape Verde and much more friendly and helpful. Breakfast is a fairly basic continental buffet, if you're expecting a full English then you will...

maccy10 21.11.2006 (23.11.2006) · Read review
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Review of Amstel Botel, Amsterdam

  Sink It

Advantages: Close to station and a great city to explore
Disadvantages: Just about everything

...and arrived in Amsterdam airport as planned. We caught a train shuttle which is located under the airport which headed towards Amsterdam itself. This journey took about 45 minutes. When you get to Amsterdam central station, turn right out of the main doors, not left as we did, which will bring you out into a main square where the tram station is based. Bear left and walk along the main street heading towards the first bridge you will see (of many). To the left of this lies the Amstel Botel which is a floating boat, doubling up as a budget hotel. The hotel is literally two minutes away from the central station, one of the main reasons why we chose it in the first place. First impressions were good, on a dark evening the boat was lit up with hundreds of neon bulbs and looked a very impressive sight. We took photos outside, then proceeded along...

WormThatTurned 20.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of Amstel Botel, Amsterdam

Sink Or Swim

Advantages: Great location, great breakfast, helpful and freindly English speaking staff.
Disadvantages: Very small bathrooms and basic rooms.

...I stayed on the Amstel Botel in May 2006 and was excited at the thought of staying in a ‘floating hotel’ within walking distance of the centre. The Amstel Botel claims to have 175 comfortable rooms all with en-suite bathroom, satellite TV, telephone, radio and safe. However, although every box is ticked as listed above, the rooms are quite small and the en-suite bathroom is so small that you could use the loo, wash your hair and brush your teeth all at the same time! The rooms are very basic and higher level rooms, canal side are better due to views. Cruises pass by continually and views are stunning on a sunny day. Just a note to add, there are no kettles or hair dryers provide so bring your own! The Amstel Botel opened its doors more than twenty years ago, and is currently moored at Oosterdokskade, which is approximately 5...

Paula_23_uk 25.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Amstel Botel, Amsterdam

THE END

Advantages: Close to the centre, on the canal, friendly, clean
Disadvantages: Not for children unless you remove the telly

...Well, having just spent eight days in the Amstel Botel, I have to edit my earlier op, which was written based on a stay many years ago. ~~~~ We booked the Botel on-line because we’d used it before and had liked it. It was very easy to book. I just searched using Copernic, which brought up the Botel site and I E-mailed them with our requirements. They replied within 24 hours to say our requested dates were free. They offered a double room with land view for 84 euros or 89 euros (about £65) with canal view. We went for the canal view as our last visit had been land view and the only sight to be seen out of the window was the massive concrete Post Office building. For an extra 9 euros we could have breakfast, so we asked for this, remembering the wonderful breakfasts we had years ago. ~~~~ When we arrived in Amsterdam, a city we have...

sylviesinc 12.02.2001 (06.09.2003) · Read review
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Review of Amstel Botel, Amsterdam

Amsterdam for twenty quid a night

Advantages: central location, clean, friendly
Disadvantages: no 5 star hotel, but what do you expect?

...The Amstel Botel is a large boat/hotel moored in Amsterdam city centre. It's only 2 minutes from the Central Station in Amsterdam and is very well maintained and great value for money. When I first heard about this "botel" I thought that the low prices must mean it was quite poorly maintained but I was completely wrong. The rooms, though on the small side, had all the facilities I required like a clean bathroom, TV (with British channels!) and telephone. The receptionists were really helpful and the views from rooms facing out onto the water are excellent. The food was good and the bar was fine. Even though it's a large hotel (176 rooms) there is a friendly atmosphere and you are located within walking distance of anything you could possibly want to see in Amsterdam. If you want a no-frills, cheap and cheerful place to stay...

jonathancowley 10.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Amstel Botel, Amsterdam

PUTTING A STRONGHOLD ON THE DUTCH HOTEL MARKET

Advantages: Comfortable airy rooms, good food, reasonably priced beer & cheap international telephone calls
Disadvantages: Bad location, stuffy staff

...The Bastion Amstel Deluxe Hotel was the final leg of an exhausting journey around the Netherlands visiting a range of Universities, and was to be our final stop for two nights before the onward journey with the KLM ?I believe I am a racing driver? Pilots. Bastion is a Dutch chain which currently has 28 hotels across the Netherlands and one in Germany. Arrival at the hotel quickly established that we were in the middle of nowhere, save for a petrol station next door, situated on a business site with an apparent direct metro connection to Centraal Station close by (actually about 15 minutes walk). CHECK-IN Nightmare ? 16 people all arriving in one go ? reception refused to check for individual names but insisted that we would all crowd around and wait for our names to be called out ? not a service you would expect from a 4...

sue.51 22.04.2003 (23.04.2003) · Read review
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Review of Bastion Deluxe Amsterdam / Amstel, Amsterdam

sorry, have posted this in the wrong place

Advantages: very central,reasonablly priced, friendly staff
Disadvantages: none i can think of

...bars and clubs, there's the strange ones (I think it was a gay bar!!) where the men are all dressed up 'Village People' types clothes. Theres drag queen clubs, everything suit to everybody. The shopping is good. Sight-seeing things like galleries, diamonds shops and factories, cathedrals etc. Food and drink are reasonable, roughly about what you would pay here. All in all, a great place to visit. Would defo. recommend it for a short break. thanks for reading yvonne p.s. for anyone who knows me, you'll know i always put op's in the wrong place. sorrree, i've done it again. I've done and op on amsterdam!! it should be for the Botel Amstel Hotel. Sorry agian....

ybowman 09.06.2003 (16.06.2003) · Read review
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Review of Amstel Botel, Amsterdam

Free Beer

Advantages: appeals to lager and bitter drinkers alike
Disadvantages: not the cheapest beer on the market

...Little did I know that when I invited my family around for Christmas would I end up with so much left over alcohol. Of course, I bought enough beer/rum/brandy/whisky/coke/lemonade to keep Curly (Corrie :-)) in drink for a year to start with. But it seemed to breed in my garage! The best find amongst all this free booze was a crate of Amstel which my father brought with him. We've both been to Greece enough times to know and love the taste of Amstel (it's either that or Heineken!). But I've never actually thought of buying the stuff at my local Tescos. However, I think I might in future. The Facts --------- On June 11, 1870, two-year-old Ernest de Pester, the son of Amstel founder Baron C.A. de Pester, laid the first stone for the Amstel brewery in Amsterdam. The new brewery was the brainchild of two Amsterdam businessmen, De...

msteward 14.01.2002 (17.01.2002) · Read review
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Review of Amstel Premium Lager

Never Again

Advantages: It was cheap
Disadvantages: Everything you usually expect from a hotel... didnt deliver.

......

natalia_ann 18.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Amstel Botel, Amsterdam