My Amsterdam experience

Advantages: Fun, lots to see, easy to get to, clean
Disadvantages: A bit seedy and very cold in winter

...I've been to Amsterdam Airport more times than I can remember. Living in Cardiff, taking the KLM flight to Schiphol and changing was quicker than going all the way to London. But I'd never actually left the airport, I was always just there in transit. To be honest, I'd never felt any great pull to leave the airport and look around the city. I love culture but I'd never thought of Amsterdam as having lots of old churches and museums for me to look around. I'd always associated it more with the Red Light District and 'coffeeshops' which didn't really interest me. Then I got a call from a friend saying that she was planning a girls trip to Amsterdam. 'How do I get out of this one' I thought. Another friend persuaded me, saying that she would accompany me to the 'boring' parts while the rest of them drank to their hearts...

tartlette83 08.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Jolly Carlton Hotel - Amsterdam

Advantages: Friendly staff, modern decor, lots of handy facilities, great location
Disadvantages: Rooms are a bit on the small side and cramped

...A couple of weekends ago I went to Amsterdam with my boyfriend. We wanted to find a hotel which was close to the centre so it was easy to get around, but that wasn't too expensive (if we could help it!) I went on lastminute.com and I saw a deal for one of the 'secret hotels'. This means that you don't know which hotel you will be staying at, but that you will get it at a discounted price. It told us the rough location (around Rembrant Square), the room and hotel facilities and the star rating. You find out which hotel you are staying at as soon as you have made the booking. We thought it would be quite exciting to get one of the 'secret hotel' deals, it was in the right location for us and sounded like it had everything we needed so we went ahead and booked it for the price of £287 for three nights. The deal was also that we would get...

ivytoad 12.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of Jolly Carlton Hotel, Amsterdam

Heineken Experience, Amsterdam

Advantages: Free Heineken
Disadvantages: None

...*** The Heineken Experience - Amsterdam *** I believe this was formerley called The Heineken Brewery Where Is It? Heineken Experience Stadhouderskade 78 1072 AE Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0)20 523 96 66 www.heinekenexperience.com Has excellent tram links which stop just outside the museum. When Open? Open Tuesdays - Sundays 10.00 - 18.00. Cash desk closes at 17.00. Closed on 25th December and 1st January. What Is It? A large building which tells you the history about how Heineken was brought about. Would suit ages 18 and above in my opinion. Entry: 10 euros per person. Under 18's are only admitted if accompanied by an adult. Why Go? On a recent long weekend to Amsterdam with two good friends, we stumbled upon the Heineken Experience. Being keen to experience...

ailuj34 06.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Heineken Brewery, Amsterdam

I <3 The Heart of Amsterdam!

Advantages: Cheap, friendly and nice atmos
Disadvantages: My Scooby Doo i.d card was stolen

...It doesn't get more central than the heart of Amsterdam, which is about 30 yards into the vibrant red light district. I would urge people to take the other review with a pinch of salt, bearing in mind that this is more suited to young people who are going to Amsterdam to generally get wrecked. Having said that, it will suit anyone, as it is a hotel and hostel, with the choice of rooms or dormitories with up to 10 beds. The rooms are well priced and will set you back 200 euros or so for a week. The dorm rooms are more modestly priced and can be snapped up for the bargain price of 20 euros a night, leaving you with more spending money. I generally found the place to be friendly, safe and clean, all for an unbelievably cheap price. It may be better to try and book out entire dorms, as this removes the risk of there being any weird strangers...

toepunt10 30.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Heart Of, Amsterdam

Rho Hotel Amsterdam

Advantages: Great location, good price
Disadvantages: None at the price!

...OK so there is another review, I know. Here's mine. The hotel is very conveniently located about a 10 minute walk from Amsterdam CS (central station), just off the SE corner of Dam Square. Just look up as you enter the square - you cannot miss the Rho sign. Our room was on the second floor and as a result somewhat noisy at night. (It was locals too, not tourists, making the noise!!) Our friends were on the top floor and had a much nicer and quieter room. Try to get top floor when you check in! The rooms were clean and light. Of reasonable size (our friends room was actually very large) and really quite comfortable. The staff were very friendly and of course (this being The Netherlands) English was spoken perfectly. The hotel is surprisingly large and is always busy especially at breakfast. The breakfast rooms are large...

NomisG 15.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of RHO Hotel, Amsterdam

Camping in Amsterdam

Advantages: Cheap public transport, world renowned culture, very friendly city
Disadvantages: Some dodgy areas, reckless cyclists!

...We spent 4 days in March camping in Amsterdam this year, and it was fabulous. We travelled by Stenaline, from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, and it cost a total of £209 for 4 people and a car to travel both ways - a bargain. We booked it directly on the internet. The crossing was smooth, the Ferry was really comfortable, and the journey time was around 5 hours - getting us into Holland at around 4pm local time. We drove from the Hook of Holland to Amsterdam, and once we were used to driving on the right and the slightly unnerving habit of some of the Dutch to drive straight through red lights, it was plain sailing to drive to Amsterdam itself, taking less than an hour to reach our campsite on the outskirts of the city. We stayed at Camping Zeeburg, and we couldn't fault it. If you are considering camping in Amsterdam, we would...

JoannaScott 08.04.2007 · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Amsterdam- A Unique Place!

Advantages: Multi-cultural, fairly compact and easy to get around
Disadvantages: Sometimes the whiff of cannabis can give you a headache

...Amsterdam is an absolutely unique city. It is vibrant, a treasure trove of extraordinary artistic riches and a living history ov the last 900 years! As a quick break to celebrate our anniversary, my husband and I decided to head to Amsterdam. Neither of us had been before to tour and we were looking forward to a relaxing break from our busy lives. We took an early Monday morning flight with KLM. The flight was on time, smooth and quick. From the Schiphol airport you can either take a taxi into Amsterdam (appox. 25-30 Euros) or take the train to Central Station (3.30 Euros one way). We decided on the later as we had time to spare before we could check into the hotel. We got our tickets quickly (Two ways- 1- If you have Euro change you can buy them for the vending machine or 2- Stand in line to buy your tickets- This is...

ukusa 29.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

A Short Break in Amsterdam

Advantages: Easy and quick to get there, an interesting and cosmopolitan city.
Disadvantages: It clearly isn't for all given the abudance of blantant sex and drugs.

...Amsterdam. ~~~~~~~~~ Amsterdam, the capital city of Holland, is perfect for a short city break from anywhere in the UK and I visited for three nights in August 2004. Here's what I thought of this wonderful and cosmopolitan city. Getting There and Away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can fly to Amsterdam from all of the major UK airports for very little if you book well ahead of schedule. I flew with KLM from Newcastle for £129, which isn't cheap but was as good as I could get given that I went over the weekend and in the school holidays. Once you're off the plane and have your luggage, getting from the airport to the city is incredibly easy. Train tickets can be purchased from machines at the airport and the journey only takes about half an hour to Central Station. Literally everyone speaks English and all the signs...

nickyturnill 07.01.2005 (26.03.2006) · Read review
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Review of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Accomodation in Amsterdam?

Advantages: Near to tram line, excellent city
Disadvantages: Bit far from city center

...catch the number 16 tram from central station to Museumplein, which is only a 10-minute journey. The Hotel Bema is a deceptively narrow hotel located opposite the Concert Hall next to the Museumplein. To get to the hotel we opted to buy a day ticket at the cost of 12NGL each which allowed us unlimited travel around Amsterdam. When we arrived at Hotel Bema we were greeted with a huge solid black wooden door with an intercom, once we were buzzed in, we expected to come into a hotel lobby area, but instead we were greeted with a very steep and seemingly never ending set of stair. When we arrived on the first floor there were a couple of forms to be filled in asking for address and passport detail and then we paid our 165NGL for an en-suite double room before we were shown to our room. The hotel is quite small with only about 7 rooms, but...

sally_x_uk 06.09.2001 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Bema, Amsterdam

Rokin Around In Amsterdam

Advantages: Cheap, great location, lovely staff, delicious breakfast, clean.
Disadvantages: It could be argued that the location is not perfect.

...Well it seems i'm becoming rather too familiar with Amsterdam now and should consider finding another destination for a short break! But being such an interesting place as it is, i'll find it hard to tear myself away. For those of you looking for a hotel which is minutes away from the city centre yet away from the bustling noise, look no further than Hotel Rokin, just off Dam Square (one of the main areas in Amsterdam). Having our flights delayed and being coached from airport to airport was not ideal and when we arrived in Amsterdam at 2am having had no food or drinks, we were exhausted and slightly annoyed. Walking into the spotless reception of the Rokin, we were met by a friendly receptionist and minimalistic but nice black and white decor. It should be mentioned that prior to our arrival the receptionist at the hotel made special...

Lofnorsk 07.01.2007 (09.01.2007) · Read review
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Review of Rokin Hotel, Amsterdam