Visit Amsterdam

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.

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!

I am in a good mood today because the spring is coming. After a tiring winter season, the first day of spring feels like a breath of fresh air. Jack has a couple of days off and we can walk, talk and enjoy each other! Spring is time of romance!

And again about the hotels (my sister is coming soon and I have to review as many hotels in Amsterdam as I can). The next cheap Amsterdam hotel described by Marbee is Cordial Hotel & Bar City Centre in Amsterdam. Your Amsterdam accommodations don’t have to be the most expensive or highly rated for you to explore this popular city to the fullest. And in Amsterdam is one of those tidy, charming and perfectly located hotels, that usually offer the best way to stay in the heart of the city close to the most popular places of interest for cheap. Don’t forget to book city center Amsterdam accommodations in advance or you run the risk of being disappointed.

If you turn out to be close to the Dam square, which on close to the Cordial Hotel Amsterdam & Bar City Centre, do not miss a chance to wonder around. All in all, the location of the hotel is great, close to the shopping area, Madame Tussaud, Royal Palace, De Munt, the flower market etc.

Those planning to arrive to Amsterdam by car and stay in Cordial Hotel Amsterdam & Bar City Centre should bear in mind that the hotel has no parking spaces for guests. You will have to search for a place to leave your car.

To be continued later on…

Hello!

Well, today I am going to tell you about our walking tour of Amsterdam. To tell the truth, that wasn’t really a “walking tour”, because we were able to see just one Amsterdam’s sight - Rijksmuseum. Of course, I had grater plans, but I just couldn’t imagine how much there was to see, we spent 2 hours in this gigantic art museum, but couldn’t view even a third of the museums richest art collection. You need a few days to explore the whole museum. Marbee said that the main building of the Rijksmuseum was closed for construction, so only the already renovated Philips Wing was open for visitors, but much of the museum’s art collection was being displayed there: masterpieces of Ruysdael, Vermeer, Hals, and, of course, Rembrandt. I am interested in arts, but I don’t really know much about it, in other words, I am a dilettante. Marbee knew even less than me, so we had to spend some money on renting an audio tour of the museum. I felt like a real tourist! From those unknown masterpieces I was impressed by Vermeer’s “The Drunken Pair” and “Woman at her Toilet”.

The decorative arts galleries were a little less-crowded than the rest of the museum. There were fine collections of Dutch ceramics, furniture, crystal, silver and other decorative arts.

We had a great time there and I think we should come back to explore the rest of the museum. We were tired, and here is my advice for all those who would like to explore this particular museum or some other Amsterdam places of interest - be sure to wear comfortable shoes! I will definitely follow this advice next time!

Bye!

Hello, everybody!

I am sitting at home with Alex these days, because he caught a cold somewhere. We reread Harry Potter books with him, play, draw, watch cartoons, sleep and take medicine, poor little boy have to stay at home: he is full of energy in spite of being ill. That’s why I feel exhausted by the end of the day even though I am supposed to be resting at home :(((

OK, and again about cheap Amsterdam hotels for my sister and her husband. By the way, Joanne says that it is very advisable to book Amsterdam hotels in advance in order not to have any troubles with checking in. So, keep that in mind.

Travel Hotel Amsterdam is a 2-star Amsterdam hotel for budget travelers. This cheap hotel is situated right in the middle of the city center, not far from the Central Station, indeed, it will take you just a few minutes to get from the Central Station to the Travel Hotel Amsterdam. Moreover, the hotel is surrounded by city sights for any taste: shopping streets can be found just around the corner (that’s for us, darling! :)))), the Anne Frank House, the Flower Market (Joanne says that it is something amazing and surely a “must-see” place when in Amsterdam, but I haven’t been there yet), the Dam Square, the Royal Palace are also near the Travel Hotel. Stops for public transport are also just across the street from the hotel, so you can easily get to other Amsterdam’s places of interest. You see, that the location of the hotel is ideal for exploring the city, as well as for any other occasion. The Travel Hotel Amsterdam doesn’t own parking lot, but parking spaces are available around the hotel, for some charge, of course.

I should go now, I will continue later.

Hello, everybody!

Caroline, I am very glad that you liked my previous reviews of budget Amsterdam hotels, I hope they will be helpful for you and Barry. Jack sends his best regards to you. It’s a pity we couldn’t see you in Paris as we were planning: Jack had some urgent work and had to travel to Eindhoven for a couple of days. I was really upset and a little bit angry with him :(( Just hope to see you some other day, the sooner the better.

OK. I go on with the reviews of Amsterdam hotels. The next is a 3-star Hotel de Paris Amsterdam (Jack has stayed there last year). It’s just a perfect Amsterdam lodging to explore the city on foot: approximately 5 minutes to the square “Leidseplein” (it is considered to be one of Amsterdam’s liveliest places for nightlife - theatres, cafes, restaurants, cinemas, the casino, and so on. We will definitely find what to do there! I was there once with Chantal during their stay here - fire-eaters amazed me most of all. I would never try doing that myself though!), 10 minutes to “Rembrandtplein”, 20 minutes to the Dam, 25 minutes to Red Light District (you know what it is, don’t you? :))), 30 minutes to the Central Station. So you see Hotel de Paris Amsterdam is within walking distance to almost everything and all at a snails-pace stroll! And I think that the best way to explore the city like Amsterdam is on foot, I guess you would agree with me.

I will continue later, we are going for a walk with Alex now. Bye!

Hello, friends!

I keep my promise to find the best Amsterdam hotel for my sister’s family, so here is the next city center hotel in Amsterdam - Hotel Falcon Plaza Centre - which has been highly praised by some of my acquaintances, Martin and Sandra. I don’t know them very well and have seen them once when they turned out to be in France while traveling around Europe; they are from Boston, so we mostly chat on ICQ. Very nice and friendly couple. Thanks for the information!

Hotel Falcon Plaza in Amsterdam is conveniently located in the very heart of the downtown Amsterdam close to everything: the vibrant “Waterlooplein” flea market (200 metres from the hotel.), which is a shoppers’ paradise with so many curiosities to gaze or to purchase (I haven’t had a chance to do shopping there yet, but I hope to wander there with you, Caroline!); “Rembrandtplein” square where lots of cafes with open-air terraces are conducive to enjoying a refreshing drink and watching the people go by (I have been there lately with Chantal); the ‘Stopera’ (Opera House and City Hall); Dam Square and Anne Frank’s House, not to mention the famous Red Light District, are just a short walk away from Hotel Falcon Plaza Centre in Amsterdam. Ideally located, isn’t it?

There is a tram stop located nearby and I must say that trams in Amsterdam run frequently! Joanne claims that if you take the tram, you can easily reach all ends of the city. I think, this 3-star budget accommodation in Amsterdam is an ideal base for the city exploration.

Sorry, I should go now, I will continue later on.