Am loving Ciao, having only recently discovered it! I look forward to reading many, many more fanta...
Am loving Ciao, having only recently discovered it! I look forward to reading many, many more fantastic reviews and adding a few more of my own......
Member since:18.06.2006
Reviews:10
Members who trust:1
OK, the rooms are TINY, the bathrooms are even smaller and the rooms do smell a bit smokey! But I found the Botel to be generally clean, friendly and in a great location. The staff we dealt with were always friendly and helpful. If you are expecting a huge, airy hotel room you will be disappointed but if you just want somewhere to shower and sleep, right in the heart of Amsterdam, then this is ideal! You can walk anywhere in the city from here. The nearest pubs and restaurants are perhaps 2 minutes away, with the red light district a 10 minute walk. If you are flying to Amsterdam, get on the train from the airport, get off at Centraal Station and after 5 minutes walk you are at the Botel!
The hotel has all the basics, like cigarette machine, bar, breakfast room, arcade machines etc but really you won't be spending a lot of time here as there is so much to see and do in Amsterdam. There is a secure luggage room to leave your bags and cases in free of charge when you check out if you have a late flight.
As stated, the rooms are tiny but have aTV with several Dutch and international channels (and free porn if that is your sort of thing!). Our room had a double bed which I would say was slightly smaller that a standard UK double bed, but adequate. One thing I would reccommend is to get a room at the back if you are a light sleeper - we paid extra for a canal view but our window was right above the metal walkway which leads to reception. This was pretty noisy when anyone with heels clattered past, sometimes late at night/early morning, so I would stay on the other side if I went back again, although you do not get nice views at the back.
It is 10 euros for the buffet breakfast, but it is just a basic continental spread. It's OK, but you can eat far better for less at one of the many cafes on the way into the centre, the nearest being a 2 minute walk across the main road.
There are a few coffeeshops in the immediate area, but I have never visited any of these as I prefer the more cosy places around Prinsengracht (La Tertulia on Prinsengracht being my all time favourite). The Botel is about a 5 minute walk from the Damrak where you will find lots of touristy shops and restaurants. The streets immediately behind the Damrak are full of Dutch and international high street stores, eg H&M, Boots etc.
Basically, the location cannot be faulted and if you do stay at the front of the Botel (usually for a supplement of several pounds per night) the views are lovely.
We paid approx. £30 per night for a double room for the 2 of us and booked directly through the hotel website which sometimes features special offer, eg 3rd night free etc.
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Sounds interesting - think I might look at staying there - its close to everything! Thanks
Tricia24 20.06.2006 11:20
I think hotel accommodation in Amstadam must be expensive generally because we were put in an awful hostel during our European travels. It was really grotty! Triciax
WELCOME ON BOARD! The Amstel Botel is a modern luxurious floating hotel A unique ... more
experience to discover Amsterdam! You can easily reach Amsterdam Central Station by ferry NDSM ferry in approx 10 minutes All our rooms have their own bathrooms with ...
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Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Jun 20th, 2006
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