Amsterdam House Hotel Eureka, Amsterdam

We went to Amsterdam in mid February 2009 and as usual, attempted to book a room about two days before our departure.

I left the task to DH for a change and I am glad I did because after seeing prices I probably would have broken down or ended up booking something twenty miles out of the city. As it was, we ended up in the very center.

===Price===

We arrived on a Saturday, and stayed until Wednesday. The rate ...
...pay for holiday accommodation, but Amsterdam *is* expensive, and it was our first (and children-free) trip away for over six months; and of course a lot of it was due to the dismal exchange rate just then - everything seemed extortionate.

===Building and Location===

This is a small hotel located over several floors with just a few rooms on each floor. The charge more for canal-view rooms, and we paid that extra on the first ... more

We went to Amsterdam in mid February 2009 and as usual, attempted to book a room about two days before our departure.

I left the task to DH for a change and I am glad I did because after seeing prices I probably would have broken down or ended up booking something twenty miles out of the city. As it was, we ended up in the very center.

Price

We arrived on a Saturday, and stayed until Wednesday. The rate varied from something in the region of 120 to around 75 euro depending on the night, with the Saturday being by far the most expensive (we have haggled quite a bit to get to the 75 euro), and bearing in mind that during our trip the exchange rate for sterling was hovering around or below parity, we ended up paying on average slightly below £100 per night. This is significantly more than we normally pay for holiday accommodation, but Amsterdam *is* expensive, and it was our first (and children-free) trip away for over six months; and of course a lot of it was due to the dismal exchange rate just then - everything seemed extortionate.

Building and Location

This is a small hotel located over several floors with just a few rooms on each floor. The charge more for canal-view rooms, and we paid that extra on the first night, but stayed in the same room with a lower rate for the following nights. I think the extra is worth it - in the greater scheme of things - considering the price of the room overall, it at least shows exactly what you are paying for here, which is the location.

It's on Gravelandseveer, on the north bank of the Amstel; bang on the border between the busier city center/University area and the Grachtenrodel; it's a stone's throw from the Flower Market and within a walking distance or a short tram trip away from most places we wanted to see. The nearby stretch of Amstel (which is the name of the street on the southern bank as well as the river itself) is lined with coffee shops, bars and restaurants (many of them gay bars - we had brilliant time in in one of them in the very late - or early - hours of the Saturday night).

It's an old building and you can feel it as you enter: the staircase is narrow, the lift tiny and the corridors rather narrow. It reminded me of one specific hotel we stayed in once in London, located in an row of adjacent Regency townhouses and I guess the building occupied by the Eureka is similar in age or older.

Room

Our room was quite small and from what I could gather, so were the other ones. It had space for a large double bed, a wardrobe, two bedside tables, a dressing table/desk with the tea and coffee tray with a mirror above it and a small round table with two wicker "bucket" type armchairs.

It was just about the right side of cramped and completely adequate for our purposes. There was enough room in the wardrobe for all our stuff and bags, and there were hooks on the door for the coats.

The had a bit of a shabby feel to it, but it was much more a shabby-chic shabby, than run-down-and-dingy shabby. I actually liked it: there was none of the neatly square newness that makes many business orientated mid-range hotels feel like an extension of an office: more like a nice B&B or a pension.

The wardrobe was an old (I suspect semi-antique) wooden affair, and the bed was large and very comfortable, with decent pillows, clean cotton bedding and enough covers. I didn't particularly like the fact that under the normal sheet the mattress was covered with a waterproof mattress protector: it wasn't exactly a plastic foil sheet, but it was noticeable what it was. It didn't seem to affect my sleep, but I am not sure what would be the effect in a summer heat.

The room was clean (at least by my standards) and somebody attempted to clean it every day of our stay (though we waved them away on two days).

There were shutters, curtains and blinds and we could really keep the light out when we wanted (not that there was that much light to keep out in February Amsterdam). The view was a highlight, of course.

All in all, it was a comfortable room although on a small side.

The bathroom was small and fairly basic, essentially a narrow rectangle with the door in the middle, toilet to one side, sink to the middle opposite the door and a shower area separated by the curtain to the other side. The shower area was quite spacious: I can't stand those shower cubicles for model-thin people where one keeps bumping into the walls and taps on one's own, never mind when sharing a shower.

The shower itself was good and there was always hot water, and I liked the tiled floor rather than a shower base to step in. I think a door or screen of some kind would be better, shower curtains stick to one's body in an occasionally alarming way.

The fittings were new and stylishly looking, with a good mirror and good lights, and there was just enough towels provided (although I like lots and lots).

The room contained a safe but it initially didn't work due to a dislocated battery and we actually fixed it ourselves (with some help from the receptionist).

Breakfast

We had breakfasts at the hotel on three of the four mornings.

The breakfast room serves as a bar in the evenings and we even spend one evening here in an extended chat with the receptionist, having a coffee and beer on the house. Breakfast is, sensibly for the location, served until midday and is truly excellent.

It's self-service (apart from proper coffee which is served) and mostly a cold buffet in the European style, although there is a hotplate on which you can make fried or scrambled eggs. The choice was excellent and quality pretty good too: ham, cheese, pate and smoked salmon were there every day, with a choice of rolls, bread, croissants, toast and a fantastic version of the Dutch apple cake, an extra-deep flan case filled with a very tasty apple mixture and topped with nuts. There was also tea, whole fruit and a fruit salad; yoghurt, dry cereals and a selection of juices (all from a box though).

The breakfast room takes up most of the ground floor of the hotel and is very pleasant indeed: it felt like a reasonably up-market, European cafe. Comfortable chairs, flowers on the tables, mirrors, lamps and table-lamps: it was all quite bourgeois but in the nicest possible way. It felt good to be in a continental city again!

Extras and Service

There is wi-fi and Internet access downstairs.

The shared areas are non-smoking, while we were advised that if we wanted to smoke in our room, we would have to do it with a window wide open, as to avoid setting off the sensitive fire alarms. We stuck to this advice and no alarm sounded. I am not sure whether they offer any rooms that are completely non-smoking.

The reception is tiny and staffed only during the day, while there is nobody there between midnight and the morning. We never had any problems, but were told tales of people who arrived at the door in the middle of the night and were so drunk that they couldn't operate their entry door key and slept on the pavement despite having paid for the room (although there is a number to phone displayed at the door in case of emergencies).

The staff we encountered in Amsterdam House were helpful and spoke good English, and the one receptionist we chatted to most was particularly friendly and provided us with fascinating insights to Dutch culture in general and Amsterdam specifics in particular.

Verdict

I does perhaps depend on what you are used to and what you are after, but for a short break in the centre of Amsterdam the Amsterdam House Hotel did admirably. Enough character and friendliness to make it memorable, stunning location, lovely breakfast and comfortable beds more than made it up for the slightly cramped shabbiness. It would have got full five stars if the breakfast was always included in the price, as it is it's a solid four and a recommendation. 

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