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

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

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 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 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 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 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.

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!

There is wi-fi and Internet access downstairs.

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).

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.