Last week I returned from my summer holiday in Amsterdam. It is a city well known for sex drugs and that sort of thing but of course when you want a place to retire it's always nice to know you have a quiet and relaxing place to call it a night. The place that did that for me was the Hotel Bilderberg Garden situated just slightly out of the city centre. I am not normally one who likes the superior five star hotels but on this occasion I got a great deal and thought I would give it a try.

Before me I saw a red carpet laid out and knew this was definitely where I would be staying. I was greeted with a marble floor and well presented staff all smartly dressed in their orange jackets, easy to identify and welcoming. Now, this is where my only negative comes being the whole check-in process. I was told my room was not ready yet and that I was to return in thirty minutes time, now this was all fair enough as we had arrived before 3pm. I went out for lunch and returned after 3 but by this point I was exhausted and wanted to unpack and see the sights.

Whenever I needed to find out information I could easily go downstairs and they would happily tell me where to find the nearest supermarket, ATM etc. I was also happy to find they provided adapters, toiletries and would happily answer any questions thrown at them. All were dressed in orange uniform, easy to identify and even at breakfast they would attend to your every need.

The colour scheme in the rooms was very modern and neutral. The bathroom was all marble and very well lit. The bedroom was designed with very flat comfortable Art Deco furniture. The bedding was beige and cream and the furniture mahogany. The wardrobe was even well lit. The window was wide and lit up the room nicely with an okay view. I couldn't fault the cleanliness as it was very up to par. It was a big enough room and I was happy to come home at nights and relax here.

The hotel's location seemed to be in quite a residential area. It was across from the Hilton but was in a quiet enough area so you could sleep well. It was literally a five minute walk to the nearest bank and about ten minutes to the supermarket and nearest tram line. It was near Beethovenstraat which had many shops and restaurants to kill time. The nearest tram line was called Apollolaan and the numbers 5 and 24 came here. I usually didn't have to wait any longer than ten minutes for one to arrive. These particular trams went to most major tourist stops and were also very quick. The good thing was where this hotel is situated is out of the centre whereas most of the central trams were busier going into the attractions rather than my emptier trams going out.