Hotel Di-Ann, Amsterdam

We stayed at The Hotel Di-Ann for 4 nights in early March 2006. We paid about £100 each for 4 nights bed and breakfast, which we thought was fantastic value for money. The Di-Ann is extremely similar to the Hotel Nadia a few doors down and there really is not much to choose between the 2. The only difference I found was that the staff in the Nadia were maybe slightly more attentive & friendly. In both hotels bedrooms are mostly tiny but cosy, the ...
...(turn left on leaving the hotel and it's on your left just after the 1st road you cross. There is also a bigger one on your right on the way to Dam Square). While we were there we borrowed a travel adaptor plug and a kettle for the whole of our stay without charge. The rooms all have safes (again no charge) and we were lucky enough to get a room on the 4th floor with a huge balcony so our views were great. You do have to pay a 20 Euro deposit for ... more

We stayed at The Hotel Di-Ann for 4 nights in early March 2006. We paid about £100 each for 4 nights bed and breakfast, which we thought was fantastic value for money. The Di-Ann is extremely similar to the Hotel Nadia a few doors down and there really is not much to choose between the 2. The only difference I found was that the staff in the Nadia were maybe slightly more attentive & friendly. In both hotels bedrooms are mostly tiny but cosy, the stairs are many and steep and the staff are helpful and friendly. You get a bigger choice at breakfast at the Nadia, but on the other hand, the Di-Ann is cheaper, has nicer bathrooms and has the most gorgeous friendly little cat ever!

The location is excellent (5 minutes from Dam Square, 2 minutes from Westerkerk & Anne Frank's House) and there are plenty of places to eat and drink nearby. There is a huge market every Monday near the Westerkerk and I picked up lots of bargains there (It's great for vintage clothes & accessories, antiques & fabrics especially!) . There are lots of cafes and restaurants in the surrounding area - try venturing down some of the many roads which lead off Prinsengracht for a great choice of funky shops, restaurants, bars and cafes. My favourite coffeeshop, La Tertulia, is about a 10 minute walk from The Di-Ann on Prinsengracht.

The rooms at the Di-Ann all have fridges so you can stock up on cold drinks and snacks from the supermarket down the road (turn left on leaving the hotel and it's on your left just after the 1st road you cross. There is also a bigger one on your right on the way to Dam Square). While we were there we borrowed a travel adaptor plug and a kettle for the whole of our stay without charge. The rooms all have safes (again no charge) and we were lucky enough to get a room on the 4th floor with a huge balcony so our views were great. You do have to pay a 20 Euro deposit for your tv remote control but you get this back when you check out.

Breakfast is OK, but quite basic. Lovely fresh coffee which you help yourself to, cornflakes and white or brown bread with a rather slow toaster provided. There are lots of different teas, jams and spreads, plus cheese. There are hard-boiled eggs but these tend to go quickly and although they are replaced at first, you will be lucky to get any after about 9:30am!

The only downside was that the trams can be pretty noisy if your room is at the front of the hotel as ours was. They run from about 6am to about midnight. This was OK in the winter as we kept the windows closed but if I was going back in the summer I would ask for a back room.

All in all an excellent budget hotel and great value for the price if you don't mind a few stairs (actually, a lot of stairs). We would definitely go back but I would not recommend it for those with young children, or anyone with mobilty issues as the stairs are VERY steep and there is no lift.

 

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