We have just returned from a really successful trip to Amsterdam - successful due to the fact that I had heard a lot of good and bad things about the place. I was concerned that it wouldn't be 'my cup of tea'. In fact, I loved the place.

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Booking the Hotel
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After booking our flights on a whim through Easyjet, I started looking for hotels. I searched a few sites, but found prices cheaper on laterooms.com. Their prices for Amsterdam hotels are shown in euros rather than pounds. After looking through a list of potential hotels, we originally settled for the Amstel Botel 'Floating Hotel' which was sat on one of the canals just outside the centre of Amsterdam. The price for three nights was £190.00. We had set our budget for around £200.00 so this sounded perfect for us. I secured the booking with my Debit card through Laterooms and received my confirmation to my email shortly after.

However, a few days later, I received an email from the Amstel Botel telling me that they did not accept Debit cards as payment and I would need to secure my room with a Credit Card. Now, am I happy to report that we do not have any Credit Cards, for fear of me blowing my limit in the Trafford Centre in one day, so we couldn't secure the room. Instead, I asked them to cancel the booking and I went back to Laterooms to look for another hotel.

I eventually came across 'Hotel Plantage', which worked out at £131.00 for a Double room only for three nights. Impressed with the price, I looked on the internet to find a bit more out about it, as although there was a pleasant picture on Laterooms, there was no description or location - although we didn't want to stay right in the centre of Amsterdam, we needed it to be easily accessible by trams. The cancellation policy for the hotel is 2 days before arrival, which I found was pretty fair. If you were to cancel after that time, they were obliged to charge you for the first nights stay only,

After typing the hotel name into Google, I was pleased to find that the hotel has its own website, www.hotelplantage.nl. Described as '3 Star quality for 2 star price', Hotel Plantage is located in the 'old' part of Amsterdam which was originally built in the 17th Century as a garden, hence Plantage. With nine rooms, they advertised the hotel being easily accessible to Central Station and the thriving Damsquare. The website provided pictures as to what the rooms look like and although not the best looking rooms in the world, it looked clean and inviting - plus it was cheap!

We decided to book the hotel and again this was done through the Laterooms booking system. After the booking, I sent an email to the Hotel Plantage with my booking details and asking them to confirm that the booking had been secured by my Debit card. They replied promptly, advising that the booking was secured and that they look forward to seeing us. A total contrast to trying to book the Amstel Botel.

Although the booking was secured on my card, they do not take payment until you arrive at the hotel. Even then, you don't have to pay with your card, should you prefer to pay by cash or a different card.

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Getting there
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Before leaving for Amsterdam, we consulted the Hotel Plantage website again for approximate location details, so we knew where to go when we got off the train at central Station. The website has a great concise section on 'How to find us' and give details if you are arriving by car, tram or walking from the city centre. In our case, we were getting a tram from Central Station. The website advised us that we were to get tram number 9 to the stop for Artis - Amsterdam's Zoo. The stop is also known as Plantage Kerklaan. We were also able to download a Location map, which pinpointed exactly where the hotel was for when we got off the tram.

We arrived at Central Station in Amsterdam and quickly located tram number 9. We were able to pay for our ticket on the tram, telling the driver where we were going. It cost us 1 euro 60 cent each for us to get to the Hotel. When we arrived at the tram stop for our hotel, the driver announced the stop in Dutch and English which we found really helpful. We got off the tram and consulted our location map. We literally had to walk a couple of steps around the corner and our hotel was there. So far so good!

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The Hotel
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The hotel had a large sign outside 'Hotel Plantage', so we knew we were at the right place. However, rather than being able to walk straight in, we were required to ring an intercom for access. We were quickly buzzed in, and had trouble opening the door - that mornings post for the hotel was still lay on the floor…..surely we weren't the only people staying here!? Unfortunately our first impressions weren't that great - the once pink carpet on the steep stairs was very dirty and the very old wallpaper on the walls was peeling and yellowed. Still, knowing we were in it for the duration, and that three nights wasn't a long time, we carried on up the stairs to a clearly marked reception.

We were greeted by a very pleasant man who was seated behind a glass hatch. We said our names and he welcomed us to the hotel. The reception was much more presentable - the wallpaper was still intact, there was free internet access for residents of the hotel and a multitude of information booklets on Amsterdam and its attractions for visitors. A large map on the wall also told us 'You are here'. We were advised that we were being upgraded at no extra charge to a larger room, rather than the Double room we originally booked. The room we had been allocated catered for around 4 people. Impressed immediately at the service, we paid for the room for the whole three nights and were presented with the key for our room. We didn't need to be shown to the room, as it was to the side of reception. I thought that we would be able to hear the noise of the reception from our room but in reality it was very quiet.

We were provided with two keys on the one key ring - one is for the room and the other for the front door, meaning that we could come and go as we pleased, at any time of the day or night. I felt relieved at this - I thought that we would have had to buzz the intercom each time we wanted to get access to the hotel.

The first room we were given was very big - in the middle of the room was a double bed and on either side of the room was what looked like two wardrobes which were in fact pull down

Pictures of Hotel Plantage, Amsterdam

Our room, room 11

single beds. The windows were double glazed, and there was a radiator at the end of the room, which was adjustable. The radiator was a welcome feature after being out in cold Amsterdam all day.

The room was well presented and as well as the double bed in the centre of the room, had a small table and two chairs by a sealed up fireplace. The room was carpeted and was very clean. Admittedly, the furniture and carpet was a little 'old fashioned' but it was comfy and clean and seeing as we were staying in the 'old' part of Amsterdam, added to the character of the place.

The view from the large windows and balcony was a pleasant one - we looked out onto large old buildings and a relaxed coffee shop over the way - this was great for people watching from our chair! As the preferred mode of transport in Amsterdam is Trams and bikes, we very rarely got any traffic noise - at most, we'd hear the ringing of the tram bell.

To the front of the room was a spacious bathroom which consisted of a shower, toilet and sink with a shelf and mirror above it. There was plenty of room for my cosmetics, although there wasn't an actual tray for the shower - the water simply ran into a drain hole in the floor. The bathroom floor was tiled with white tiles which could tend to get a bit slippy. However, the hotel does provide you with a sort of 'Squeegee' contraption to push the water towards the drain, which worked a treat and so the tiles didn't stay wet for long.

Lastly, there was a small 'catering corner' - definitely not a kitchen, as it most definitely was just a corner, which had a little sink, kettle, plates, cutlery and cups. As we were out most of the day, we never needed to use these facilities as we didn't take and Tea and Coffee, and it was pointless us buying some for the three days. Instead, the hotel was a vending machine in reception which dispenses cold drinks such as coke for 1 euro per can - we got quite partial to a can of coke at breakfast! Also within the kitchen area was a hairdryer hung on the wall, although I preferred to use my own.

The beds were some of the comfiest I have ever stayed in - the mattress was soft and let you sink right in (probably not ideal for people with a bad back) and the pillow was big and comfortable, although it was a square rather then rectangular shape. There was a sliding wardrobe with lots of hanging space and extra fleece covers for the bed, which we didn't need. There were no duvets on the bed and instead some thick sheets which again were fresh and clean.

Towels were supplied and changed every day by the hotel. They consisted of a hand towel and a larger towel ideal for showers. Although I took some of my own, they did come in handy for when Jay took a shower after me.

Finally, there was a colour TV in the room. Although the majority of the channels were Dutch, we did manage to get BBC1, BBC2 and BBC News. We usually watched the news in the morning before going out. Apart from that we didn't watch any TV.

The only downfall to the hotel was the checkout time - 11am on the day of departure. As our flight wasn't until 5.40pm that evening, we had to lug our case and bag around the centre of Amsterdam. We asked reception if we could leave the bags with them until later on, but they said they didn't have the space to do so. Plus, we wouldn't be covered should anything happen to the bags - at least they were honest!

On departure, they wished us a safe journey home and asked how our stay at the hotel was - we told them we were very happy with the room and the location and should we visit Amsterdam again, we would definitely stay there.

There are a number of facilities within the area of the hotel should you not wish to go into the Centre of Amsterdam each time you need something. For instance, below and across from the hotel are coffee shops (of the non smoking variety) and around the corner is a Supermarket and Tobacco shop. Down the road is the famous Artis Zoo.

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Conclusion
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As suggested to the staff of the Hotel Plantage, we would definitely stay here again. Although not in Central Amsterdam, it is only a 5 minute tram ride away from the centre. The Tram stop is right outside the hotel and as trams are extremely regular, we never had to wait longer than 5 minutes for a tram into the centre.

Don't let the first impressions of this hotel put you off - as previously mentioned, the entrance was far from appealing but the main part of the hotel is inviting, clean and comfortable.

There are no elevators in the hotel and as with many old Dutch buildings, the stairs are very steep so this is definitely a consideration when booking.

We felt lucky to be staying in such an old and historic part of Amsterdam - after the hustle and bustle of Central Amsterdam, it was a relief to be staying somewhere so pleasant and quiet.

I would thoroughly recommend this hotel for both value and comfort.

Plantage Kerklaan 25-A
Zipcode: 1018CV Amsterdam - Holland
Tel: 00 31 20 620 55 44
Fax: 00 31 20 620 24 04
E-mail:info@hotelplantage.nl
www.hotelplantage.nl