Radisson SAS Hotel, Amsterdam

I stayed at the Radisson SAS Centre last month (July 05) with 2 friends. At £160 a night for a triple room this wasn't cheap but not too bad split between the 3 of us and it included breakfast. And of course 5 star hotels generally don't come cheap anyway! I have broken the review down under significant headings, hope this is of help to others:

ARRIVAL/RECEPTION
On approaching the hotel the first thing I noticed was its size, ...
...sides! From the outside it looked very nice, and once we were in it looked even better! The huge atrium area has a glass roof with rooms overlooking it, this immediately created a good impression. It was very spacious with leather sofas to sit on, a garden area and waterfall feature up some steps - all creating a lovely atmosphere. There were 3 reception desks and we were checked in by a pleasant woman.

ROOM
We took the lift ... more

I stayed at the Radisson SAS Centre last month (July 05) with 2 friends. At £160 a night for a triple room this wasn't cheap but not too bad split between the 3 of us and it included breakfast. And of course 5 star hotels generally don't come cheap anyway! I have broken the review down under significant headings, hope this is of help to others:

ARRIVAL/RECEPTION
On approaching the hotel the first thing I noticed was its size, it took up most of the street - on both sides! From the outside it looked very nice, and once we were in it looked even better! The huge atrium area has a glass roof with rooms overlooking it, this immediately created a good impression. It was very spacious with leather sofas to sit on, a garden area and waterfall feature up some steps - all creating a lovely atmosphere. There were 3 reception desks and we were checked in by a pleasant woman.

ROOM
We took the lift up to our room - even the lift was nicely decorated! Our room was a business one at the front on the 5th floor. It overlooked the street giving a decent enough view. The room was immaculately clean and well presented with 2 singles and an extra bed put in. My only minor complaint would be that we specifically asked for 2 singles beds - we got this but they were pushed together with only one duvet to go with them. However, the beds and the duvets were huge so this wasn't a problem. The beds turned out to be VERY comfortable - almost enough to make you want to stay in the room all day!

Other furniture in the room included chairs, a table, desk, and cabinet. The desk was big and broadband was available so it would be great for a business user (which the majority of this hotels visitors probably are). There was a large tv with lots of channels to choose from along with a kettle, trouser press, iron etc. Also some nice complimentary touches like bottled water and teas / coffees. The complimentary robes and slippers were also well received - though only 2 sets for a triple room were provided.

There was also a well stocked mini bar full of drinks, crisps and other goodies - pricey as these things always are. But be careful it is one of those automated ones - so picking something up will automatically charge an item to your room!

The bathroom was first class - especially the heated marble floor - how i wish i had one of those at home! The bath was a fair size and very clean. There were 2 shower heads at different levels also. There were complimentary toiletries which resembled small shot glasses (be careful not to try and drink when under the influence!!!). These were unusual but a nice touch - some lovely varieties such as apple and lemon.

Overall, the room was beautiful and very spacious - three females managed to spray the room with toiletries and clothes yet still have space to chill out - impressive! I sneaked a look into another room which was being cleaned as I passed one day - it had steps leading down into it and the place looked huge - so I suspect even more luxuries and comfort are available in the top priced rooms.

RESTAURANT/BAR
The restaurant was situated on the ground floor and was very bright and modern, with plenty space between all the tables. We ate breakfast there every day - it was almost worth the £160 a night on its own! There was everything you could imagine - fruits, breads, cooked, cereals, pastries, juices, etc etc and everything i tried (which was quite a lot!) was top quality. You can fill up for the day there such is the choice, definately something for every taste. It's a good job we only stayed 3 nights or I may have been rolled out the hotel! We never ate in the restaurant at night but it served evening meals and if these were half as good as the breakfasts then I would highly recommend them.

We were only in the bar one night, it was a lovely setting, like an old church - it looked very authentic - not sure if any of it was real or not. The drink was pricey but no more so than anywhere else in the centre of Amsterdam. We received table service, the seating was comfortable and the atmosphere was very relaxed so it was a good place to start a night out.

FACILITIES
As previously mentioned, the hotel is geared up for business uers so it has all the mod cons required for today's business client. The hotel information guide stated there were leisure facilities in the hotel - across the other side of the street i believe. We never tried them but i'm sure they were on par with the rest of the place.

There was room service available and nice extras like shoe polishers in the corridors. Also, the hotel took care of our taxi arrangements on departure which was helpful.

LOCATION
The location of the hotel was excellent - less than 5 minutes from Dam Square. Amsterdam is a compact city so we were within walking distance of just about everything we wanted to see whether it be shops, coffee shops, museums, pubs or restaurants. However, the one downside (for some maybe!) to the location is its proximity to the red light district - it is just round the corner. Whilst we enjoyed walking around the red light area and seeing the sights, the 1 - 2 minute walk along the canal back to the hotel is not the nicest when it's dark. The red light is bustling but once you leave the action the lighting is poor and the area between the red light and the hotel is empty - i would not have walked along here alone. The actual street the hotel is in is fine, it's just the small bit in between that i would be wary of at night. We never heard any noise from our room so we all enjoyed a good nights sleep - when we eventually got to bed! This is probably the advantage of being very close to Dam Square without actually being in it.

OVERALL
My overall opinion of our stay at the SAS was excellent. The comfort it provided couldn't have been better and dare i mention it again - that brilliant breakfasts! We couldn't have asked for a cleaner, more central place to stay. It catered for all our needs and more with some lovely touches thrown in for good measure. Whilst i probably paid more than i normally would, it was well worth splashing out for a treat. We booked through the internet so if you keep your eyes peeled you can get decent deals like we did - even in the height of summer. I would definately go back - if i can afford it! 

...less