Advantages: appeals to lager and bitter drinkers alike
Disadvantages: not the cheapest beer on the market

...Little did I know that when I invited my family around for Christmas would I end up with so much left over alcohol. Of course, I bought enough beer/rum/brandy/whisky/coke/lemonade to keep Curly (Corrie :-)) in drink for a year to start with. But it seemed to breed in my garage! The best find amongst all this free booze was a crate of Amstel which my father brought with him. We've both been to Greece enough times to know and love the taste of Amstel (it's either that or Heineken!). But I've never actually thought of buying the stuff at my local Tescos. However, I think I might in future. The Facts --------- On June 11, 1870, two-year-old Ernest de Pester, the son of Amstel founder Baron C.A. de Pester, laid the first stone for the Amstel brewery in Amsterdam. The new brewery was the brainchild of two Amsterdam businessmen, De Pester... Read review

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Advantages: Great location, great breakfast, helpful and freindly English speaking staff.
Disadvantages: Very small bathrooms and basic rooms.

...I stayed on the Amstel Botel in May 2006 and was excited at the thought of staying in a ‘floating hotel’ within walking distance of the centre. The Amstel Botel claims to have 175 comfortable rooms all with en-suite bathroom, satellite TV, telephone, radio and safe. However, although every box is ticked as listed above, the rooms are quite small and the en-suite bathroom is so small that you could use the loo, wash your hair and brush your teeth all at the same time! The rooms are very basic and higher level rooms, canal side are better due to views. Cruises pass by continually and views are stunning on a sunny day. Just a note to add, there are no kettles or hair dryers provide so bring your own! The Amstel Botel opened its doors more than twenty years ago, and is currently moored at Oosterdokskade, which is approximately 5... Read review

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Advantages: Inexpensive, widely available
Disadvantages: Boring, widely available

...AMSTEL brewery (which is now a subsidiary of Heinekin), was founded in 1870 and is named after the river on which Amsterdam is situated. They produce 10 different kinds of beer which are: Light, 1870, Gold, Malt, Lente Bock, Oud Bruin, Bock, Herfst Bock and - the beer that this review concerns- Lager. Amstel Lager Beer is sold in over 75 countries worldwide so it is fairly common. http://www.amstel.com There's not a lot more to say so after a quick joke we'll get right down to it....... A guy walks into a butcher's shop and the butcher says, "Bet you a tenner that you can't jump up and touch the meat that's hung up on the ceiling." The guy says, "No thanks." Butcher says, "OK, bet you twenty quid that you can't jump up and hit the meat that's hung up on the ceiling." Bloke says, "No thanks mate." Butcher says, "OK, OK, I... Read review

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Advantages: central location, clean, friendly
Disadvantages: no 5 star hotel, but what do you expect?

...The Amstel Botel is a large boat/hotel moored in Amsterdam city centre. It's only 2 minutes from the Central Station in Amsterdam and is very well maintained and great value for money. When I first heard about this "botel" I thought that the low prices must mean it was quite poorly maintained but I was completely wrong. The rooms, though on the small side, had all the facilities I required like a clean bathroom, TV (with British channels!) and telephone. The receptionists were really helpful and the views from rooms facing out onto the water are excellent. The food was good and the bar was fine. Even though it's a large hotel (176 rooms) there is a friendly atmosphere and you are located within walking distance of anything you could possibly want to see in Amsterdam. If you want a no-frills, cheap and cheerful place to stay then I... Read review

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Advantages: All are througouly refreshing and good quality
Disadvantages: Too much alcohol is injurious to health

...Man this is easy. My 5 top beers are; Heineken, Carlsberg, Lowenbrau, Amstel and Kingfisher. End of op!! I wish it were so easy. Obviously you now need my expert insight into the reasons for my preferences LOL. No. 1 - Heineken ----------------------- I travel very frequently to Africa & Asia and this is probably why I like Heneiken so much. It is available in almost every country in the world. Be it in cans or bottles, its available. Their old advertizing slogan "Heineken reaches the parts other beers cannot reach" is spot on in this aspect, although the reckoning behind the advert did not take this in mind. Heineken is also one of the easiest beers to drink. It is not too mild and at the same time not strong. It's sort of just right for my liking. It provides a medium head and a crisp and refreshing taste. No. 2 - Carlsberg... Read review

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Advantages: Simon Amstell, Great jokes
Disadvantages: Can offend some (Preston from the Ordinary boys)

...Shown on: BBC2 (Often repeated on UKTV Gold) Length: 28 minutes Series: 19 to date! Presenters/ Regulars "Buzzcocks" was first presented by the wonderful Mark Lamarr with Team Leaders Phil Jupitus and Sean Hughes. Since then it has lost Lamaar and Hughes and replaced them with Simon Amstell and Bill Bailey. Now usually I am not very accomodating to change on my favourite programmes - but I have to say this line up is hilarious. To know that Amstell got fired from Nickelodeon aged 18 for being too sarcastic to the kids just makes me warm to his dry presenting style even more. The Teams are normally made up of the Captains then the other 4 people are a current and former music star, a comedian and some random presenter or actor. Show Structure The show always begins with an excuses/ guess the similarity round with multiple choice... Read review

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Advantages: Novelty
Disadvantages: Poorly appointed tiny rooms

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Advantages: Close to station and a great city to explore
Disadvantages: Just about everything

...in Amsterdam airport as planned. We caught a train shuttle which is located under the airport which headed towards Amsterdam itself. This journey took about 45 minutes. When you get to Amsterdam central station, turn right out of the main doors, not left as we did, which will bring you out into a main square where the tram station is based. Bear left and walk along the main street heading towards the first bridge you will see (of many). To the left of this lies the Amstel Botel which is a floating boat, doubling up as a budget hotel. The hotel is literally two minutes away from the central station, one of the main reasons why we chose it in the first place. First impressions were good, on a dark evening the boat was lit up with hundreds of neon bulbs and looked a very impressive sight. We took photos outside, then proceeded along the wooden... Read review

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Advantages: Location, clean and tidy
Disadvantages: Small rooms, thin walls

...I've just returned from a 3 night stay on the Amstel Botel with a friend - we are very regular visitors to the Dam. The location is fantastic - our main reason for settling on this. Turn left out of the Centraal station, a couple of minutes through the bus bays and you are there. Be careful not to slip if the metal walkway is wet! With trams, the metro, trains and buses all going from the Centraal you can pretty much get to anywhere from here. On arrival we found the receptionist more interested in talking to his female colleagues than checking us in. I don't think we made ourselves too popular asking for more hangers (there were only 2 in the room originally). The night porter is from Cape Verde and much more friendly and helpful. Breakfast is a fairly basic continental buffet, if you're expecting a full English then you... Read review

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Advantages: Smooth taste
Disadvantages: a little on the expensive side

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