I have looked at the reviews, but nearly all are 5 or more years old. Has anybody recently stayed in Amsterdam and could recommend somewhere ?

As with all travellers I would like 5 star luxury, centrally situated for 1 star price, but I am realistic - 2 or 3 star or small B&B would be perfect.

TimW

Check out Hotel DiAnn, it's in central Amsterdam, reasonably priced and has got good reviews.

http://www.diann.nl/

I've stayed at Hotel Piet Hein a couple of times and really like it.

Very nice location... nice rooms, reasonable prices, convenient to the tram system (irritating music on their website ).
I would stay there again. Not wheelchair accessible.

Bill

Hotel Brouwer falls into your "realistic" criteria!

www.hotelbrouwer.nl

I am not staying here until August, but based on Trip Advisor I booked The Collector B and B.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g188590-d547386...m_Noord_Holland.html

http://www.the-collector.nl/

Judie

Thanks for all your replies - they all look like excellent choices.

TimW

One more B&B to add. I'm not staying there until August either: Bed & Breakfast Amsterdam. They were mentioned in Rick Steve's book and also had great reviews at Tripadvisor's.

quote:

Originally posted by TimW:
I have looked at the reviews, but nearly all are 5 or more years old. Has anybody recently stayed in Amsterdam and could recommend somewhere ?

As with all travellers I would like 5 star luxury, centrally situated for 1 star price, but I am realistic - 2 or 3 star or small B&B would be perfect.

TimW

Last year we stayed at this hotel: Hotel Rembrandt Residence. Very nicely located. We took the train from the airport to the station in Amsterdam, then a taxi to our hotel. Had a lovely room overlooking the canal. We paid 145 euros, with a lovely breakfast. Very convenient location.

If you have a chance, there is a restaurant called "Gauchos"...I can't remember the exact location, but it was north of the Palace and west of the red light district. It's an Argentinian restaurant, and everything is grilled. Really incredible! We had a table next to some Brits who were eating there their third night in a row! My husband had the tenderloin and I had lamb....it was wonderful eating outside. You won't regret it!

Louise

I would stay at any hotel near "Rembrandtplein". It's a nice area and you are in the hotspot of the Amsterdam action

Thanks again for the further suggestions. Looking for a place to stay was actually very frustrating, as the first 5 or 6 places I tried were all unavailable for the weekend I wanted. I believe there are several big trade conferences/ehibitions over that period.

I eventually went back to my "slow travel" habits, and looked for an apartment for a few days - finding one about a mile from the city centre. I will review it when I come back.

TimW

Edit: After writing this post, I realized you had obtained an apartment! But I'll leave it in case anyone else is searching.

Prices can vary hugely depending when you book, and what booking site you use.

Check www.hotelscombined.com to see a comglomeration of different booking sites and many different hotels.

The Eden Amsterdam can have rates as low as 70 Euros per night, and it is perfectly located near Rembrandtplein. It was previously a Best Western, and has either finished or nearly finished a significant renovation project.

We stayed there twice quite happily, and I was considering staying there again, but during my contemplation the price rose from about 70 Euros per night (prepaid) to 120 Euros per night. But perhaps for your stay, the price might be low again.

I would probably avoid any place too close to Centraal Station or Dam Square or in the Red Light District, but there are a lot of nice areas in Amsterdam that are all very convenient.