We are planning a trip to amsterdam from April 17 thru 20 and im just surprised at the price of hotels for the quality I want. Ive always been lucky to get good rates for better than good quality hotels for the past few years but I cant seem to find any luck in amsterdam. My boyfriend said that we should consider staying in Haarlem which is a town close to amsterdam, it maybe cheaper there. Has anyone stayed in that area?

I haven't stayed in Haarlem, but have visited from Amsterdam. Just one point you should be aware of: In many Netherlands cities, including Haarlem, the railroad station is not in the center of town but on the outskirts. Less than a mile from the center, but still a bit out of the way.

What are your plans during your visit? Also have you considered an apartment? Some are available for less than a week.

April can be popular in Holland because it is prime tulip flower time. Haarlem would be another good option. It is about 15-20 minutes by train to Amsterdam and the trains are pretty frequent. It is not too far to the center of the town from the train station but it is a little walk as Marian mentions. The train connections are pretty good also. You can go either to Amsterdam or to Leiden. It is also near the tulip fields which are centered between Leiden and Haarlem.

There is a lot to see in the town and it is pretty compact. I don't have any recommendations for hotels in Haarlem. I typically visit it as a day trip. I do recommend visiting the St Bavo church, the Grote Markt, Frans Hals museum and Teyler's museum.

Also check out KHB's blog from her visit to Holland earlier this year for some ideas of things to see and do in Amsterdam.

Sorry, I also can not name a place in Haarlem, but I HIGHLY recommend getting a houseboat for your stay in Amsterdam as it is really the ideal way to see it.
Here are some pictures of one that we picked. If you check out the archived stories in that time frame, you will see lots of the sights that we enjoyed in our few weeks in that part of the world.

We really loved our stay on the houseboat with an ideal location, close to everything central and a very beautiful area.

Here is a review on slowtrav about another houseboat around the same price as the one we picked. There are tons available, so just google if you would like to see more.

You could stay in Haarlem, and it is a nice town, but maybe you can get a good deal in Amsterdam.

On our previous visits to Amsterdam, we stayed at the Best Western Eden, which is super-central and of acceptable quality (in my opinion). We were able to get rates in the 65-79 Euro range through various web sites. Check booking.com and www.bestwestern.com and www.edenhotelgroup.com .

On our upcoming visit to Amsterdam, we are going down a notch and staying in a 2* canalhouse hotel that has very cheap March weekday rates. I'm a bit nervous, but it will be a different experience for sure.

I know April rates can be high due to the tulip season, but what sort of quality and rate did you have in mind? It's also quite possible you can get a good deal through Priceline, although you may sacrifice location. The Priceline 4* hotels would be more convenient than Haarlem, in any event.

As always I can always get great ideas from this forum. That houseboat suggestion is fantastic WT. I will start looking into that.

Ive always ended up going to really quality 3* or 4* hotels. My trip last May in Germany, Prague, Austria and Budapest for 16 days averaged 100 Euros per night and the hotels were fabulous. I was so proud of those finds. http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/821606885/m/...231070962#9231070962
Great location, nice clean modern accomodations and fantastic prices and yes they do exist

I guess Amsterdam is just really expensive. If we dont end up in a houseboat we might just go for the hotel weber for 145 euros (ouch)

The Hotel Weber seems like a good deal considering how good its reviews are. Of course it's likely going to be less of a stunning hotel than your previous hotels like the Movenpick in Berlin (I find Berlin has terrific hotel deals generally speaking). Has it been fitted with a lift? I'm just a bit apprehensive about our upcoming Amsterdam hotel with steep, old stairs, but I might as well try that now before I'm too old!

Also, check out the Booking.com reviews for the Weber also. One mentions a bar open until 1 AM in the lower floor.

It is hard to avoid stairs in Holland. Most of the places I've stayed have always had steep stairs. Many of the buildings are too narrow to accomodate an elevator.

Just a note regarding the location of the Weber, it is near Leidseplein. This area is very busy area with clubs and bars. I did also see the bar on the lower floor. I think it is actually open until 4am according to the Weber website. I would consider this area a rather noisy area. It isn't right on the square but it isn't far.

Robin, don't forget to check out apartments, as well. As Marta mentioned there are plenty that allow you to rent for less than a week. And having a little kitchen means you can save some money by having a couple of meals in your apartment. Also if you find accommodations that are in the center of town, you'll save on transportation costs, so factor that in too.

-Krista

I will definitely check on the apartments as well. I hope we can get a better deal with the house boat or the apartment. Noise is definitely an issue for me, I have no issues staying in a bar/clubby area as long as the place has good soundproofing like places in germany. I did find this hotel in amsterdam but im not sure if the location is great http://www.qbichotels.com/

So let me ask those who have gone to AMsterdam. What are the good areas to focus my search on. For me, In Italy it was Piazza Navona/Campo Fiore, Mitte in Germany, Mala Strana in Prague, Castello in Venice etc etc these places were a good walking distance from the smack touristy center but they were strategically located. What would be a comparable area in amsterdam, Jordaan?

Will when will you be in AMsterdam? Have you chosen a hotel or a place to stay? Have fun

Around the Anne Frank house is a really nice area to stay.

We really liked staying around Rembrandtplein, but it's likely best to be just a bit away from all the activity. I think the Waterlooplein area is great.

The places where I would not particularly want to stay are right by Centraal Station, Dam Square, the Spui, and the Red Light District.

The Vondelpark area is very nice, but on the edge. I haven't stayed there, so can't say if that's a problem or not.

If you stay on one of the streets that end with "gracht", you are likely in a nice area.

Will's recommendations are good. I would also add the Jordaan, the canal belt, and the museum area. I think the de Pijp area is also good but I haven't visited the area much. Most of my experience is actually outside of Amsterdam. I've worked/lived in Leiden and Den Haag and mostly day tripped into Amsterdam.

I've stayed in the Jordaan area and Southern Belt near the flower market. The hotels were fine for the money but nothing as far as a 'find'. One was the Agora and the other was the Acacia. I stayed at the Acacia ages ago and I've seen some pretty bad comments on it out on Trip Advisor. Both are hotels have an older Dutch style of decor that I find a bit heavy. Neither is a more 'hip' boutique style similar to the others you are looking at.

I would recommend checking out the list of hotels on Time Out. I've used this guidebook along with Rough Guide with good results.

quote:

im not sure if the location is great http://www.qbichotels.com/

This is at the convention center which is a ways out of the center. You would need to always take a tram/bus/train to this area and I think it is about 10 minutes away. Most of the tourist places are in the center and easily walkable. I think of it as I haven't been there but I think the area more for a business traveler. I would choose Haarlem over this area mainly for ambiance.

I'll also recommend the Jordaan and anywhere in the canals district, but that is the pricey area of town.

I would recommend B&Bs, which are more moderately priced than hotels but are often wonderfully charming and well situated. However, if noise is a great issue, you need to be careful - including when it comes to houseboats and apartments.

Have you contacted the tourist board for Amsterdam? My experiences with them have been fantastic. If you describe your needs in detail, they might very well locate for you a wonderful place.