As some of you know, we just returned from a two week trip to Amsterdam and London. Although I'm already being nagged about writing a trip report, I'm holding off a bit on that, but will post a couple of hotel reviews.
Our first stop was in Amsterdam, where we only spent 2 nights. We stayed at the Hotel Alexander, Vondelstraat 44-46.
Our room was four floors up, in a gable. The elevator goes to the 3rd (our 4th) floor, then a narrow staircase leads up to the room. The room was small, but fine. There was a big comfy bed, a small desk, 2 chairs, a small table, two nightstands, a luggage stand, and a tiny closet with shelves and a wee section for hangers. The bathroom was also fine, with large bottles of shampoo and body gel. The double room cost about €115 per night, plus city tax. Had we been staying for more than 2 or 3 nights, we might have found the closet too small, but since we didn't unpack completely, it was more than adequate.
The breakfast (€12.50 extra) was generous. There were 5 kinds of breads, cheeses, meats, two kinds of eggs (scrambled and boiled,) bacon, beans, a few vegetables, yogurt, cold cereals, sweets, and some fruit. There were teabags, and a coffee machine with choices including cappuccino and espresso. The coffee was, ummm …. very tasty, but didn’t taste like coffee. Many years (decades!) ago, I remember going to academic conferences in Poland where the breakfast beverage was a grain-based coffee substitute. Tasty, but not coffee. That’s what the coffee at the Alexander reminded me of.
The staff was great. Very friendly, very helpful.
The hotel is about a 5 to 7 minute walk from the Leidseplein area, and about a 10 minute walk from the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum. The Vondelpark is just a couple of minutes away. The airport bus stop and tram stops to the train station are within 5 to 10 minutes walk. In spite of this convenience, Vondelstraat is very quiet. Oh, and the building was designed by the same person (Vondel!) who designed the Rijksmuseum and other Amsterdam landmarks.
The hotel is clean, convenient, comfortable, and affordable. We enjoyed our stay, and would gladly stay there again.