Stayokay Vondelpark private room? De Munck?

I haven't stayed at the Stayokay. If you put it in the search box above, there was a recent post about it so maybe you could PM the person/people who responded.

I have been to Amsterdam several times and stay in Airbnb's (there are 5 of us; 2 adults three kids).

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/netherlands/help-finding-a-hostel-in-amsterdam

posts about Stayokay...

Thanks Jessica-I saw that thread but it didn't appear that anyone commenting had stayed there recently.

No personal experience, but good places to look for hostel reviews (per my sister who uses hostels with some regularity) are Hostel World: https://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Stayokay-Amsterdam-Vondelpark/Amsterdam/4916/reviews?dia=500&number_of_guests=2&dateTo=2018-03-24&dateFrom=2018-03-21#propname

and HostelBookers: https://www.hostelbookers.com/propertyreviews/3445/arr/2018-03-27/ngt/3/ppl/1/

hi ferrin
what are your dates and how many in your family?

There are 4 of us: May 29, 30, 31. I had looked for air bnbs but they were really expensive for my dates. Maybe I can look again...

Here is a link to the reviews from Trip Advisor. It seems to have a pretty good rating.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g188590-d263947-Reviews-Stayokay_Hostel_Amsterdam_Vondelpark-Amsterdam_North_Holland_Province.html

Ferrin - if that doesn't work out look at places in Haarlem. We stayed in Haarlem on our first visit with our son and felt it was a good choice.

Yes, the reviews are pretty good for the Stayokay, I just wanted to see if any RS travelers had stayed there recently. Looks like I may be the first in a while! If we stay there, I will make sure to review it :)

Thanks Jill! I am still on the hunt for something else that may be better for us, I will look at Haarlem. Anywhere in particular that you liked?

Ferrin, It could be an experience. We use a free white noise app (mom, dad, kids now 10, 13, 15) and play that noise all night from our plugged in phone. We use white noise at home (because it became a pavlovian thing when the kids were infants), but the nice thing about the app is there are 26 noises to choose from (our favorites are "brown" and "ocean waves") and it really does block out so much of the noise. So, if you choose the hostel -- and I think staying in Amsterdam to explore it is better, and you will only be there a few nights -- this could help. If, otoh, you were planning to use AMS as a base for exploring surrounding areas, then Haarlem would be a good option.
There is something unique to me about AMS. Its younger, and has a youthful energy (for better and worse) which I wouldn't have thought I would like. I do think renting bikes is part of the experience. It is exhilarating and really makes you understand the city better A. because you can cover so much distance so easily, so you end up knowing how to get from say NEMO to the Jordaan on back streets, and B. you are part of the crush of residents, not tourists, and you see the city differently. Plus, if you get ambitious, you can ride some way out along the Amstel river (just get on a bike path next to it in the center if the city and stay on whatever path stays closest to it as you ride out) and in 10 minutes see some of the Dutch countryside (cows, sheep, windmills, rowers, etc)
Lastly, AMS is a place best reserved well in advance. So if you ever try to return, keep in mind that there are places available in your price range but they get snapped up bc the city is relatively small
Good luck

Thank you Jessica! That is all really helpful. I am excited to stay in the city, and we will be close to at least 1 museum, and I have heard nice things about Vondelpark. And boy, you are right about hotels in Ams. They were the hardest to find and the most expensive (by far) of our trip. Definitely will keep that in mind for the next trip! I really want to rent bikes and get out to the countryside-I need to start checking into routes-I think there is a ferry that goes North that seems like a good option... :)

There is a town/village northwest called Zaanse Schanse where you can rent bikes and ride around that has a lot of traditional Dutch country stuff. Google the town name. You can train there from AMS Centraal. And you could also rent bikes in Amsterdam from Macbike or Blackbikes just for the purpose of riding around Vondelpark for a few hours. It is busy with bikes and you will get that experience of how scary-fun biking in AMS can be (there are a lot of rental places - google either of the above and you'll see multiple locations in the city). There are several youtube videos about how to bike in the city that can be funny, and about bike culture generally. The first time my daughter had her own bike there she was 13, but we are biking family so she had navigation, bike-handling, etc skills already. Of course you will smell marijuana in the park, but there are plenty of moms with young kids doing those activities, and there is a pool in the center where kids play, so there's that too