We (myself and my teen daughters) will be making our first trip to Amsterdam for 4 nights in June. I admit, I am a bit overwhelmed trying to find accommodation even after reading Rick's book and searching the forum. I have already done searches on booking.com, airbnb, and homeaway/vrbo and am having a lot of trouble narrowing down on what makes sense for us.
I am looking for your recommendations/suggestions. I was reading on the forum about the law change for short-term rentals and that seems to have impacted our ability to find affordable lodging.
Our criteria:
needs to sleep at least 3
kitchen or kitchenette (due to severe food allergies (strictly gluten-free) we prefer to cook for ourselves when possible)
easy walking distance to a grocery store for food purchases
laundry facilities on site or very nearby (this is actually just as important as the kitchen)
easy access to public transportation
family appropriate location
We have no mobility challenges, so stairs are not a problem. I don't mind staying out of the central area as along as there is quick, easy, public transport to the major sites and museums. I would rather not travel more than about 20 minutes one way. We will be arriving by plane and leaving by cruise ship, so easy transport to both of those locations would also be ideal.
Like everyone, we want the best deal possible. I am really trying to keep it at or below $150 usd a night, but will go higher for the right place. I really cannot go over $250 usd per night.
Thanks in advance for any recommendations you have.
PS We are completely open to staying someplace such as Haarlem. We just are looking for specific recommendations on where.