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Help us choose our Amsterdam hotel for March - Parents + 20 yr old

Hello,
We are older parents and a college sophomore spending her spring break week in Amsterdam the second week of March! We are looking for neighborhood charm, proximity to casual good eats, and museums. Husband and I are 183 cm/6 feet plus. We are fit but I have a very bad back & silly allergies so we need good firm beds, bathroom on the larger, no smoking, no feathers/down ("hypoallergenic" if possible). We'd like a suite if we could have space to hang out with our daughter and have wine and take-away dinners in the room some night. From my research, it looks more likely that we'd need 2 rooms so that we have 2 bathrooms. It would be nice to connect the rooms.

Current thoughts: Ambassade, Tivoli Doelen (too close to RLD?), still researching.....

We do not want to be in loud boisterous areas or party scenes. This is a special trip for many difficult reasons, and we want to make it relaxing. As an idea of our family, we live in a suburb of San Francisco and we like the diversity, different ethnic cuisine, cool shops, just hanging out and people watching. Good food w/o having to dress up for dinner. We tend to have a big breakfast, snack during the day, and a good dinner. So if there is a full breakfast at our hotel, that would be great. Ideally our (very petite) daughter could go out shopping and exploring on her own and feel safe. Walking a ways to museums is fine, we like to walk.

Other ideas on food, day trips, etc. are welcomed!

Just found this forum, and am super excited to hear ideas. This weekend I will try to return the favor by looking for NorCal questions that I can answer!
SanMateoB

Posted by
611 posts

Find a hotel in the Jordaan District, or if you have the budget, consider a houseboat.
We used this website to book our houseboat in the Jordaan canal neighborhood.
Our houseboat had 2 bedrooms and a dining area/kitchen.
If you book one in the Jordaan district, there are lots of restaurants nearby. Walkable from the train station. Close to the tram that takes you to the museums.

https://www.bookahouseboat.com/rentals/amsterdam

Posted by
1604 posts

Are you talking about March this year? If so, I would very quickly decide on a hotel. You left it pretty late and have some very specific requirements. Finding a place to stay that meets all your criteria might be a difficult task at this late stage.
With regards to safety, your daughter can safely walk the streets of Amsterdam alone to go shopping etc. so you don’t need to worry about that.

Posted by
369 posts

All due respect to the respondents who undoubtedly know the city and neighborhoods much better than I do. However I would like to contribute a bit of a different traveler perspective. I'm a big city girl (Dallas, Houston, etc.), and I have spent a lot of time in Paris and Brussels. I love visiting Amsterdam (4 times in the past and returning in May). However I won't stay there at night again. This perspective is shared by my hubby and 2 female friends with whom I have traveled. The neighborhoods seem to change quickly from a lovely block to not so nice, and it can be frightening to accidentally find yourself somewhere dodgy after dark.

Our solution is to follow Rick Steves recommendation and stay in a smaller town at night, then take a quick train ride into central Amsterdam for our days of sightseeing. We find it's much more relaxing in the evening. Our personal favorite is the ML Hotel in Haarlem just off the main square, but there are other hotels nearby. There are frequent trains to Amsterdam in about 15 minutes. We were much happier doing it this way.

Whatever your choice, it sounds like a special trip with your daughter. Have a wonderful time!

Posted by
537 posts

I'd agree with Linda's recommendation to stay somewhere close to Amsterdam due to the fact that you may have trouble finding anything for March at this point, unless you have an unlimited budget.
My husband and I will be in Amsterdam the first week of March. I booked a VRBO for us back in late October and even then the pickings were slim. Hotels were full or unaffordable; Air BNBs are limited due to local regulations.
Consider Haarlem, which is kind of charming. I'd probably not stay right next to the train station but more in the center of town. It's very walkable, and Haarlem is a quick train ride to Amsterdam. I'm sure there are other small towns close by to consider as well.
I can't speak to the safety of neighborhoods; I was last in Amsterdam in in 2018 and we stayed in a very non-touristy neighborhood near Vondelpark. We felt completely safe.

Posted by
1604 posts

The Ambassade Hotel is a great hotel in an even better location. Your daughter will love it! It’s in the famous 9 streets area with its nice shops and good eats and the Instagram-famous Van Stapele cookies shop right around the corner.
More info about the area; https://de9straatjes.nl/en