Looking for a hidden gem value hotel near Van Gogh Museum

In 2015 we stayed at the Hotel Piet Hein. Reviews for it are inconsistent. It meets your criteria of being close to the Van Gogh Museum, is adjacent to Vondelpark, and has a great seafood place around the corner. Not sure of price.
We didn't choose the lowest price room, but rather one "in the middle." It was very modern and breakfast was included. If I wanted a hotel close to the museums, I would stay there again.

The XO Hotel Van Gogh is literally across the street from the Van Gogh museum. Spring of 2019, my adult daughter and I shared a small room with two twin beds. We had three short days in town with a museum heavy agenda and this hotel was perfect for our needs - safe, clean, quiet, convenient and just steps from a main tram line. Looking on the hotel website on a random May date I found a twin room for €171 a night ($190 US at today's exchange) a bit more than your stated budget, however it may be worth checking out. One note: The hotel was a bit unusual in that it is part hostel and part hotel. If you go to book a room you should see private room and dorm room options. We saw lots of young people at breakfast but otherwise wouldn’t have known it was part hostel.

We found "a hidden gem" in the Museumplein area last September. We recommend the charming Collector B&B. We stayed 5 nights based on great reviews, and quiet location. Our host Karel rents 2 large well appointed spotless rooms with ensuite bathroom, and well stocked kitchen for breakfast and lunch. It is minutes from the Concert Hall, Van Gogh, Rijksmuseum, VondelPark and excellent neighborhood restaurants. We took the "red" bus from the airport. It dropped us off across from the Concertgebouw. It was an easy short walk to the B&B. The cost is within your budget. We gladly recommend this B&B. www.collector.nl, [email protected]

Edit to add: Host uses a taxi service to the airport that is under €35. We were pleased with the service.

Our stay was too long ago for any comments about the hotel to be relevant, but we loved the location. We used canal boats to reach the places we couldn't walk to. Perfect location for the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum. Close to lots of places to eat and drink.

This article is interesting, particularly for its mention of sweetshotel.amsterdam - multiple locations in bridge-tender houses - which I hope to try someday.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/hotels/amsterdam-best-boutique-hotels-budget-luxury-city-centre-small-where-to-stay-netherlands-a8473031.html

Is 15 minutes too far to walk to the Van Gogh museum? In August we stayed for 5 nights at B&B Adriaen van Ostade at Van Ostadestraat 66. It's in De Pijp to the east of the museum district. We loved the neighborhood. A couple blocks from the metro. There are just two rooms and instead of serving breakfast, the charming and helpful hosts just keep the in-room refrigerator stocked with practically enough food for the whole day each day. It was something like $90 a night. Check it out. Our large room had a balcony and a kitchenette and a large shower. And you get to experience Dutch stairs, but with sturdy handrails --- I am 65 and no mountain goat, and I found them perfectly easy and fun.

Hotel Fita. Really close, clean, and nice owners. We were there for 3 nights after already being in a Europe for 5 days before, and they did our laundry during the day for us and had it in our room when we returned. Right nextto a school, and great shopping/restaurants to on block over.

Also tons of public transportation close by so if you want to explore, it is easy to hop on and off.

Laura, thanks for posting that article. Those “sweet” bridge houses do sound very cool!

I stayed at Hotel Aalders, just a couple blocks from the museum, close tram stops as well. I was quite satisfied.

Thanks to all for the incredible recommendations. We are very happy to add these few days in Amsterdam to our adventure!