Where to stay in Amsterdam

Hotels in Amsterdam are very pricey year round. These day something closer to $200 would be considered moderate:(
Try the Avenue Hotel located between Centraal Station and Dam Square:

http://www.avenue-hotel.nl/

Yes, in Amsterdam demand for accommodation outstrips supply, so prices are high for what you get. Be prepared to either pay more, or get less, than you would like.

Here's a great EuroCheapo page on Amsterdam, with some great tips even if you're not looking for a "cheap" place to stay: http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/amsterdam-hotel-advice.html

Haarlem is not on the Amsterdam tram system, as it's a separate city. It is, however, very close (10 minutes) by very frequent trains (6 per hour during the day, one an hour through the night). There's even a direct bus to the airport. If you can find a better deal in Haarlem than in Amsterdam, it's a good alternative.

I echo the above $150 per night would be hard to find.
Since the transport from the airport is quick and easy to use I always stay at the Ibis

https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-0649-ibis-schiphol-amsterdam-airport/index.shtml

or Ibis Budget by the airport:
http://www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-5097-ibis-budget-amsterdam-airport/index.shtml

We stayed here several years ago and really liked it. Near the tram line and walking distance to the main museums. Rooms are very comfortable with many nice touches. I think price will be around your $150 max.

http://www.the-collector.nl/en/home

Kris, have you checked all the suggestions in Rick's Amsterdam guide yet? We stayed at the Hotel Brouwer in 2015 which we really enjoyed in spite of the sloping floors! We only arrived in time for dinner and our extremely early flight the next day so didn't get to see sights that time. We have also stayed in Haarlem which is lovely but for a brief stay and wanting to see museums, I'd recommend Amsterdam proper. I see on the hotel site that a double is €148 so just barely in your budget. (Actually do you mean US$150 or €150?)

Thanks for all of your input. I did email the Brouwer on Friday and am waiting for a response. I checked out the ideas given and am sure I can find a good place to stay. Thank you so much again! Can't wait to visit this beautiful city.

We liked our stay at the Amsterdam B&B Barangay last month. A short walk, 10 minutes or so, from Centraal Station and convenient for easy sightseeing and transportation. Nice, quiet location and near many restaurants. A beautiful and large breakfast is delivered daily to the room, a different menu each day. Our room was comfortable, modern bathroom. We reserved the 2 patio rooms...down a few stairs because our friend couldn't negotiate long flights of stairs, and enjoyed the small shared patio area. Decor may be a bit quirky, but our room was amply furnished with snacks and coffee, tea, and kettle. Friendly hosts. Pretty close to your price point I suspect. Have a great trip in beautiful Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is a city where using Priceline.com can really pay off. You can probably find a 4 star in the museum district for your budget. We had a great stay at the Hotel Vondel.

I second the suggestion of the Museumplein area, I stayed at the Hotel Piet Hein on Vossiusstraat, overlooks the end of the Vondelpark across the street and was thus extremely quiet at night. I was there this April for 5 nights and the price for one of the executive rooms was about $190. It was one block to the PC Hoofstraat shopping street, and a couple of blocks to the Museumplein with Van Gogh, Stedelijk and Rijksmuseum, plenty of restaurants and the trams take you to the central tourist areas in about 5 minutes--or it's certainly walkable.

I just checked www.Booking.com for Haarlem for your nights and came up with several options in your budget. I have not stayed in Haarlem before but chose it for an upcoming trip for economy (found a great apartment) and location as it is convenient for trips elsewhere in The Netherlands as well.

We stayed in Harlem our first trip to Amsterdam and loved it! Check out the church in the square! In Amsterdam there is an Ibis right next to the train station that I believe is in your budget. That's where we're staying next time as it's a quick overnight trip with an early train the next morning.

We just came back from Amsterdam, stayed at Hotel La Boheme for 3 nights, really cute little place near museums & lots of restaurants. Also easy tram ride from train station.

AirBnB, although it generally helps to book further in advance.

We stayed at Room Mate Aitana in Amsterdam. It's a modern hotel, not a B&B, but the rooms have two double beds and the price was close to your budget. This hotel is a short walk from the train station and Dam Square and to the Jordaan section.

I just plugged your dates into hotels.com and quite a few came up in the 3 star range. This is where I generally shop when traveling solo...although it also depends on reviews so I might go for less if the reviews were really good. (My next solo stay in Amsterdam is at the Hotel Fita if you want to judge me). As you are with several people, you could lessen your stars and stay for less. My requirement is clean and safe. Safe is not as big a factor when I'm not traveling alone. So you can have a hotel downtown at relatively last minute, but you might have to give up some services if you are accustomed to staying at 3 to 4 star hotels. A 2 star hotel can often just mean there is no elevator, which hardly affects cleanliness, service or safety. Check out hotels.com and booking.com. Include TripAdvisor search for reviews there as well. Then you can then reserve your rooms direct if you prefer.

PS. We stayed in Harlem for a night on the way out of the Netherlands on our last stay. It's a cute little town, but has enough to more than fill one day and I hate taking a train into the location that I really want to see. I was listening to RS on that one, and it was OK, but we preferred staying in Amsterdam, which we did upon arrival.

We like the Hotel Fita and the Wiechmann. The Wiechmann has
doubles overlooking the canal for slightly under 150. No air conditioning or elevator. The Fita is a little more but has an elevator.

Just wanted to add that if you are looking for a relaxing slow place to chill before heading home you maybe should consider staying in Haarlem instead of Amsterdam. We have found Amsterdam to be anything BUT relaxing. We have a room booked for our trip next year at the IBIS located right next to central station. 120 euro total.