Amsterdam Hotels

Good luck!

You could try bidding on a room on priceline.com using the "name your own price" option. Look for tips on bidding on the website biddingfortravel.com or betterbidding.com. On both, people list their winning bids so you can get some ideas of whether you can find a room in that price range.

For hotels Amsterdam is one of the most expensive cities in the world; your price range is very optimistic:) Laura's advice about priceline is good, in addition checkout the hotels near the RAI convention center. Between shows rates are deeply discounted, but the location is just outside the city center so you will have to rely on trams, or subway to get to the city center.

One more thing. I know you said no hostels, but you did not say why you object to hostels. I just want to make sure that you know that some hostels do have private rooms and some even have en suite bathrooms. If your objection is only because you don't want to stay in a hostel dorm, you still might check out hostel websites to see if they have any suitable private rooms.

Hotel Brouwer has single rooms and would be perfect. I love that place. Charming, great location, good breakfast. Check and see what their singles go for.

Try advance reservations on CitizenM or Qbuzz, both near the Amsterdam Zuid area with cheaper prices over summer when business is slow. But reserve (and prepay) in advance to get good deals. They require subway or tram rides to get to the area where most sights are.

try A-Train hotel... I just booked a few nights there in April. A little quirky, but seems decent enough (I'm also a college student and it looked safe enough and had generally clean reviews). It is right outside the train station, directly in the heart of the city, and not hard to spot. A little aside... Don't be afraid of hostels, if that is your concern. Travel with a friend, stay in a private, and use Hostelworld.com for travel recommendations. I spent a good deal of time abroad over the last year before coming home and it is a great way to find cheap places with up to date reviews. Just a thought. Good luck!

easyHotel is relatively new in Amsterdam. Rooms are modern but small, but it's in your price range. There's also Hemp Hotel. Much older hotel and you'd share a bathroom for the really cheap price you are paying which may be your reason for not wanting to stay in a hostel in the first place. Private ensuite rooms in hostels cost about as much as a budget hotel. Hostels are only a better deal if you are willing to stay in a dorm style room so you'll pay the lowest amount possible.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions... I will take staying at a hostel into consideration. After checking a number of travel sites I found that the Quentin Arrive, International, Hotel Manofa and HEM are the cheapest but most have shared bathrooms. Not really sure what to expect .. has anyone ever stayed at a hotel with shared bathrooms?

A fair number of posters here have stayed in small hotels, B&Bs and hostels with shared bathrooms. For the most part, it comes down to your comfort level with that situation. As a college student, you will find it pretty similar to having to share a dorm bathroom. A shared bathroom may not be as clean as you'd like since depending on the set up at the lodging you could have anywhere from 1 other room sharing it with you up to dozens of people utilizing a large hostel bathroom with multiple toilet and shower stalls. Location of the bathroom is another thing to consider. Are you able to access it from a door inside your room or immediately outside your room, or are you having to walk down the hall in the middle of the night to use a toilet? I stayed in several places where a sink was in the room, but toilets and showers were located on the floor above mine. On a few stays in small places I may have had to wait 10-30 minutes to have a turn using the shared shower closest to my room, or had to search out another shower on a different floor if I was in a rush to take a shower in the morning and get out the door. For the most part, I've found there tends to be enough showers and toilets in the larger hostels. If I'm not staying in a room with my own ensuite bathroom, I will pack flip flops, a robe or yoga pants & a tee I can pull on easily to make the trek down the hall. I also will bring a small plastic soap caddy that hangs over the shower knob to keep my bar soap off the floor of the shower.

Hotel Brouwer is very nice.