Netherlands Amsterdam Hilton City Center

[DallasTX]

Stayed here June 15-17, 2007.

This hotel adheres to the the 2+1 Dutch accommodation rule and will not allow 4 in a room. Just a caveat before you end up paying for a 2nd room at rack rate like we had to. :)

The front desk staff was accommodating as possible given our reservation screwup and gave us a rate of 169Euro which was much less than we could find online, but considerably more than the $155US we got from priceline. We went out for the day and they had promised to have the luggage delivered while we were gone once the rooms were cleaned, but we still needed to call down once we got back around 3PM. Minor nit but we suspect it was the bell hops wanting us to be available for tipping.

The minibar prices were so high as to be funny. A 20oz bottle of Coke was 8Euros! Like $11+USD. I know minibars are expensive but that just seemed comically so. We somehow managed to resist.

We had dinner once on the outside porch/deck area overlooking the marina and canal and it was very nice. We had breakfast each day (included with our more expensive room) at the main buffet and it was exceptional. A variety of fresh juices, breads, natural cereals, Muslii, fruit, American style stuff, etc. Not sure how much this would cost but I think it was $30Euros. Would not be worth it to me, but was great hidden as part of the room cost.

The location is in a very upscale neighborhood. Think Maybach's, Mercedes, Ferrari's, BMW's, etc. The tram into town is only a 5 minute walk away and it passes every 10 minutes or so, so very convenient. You can buy tram tickets at the gift store at the hotel. There's a shopping area at the tram stop (Beethoven Street I think), and you're only a 15-20 minute walk into town if you want to just hoof it. Plus there's plenty of restaurants and stuff right in the area.

The hotel internet cafe with 3 stations is free for the first 15 minutes so you can hop on once and check email or whatever.

Overall it was a good hotel and visit, but if we were going back I would look for a hotel that could accommodate our family of 4 in one room. If I was going by myself or as a couple I would certainly consider staying here.