Just like we did for Montreal, National Geographic Traveler asked readers to contribute their own insider tips after reading "Insiders Amsterdam" in the September print issue. The emails flowed in, and over the next few weeks we'll be sharing the best suggestions with you. First installment: where to sleep.
Michael Wagner, who has visited Amsterdam several times, recommends the Hotel Brouwer on the Singel Canal for its "small, European feel and great quiet location."
Bonnie Krasik, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, spent her birthday three years ago in a houseboat on an Amsterdam canal: "Even in March, we could wake up early and sit outside with a hot cup of coffee made in our own kitchen. While nightly rentals cost about the same as a hotel room, boats can accommodate many people, making it extremely easy on the budget."
Former Amsterdam resident Molly Shannon (now of Austin, Texas) also recommends staying on the water, in the Amstel Botel: "The Botel (yes, with a 'B'), is a four-story boat moored in the inner harbor, steps away from the Centraal Station. For $118 per night you get the best view in Amsterdam. The rooms are compact and the bathrooms are probably the smallest you have ever seen, but you could eat off the floor the place is so clean. You barely notice the modest size of the room because the water-side wall is mostly taken up by a large window from which you see across an expanse of water to the Amsterdam skyline. Best of all, at night you do not hear a sound, because there is no boat traffic on the water and the street traffic is too far away. You will sleep like a baby. Due to its size, and the absence of other water traffic and tides, the Botel is rock solid and will not betray the slightest motion or sway."
Doug Kimball of Everett, Washington, spent six weeks living in a family houseboat in Amsterdam 40 years ago and returned to visit the city in May: "While in Amsterdam this time, my home was Annette's Bed and Breakfast where for $68 I had a wonderful, albeit small, room just off of a microscopic but lovely outside courtyard. Each morning, Annette fixes a huge breakfast in her kitchen and makes a lunch for the road if you choose. She is a wonderful woman with college-age children, a former schoolteacher and a total delight. Her B&B is within easy walking to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, and a 20-minute tram ride to Dam Square, the Red Light District, and Centraal Station. She is also a block from Vondelpark and its wonderful restaurants."
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