When it comes to ease and convenience, no other hotel in Amsterdam beats the Park Plaza Victoria Amsterdam. Whether you are traveling by train or plane, you will more than likely end up at the central station and the Park Plaza Victoria is just a 5 minute walk away. After you’ve checked in and are ready to start exploring, you are an easy walk from most destinations. If you need to take a tram or taxi, virtually every tram goes past the station and there is a taxi nearby at any hour. Plus, most sightseeing boat trips leave from the docks behind the station. Every mode of transportation is literally at your fingertips.

Inside, the newly refurbished Park Plaza Victoria, brass and marble gleam amidst all the modern touches that you’d expect from an updated 4-star hotel. The rooms are clean, quiet and spacious. The staff is extremely nice. We ended up having a pleasant chat with everyone, from the breakfast waiter to the bellhops. The hotel automatically charges for breakfast (served on a lovely verandah where you can sit and enjoy the meal while watching the passing crowds) but we were able to have the breakfasts we didn’t eat taken off the bill when we left. The Park Plaza Victoria also has a funky bar called the Tasman Bar where we enjoyed cocktails before going out to dinner.

To top off our wonderful stay at the Park Plaza Victoria, we were able to soak our walking pains away in the hotel’s pool and hearty steam bath. What a way to end the day in often-chilly Amsterdam.

The Holly Hotel Carlton in central Amsterdam delivers on their promise of a great location. The hotel is right next to the famous Floating Flower Market and, as such, is surrounded by street after street of great shopping, eating and relaxing. We enjoyed the hustle and bustle going on around the Holly Hotel Carlton so much that we left our room windows open except for when we slept. Our room, at the front of the hotel, was quiet enough to sleep in undisturbed with the windows closed. Our room was spotless when we arrived and appeared well-cleaned every evening when we returned. The staff at the front desk was extremely friendly and eager to make sure our stay in Amsterdam was lovely. They succeeded.

From the Holly Hotel Carlton, we were able to easily walk to the Heineken Brewery (and easily walk back!), the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Dam Square, and, of course, the lovely flower market. We dined one night in the Holly Hotel Carlton’s Italian restaurant, Caruso, and had a very pleasant meal. Granted, it wasn’t real Italian cuisine (we’d just come from Milan) but it was definitely well above average for an Italian restaurant outside of Italy. All in all, the Holly Hotel Carlton makes for a wonderful stay.

A short 15 minute walk from the central station in the heart of Amsterdam (or a short tram ride on either number 4 or 9, getting off at Rembrandtspein), the Eden Rembrandt Square Hotel offers a cool, modern location from which visitors can enjoy this wonderful city. The Eden Rembrandt is just off of Rembrandt Square, so you have your pick of clubs, cafes, bars and restaurants only a few minutes walk away without being to close to the hustle and bustle of the areas around the station and the Red Light District.

The rooms at the Eden Rembrandt Square Hotel are very modern with comfortable beds, flat screen TVs (mounted on the wall), a cozy chair and stool for reading, and nice bathrooms (warming mirrors, good water pressure, central bath taps). The hotel is relatively new and the amenities and décor (lots of grey and muted colors) reflect this. Try to get a room facing the back of the hotel (the higher up the better) as it was much quieter than rooms along the front of the hotel. The rooms have mini-bars that automatically charge you even if you just move items around to fit in your own drinks so plan appropriately.

The Eden Rembrandt Square Hotel’s restaurant, FLO Amsterdam serves up delicious French cuisine, with the house specialty being heaping seafood platters. FLO Amsterdam is a big cut above your typical hotel restaurant and should be on the “must-do” list for anyone staying at the Eden Rembrandt Square Hotel.

One of the highlights of our visit to Amsterdam was the quirky and unique hotel we stayed in, the Hotel de Filosoof (Philosophy Hotel). This 3-star hotel has about 40 rooms that are each decorated in differing philosophical and cultural themes. We stayed in the ground-floor, spacious “Virginia Woolf” room that faced the lovely back garden. Even though it was winter, the garden was lovely and the room was warm and cozy; we sat in the chairs at the table in our room’s sitting area and enjoyed morning tea while watching the city wake up, before we headed down for the great breakfast.

Located at Anna van den Vondelstraat 6, the Hotel de Filosoof is in a beautiful and quiet neighborhood, just a few blocks away from the lush Vondelpark. The hotel is also walking distance from the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum. Plus, a tram line is just three blocks away. We also had a fantastic evening at the beautiful hotel bar, chatting with the friendly bartender and sipping drinks.

I stay in a lot of hotels, and what sets the Hotel de Filosoof apart from all the drab and boring business-style hotels out there is that is has something interesting, funky and different going on. There are photos, paintings and books all over the hotel, and the entire place has more of a B&B feel to it. This laid-back and fun hotel is a refreshing change of pace from the “average” hotels out there.

Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities in Europe, let alone the world, and I have definitely stayed in a wide range of accommodations during my visits. After trying several types of accommodations in many parts of the city, I have settled on the Hotel Vondel for its location, cleanliness and character. The Hotel Vondel is very near the Vondelpark which not only means the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum are a short walk away, it also means that a green urban escape is close at hand. Plus, I can easily walk into the heart of Amsterdam for food and culture. But the selling point for me really is the wonderful interior of the hotel

I started only staying at the Hotel Vondel two years ago mainly because I like the look and feel of the place. The hotel is located along Vondelstraat, a lovely street lined with similar-looking brick townhouses. Inside, however, the Hotel Vondel transforms into a hip, chic boutique hotel. The lobby, restaurant and rooms are all done in a stylish black and white theme that relies on cool fabrics, simple black-framed prints and modern fixtures to remind you that the hotel is very up-to-date European. I enjoy the feel of this hip urban-ness after a day of wandering Amsterdam’s old streets. Most of the rooms are cozy (i.e. small) but include comfortable beds and nice amenities like wall-mounted flatscreen TVs. The breakfast is plentiful and a cocktail in the garden (weather permitting) is a great reason to stop your sightseeing early and come back in the late afternoon.

With its myriad of calm canals, Amsterdam is the perfect place to rent a houseboat to stay in. Some individuals rent out their personal houseboats during peak tourist seasons (search engine keywords “Amsterdam houseboat rental” is a good place to start) and many of the hotels in the city have a houseboat suite as one of their room options.

Most houseboat rentals in Amsterdam come with a kitchenette and living room. You can often rent an entire houseboat (for parties of 4 or more) or a portion of a houseboat for smaller groups. When booking a houseboat room, having a private bathroom, kitchenette, and living space should be considered standard.

I stayed at the Hotel Acacia in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam during Christmas, one of the more quaint hotels in Amsterdam. The Acacia—an affordable (breakfast in a rustic dining room is included), simple, conveniently located establishment—is a short walk from the Anne Frank House and a 20 minute walk from downtown. The Acacia offers both standard hotel rooms and a few houseboat suites. My wife and I bought some basic ingredients from the local supermarket and cooked our own Christmas pasta dinner while listening to the bells of the nearby church from our houseboat suite. The townhouse across the tranquil canal from the houseboat was decorated for the holidays so we could sit at our dinner table and enjoy the view. It was a wonderful way to take in an authentic vibe of a wonderful city.