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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Amsterdam next spring

34 replies

userofthiswebsite · 28/07/2018 16:05

Decided to visit Amsterdam next April - on account of it apparently being the best time to see it with all the tulips in bloom - and have found pretty cheap flights for a return at £65 but found that even though I'm looking pretty far ahead, the hotels (4*) all seem to be surprisingly expensive at £250 per person per night upward. Is it just me or is that high?
Would it be better to put off the booking till later this year or early next year?

OP posts:
Undercoverbanana · 28/07/2018 16:07

DP just came back from business trip in Amsterdam and used Airbnb.

Thesunrising · 28/07/2018 16:11

Try accommodation in a nearby town like Haarlem - it might be cheaper. It’s only 20 mins on the train - which are very good- from Amsterdam and a really lovely place to stay and visit.

NameChangedAgain18 · 28/07/2018 16:15

I went in April just gone and stayed at the citizen m hotel by the airport. It's very convenient to get to the tulip gardens as the bus goes from the airport, and there are buses and trains to central Amsterdam as well as Delft, the Hague, and many other places. I paid around £120 a night, which is very cheap for Amsterdam. The rooms are small though and the bathroom setup is a bit weird. I did book quite a bit in advance and noticed that the price doubled nearer the time. Amsterdam is absolutely rammed with tourists at that time of year as so many people time their visit to see the tulips.

loveka · 28/07/2018 16:19

Have a look at Hampton By Jilton Biljmer Arena. It is only 15 minutes from the city centre by train.

loveka · 28/07/2018 16:20

Hilton I meant!

NameChangedAgain18 · 28/07/2018 16:29

By the way, when you visit Keukenhof gardens, make sure you're on the first bus of the day, as it gets really crowded later on.

SgtFredColon · 28/07/2018 16:32

I’ve just been and I think we paid about €160 a night. Probably 3 stars though.

simplysleepy · 28/07/2018 16:35

We booked through easyJet holidays- flight and hotel together. Flights were £15 return and in all it was £400 for a week including hotel

Threeminis · 28/07/2018 16:41

Definitely Airbnb you can get a houseboat in the centre for about 1/2 the price you have mentioned in your op!

Original poster
userofthiswebsite · 28/07/2018 16:59

Mm, but I like the hotel experience, ie someone else makes breakfast, cleans the bathroom etc etc

Grin

simplysleepy

Gosh, I thought flights at £65 were pretty bargainacious!

Are the prices you quoted for April also?

I'll go and nosy on easyjet's website...

OP posts:
GazeboLantern · 28/07/2018 17:05

I paid about £120/night room-only for a 4-bed family room with ensuite in Jordaan area, and that was a last-minute booking. It was a very basic but perfectly adequate hotel.

Do your dates coincide with any kind of festival that might be bumping the price up?

BTW for Anne Frank's house you may need to book online a couple of months in advance, not weeks as the guide books advise. They were doing renovations and were not doing any on-the-door ticket sales.

SendYouUpInFlames · 28/07/2018 17:10

That's dear!!

Me and my husband are booked to go in December, 4 days in a 5* hotel, with private luxury transfer to and from the airport, with 12KG luggage each included for just short of £600!!

SendYouUpInFlames · 28/07/2018 17:10

Also it's in the town centre. Right in the middle of everything.

GazeboLantern · 28/07/2018 17:11

Sorry, am confused. The hotel we stayed in was on the southern end of Liedesgracht, so a good location. Previously I've stayed in a higher-spec hotel B&B in Jordaan for substantially less than £120/night.

SendYouUpInFlames · 28/07/2018 17:15

Sorry gazebo I was talking to the OP.

And I'm also sorry of you're not talking to me.

Ok now I'm confused.

Original poster
userofthiswebsite · 28/07/2018 17:45

Gazebo I'll see if any festivals are clashing. I was thinking mid-April as I was told March-May was the best time to visit and that's slap bang in the middle. No kids to take into account so don't need to worry about school holidays.

Hotels I've been eyeing up so far as the Ambassade, the Estherea or Canal House. I'd like to be quite central and they all looked nice but all quoting £1,000 upwards for 4 nights.

SendYou
Did you get that as a package deal somewhere? I know Dec it's probably cheaper I suppose as it's not as high peak.

OP posts:
SendYouUpInFlames · 28/07/2018 17:52

Yeah it was off Last minute.

They have some fantastic deals on for April-June 2019 time.

GazeboLantern · 28/07/2018 18:11

Amsterdam is so compact that you don't need to be right in the centre to be central. I loved staying in little hotels right on the canals. When I walked past the grand hotels they looked loud and busy. Besides, I was coming to experience Amsterdam, not to experience a luxury hotel Wink

simplysleepy · 28/07/2018 18:54

userofthiswebsite we went at the beginning of June. (3 of us)
Hotel was the Hotel City Garden right next to vondelpark and only 3 minutes walk away from Museumplein and near Leidseplein with good tram connections.
Quiet at night as well

I’m very familiar with the city though so it might be a bit further out for someone who is unfamiliar

We flew from Luton

B00dyM4ry · 28/07/2018 18:55

I would be a bit wary planning a trip so soon after 29th March....

simplysleepy · 28/07/2018 18:56

userofthiswebsite keep in mind that Koningsdag falls on the 27th of April which is a large celebration that pretty much closes the city. Tickets and rooms are going to be expensive for a lot of the month leading up to it as there are other celebrations in anticipation

Original poster
userofthiswebsite · 28/07/2018 19:26

B00dyM4ry

With Brexit happening?
Mm, I suppose but there will surely be hundreds of holiday makers and I'd hope the plans would be well in place by then as to ramifications on the practicalities of tourism.

OP posts:
B00dyM4ry · 28/07/2018 19:28

You reckon?! You have more confidence than me that the shambles we seem to currently be in will miraculously come good in 6 months.

Original poster
userofthiswebsite · 28/07/2018 19:42

Ah well, I'm a risk taker by nature... I'm sure it'll be fine - holiday wise at least Grin

OP posts:
Nixee2231 · 28/07/2018 20:01

I stay at Fletchers Amsterdam for around 115-120 per room (based on 2 people) throughout the year including high seasons. 250 per person is absolutely ridiculous unless you’re looking at luxury hotels. For around 120 you can either get a small/basic (sometimes crappy but doesnt always have to be if you do your research right) in the town center. But Amsterdam is a really small city with great transportstion so absolutely do not be afraid to book a business hotel on the outskirts of town for the same price!

On pictures it might look like an unpleasant area full of warehouses/businesses but itll be much cleaner and bigger than the same price range in town. You can hop on a tram or bus or subway and be in the center in 10 min. Public transportaion is all very clean and easy and cheap if you get a weekly pass.

So make sure you’re not fooled by the pictures and read the reviews instead. You can check 9292.nl (you can select english on their main page) to see how long public transportation will take to the center. (Just enter Amsterdaam Centraal as your destination)