NH Amsterdam Centre Hotele: A Review

European Hotels are not an area where I feel I have a lot of expertise. The NH Amsterdam Hotel is the first European Hotel I have stayed in over the past twenty years. But I was quite impressed with the hotel and did not want to miss an opportunity to pass along my experience while staying here.

The NH Amsterdam Centre Hotel is located in a perfect area for tourists; right off the Leidseplein Square area of Amsterdam. Just across the street from this busy area of restaurants and bars, one will find this wonderful hotel that is a perfect backdrop from which to explore the spectacular and unique city of Amsterdam. The hotel is also walking distance to numerous museums in the Museumplein area of Amsterdam including the Rijk's Museum, the Stedelijk Museum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Heineken Experience, which does not bill itself as a museum, but visitors learn about the history of the Heineken family as well as the history of the brewery itself. There is a canal across the street with a ticket booth across the street. And it is a five-minute walk to the famous Vondel Park, which is to Amsterdam as Central Park is to New York City in the U.S.

Entering the hotel lobby, one notices it is unusual in that it is L-shaped. In front of the main door is the reception desk, while off to the left is the area of the lobby for guests to enjoy. It has tables and chairs as well as an area with two couches. A welcoming sign states that "Our lobby is your office" and guests are invited to sit at any of the small tables and connect to the free wifi while enjoying a view of the Leidseplein across the street. The lobby area also doubles as a cafe so guests can order food while working, or just eat there without working and enjoy the view. And it also includes a small bar area for guests who wish to have a drink. Around the corner is a computer desk with a desktop and printer for guests to use if they don't have a personal laptop. In the same area as the office is the elevator lobby. A room key is needed to access the elevator which gives one a feeling of security until viewing people being able to access the elevators as a guest comes down and exits. Well, it is the good try at security anyway! Between the lobby and the elevators is the door to a wonderful Italian restaurant called, "Ristorante Sogno." The downstairs also houses a restaurant for serving breakfast, and the breakfast buffet is quite an amazing banquet. The buffet is separately priced at 20 Euros which equals approximately $26 U.S. But it offers a meat and cheese area, fruit, a yogurt bar with various toppings including delicious granola, plenty of pastries and fresh bread, cold cereals, and a hot foods area that includes scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and biscuits, and gravy. There is also a coffee/tea station and an area where guests can help themselves to 4 different varieties of fresh juices.

The room my husband and I had was considered a double, but it is in a very small room compared to U.S. standards. Again, it is in the shape of an L. Walking in the door there is a bench to the left suitable for sitting on to put shoes on. There is a very nicely furnished bathroom on the left just past the bench. The bathroom is not large but is adequate. The amenities that are provided are quite extensive and surprising for this Yankee from the states. Many toiletries that are not offered in hotel rooms in the states are offered here including:

Shampoo

Shower gel

Bath soap in the shape of a square that smells delightfully like oranges

Body lotion

Shower cap

Toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste

Razor with a small tube of shaving lotion

Loofah sponge

Bath sponge

Mending kit

Comb

Shoe horn

Inside the closet are two shelves and a place to hang clothes but no drawers anywhere to be found. There isn't a coffee pot, but instead, there's an electric kettle and packages of instant regular coffee and decaf, as well as tea bags. Then there is a flat screen TV on top of the corner of a desk, and a chair that slides under the desk. That is the work station. Next to the desk, between the desk and the bed is a small yet comfortable chair. And then the bed, which is wedged in between 2 very narrow walls. There is only room for one side table next to the bed. The room is modern, functional, small, but very cozy.

There is a small workout center which houses a bike, treadmill, and a few elliptical machines as well as a rowing machine. Across the hall is a weight room. A personal trainer or masseuse can also be ordered.

This hotel is not inexpensive, but rooms can be gotten less expensively on Travelocity and orbitz.com. But for a hotel room that is neat and clean, adequately sized, and in a very centrally located area of Amsterdam, it's worth the cost.