Accommodation
If you’re looking for something a little different try Hotel Filosoof, a themed
hotel based on the works of famous philosophers. Each of the guest rooms are
based on a school of thought and decorated accordingly; for example, there is a
Zen room and an Aristotle room. Each room is decorated accordingly with statues,
pictures and so on. What’s more at around £65 per night it isn’t too expensive.
If you are looking for an upmarket hotel then you could try the 5-Star Okura
Hotel. Rooms are furnished with the most modern conveniences from WiFi all the
way up to remote controlled curtains and the hotel also has an award-winning
French restaurant with 2 Michelin stars. A room in Okura will cost around £200
per night. At the other end of the spectrum there are a vast number of budget
hotels available in Amsterdam. One unique offering is the Hemp Hotel, with rooms
at around £60 per night. This price includes a breakfast of hemp cakes and
muffins - which makes this possibly one of the friendliest and most relaxed
hotels in the world. For more
hotels
in Amsterdam, take a look at Lastminute.com, while if you’re travelling on a
budget, Hostelbookers.com comes as recommended for hostels.Travel Insurance
You will also need to remember to purchase adequate travel insurance. AA Travel
offers deals on single trips, annual and more specialised
travel insurance.
You will need to consider the kind of things that you are likely to do on your
holiday before purchasing.
Where to Go
After you have seen all of the usual sights you may want to consider one of
these goodies. Amsterdam is world renowned for its diamond house and diamond
factories. If you want to do something a little different you can always go on a
free factory tour. Coster Diamonds, for example, is one of Amsterdam’s oldest
diamond factories and has had some very famous commissions, including polishing
some of the diamonds in the British crown. Another thing that you might try is
renting one of the canal bikes. These are essentially small pedal boats that you
can use to amble your way up and down the canals. Each ‘boat’ seats four people
and has a cover over the top in case of rain. There are places to rent canal
bikes throughout the city including in front of the Westerkerk church.
Where to Eat
If you are looking for something upmarket then try the d’Vijtt Vlieghen. Set in
a 17th Century building between Spuistraat and Singel, this is a well-known
restaurant and many famous people have been through its doors including Elvis
Presley and John Wayne. Typical dishes might be fried ray wing with a sauerkraut
hotchpotch served with a butter and mustard sauce. For food ‘on-the-go’ in the
city you might want to try ‘vlaams frites’. Now although these are basic chips
they are served with some rather unusual sauces, for example peanut sauce. You
can find vendors throughout Amsterdam. |
