An April 2004 trip to Amsterdam by FlyBalletGuy
Quote: This is what it's like to wander into Amsterdam on the craziest holiday of the year.
Overview
Hotel | "Jan Luyken"
Though it’s a four-star hotel, I didn’t feel the hotel was particularly luxurious, though it did have a teeny tiny marble bathroom! But it was higher quality with more available services than the other hotels I stayed in. They also had my room ready for me very early in the morning. Even though the room was small it was quite comfortable, but you couldn’t bring a guest back to visit.
The breakfast buffet smells nice here, but is now 17 EUR (it was 13 at last report) so I found more reasonable alternatives. There is also a small handsome wine bar that serves appetizers, but I did not eat there. The street near the hotel was very noisy though I wasn’t in the main areas for nightlife. I was woken up each night by drunken partiers screaming in the street. This may be a problem in more of Amsterdam than here.
Member Rating 3 out of 5 on May 5, 2004
Bilderberg Hotel Jan Luyken JAN LUYKENSTRAAT 58 Amsterdam, Netherlands 31-20-5730730
Story/Tip
If you arrive in Amsterdam on Queensday, the trams are rerouted and don’t run in Central Amsterdam and transportation is a problem. Arrive either very early or very late. I opted for very early, arriving at 8:15 am at Amsterdam Sloterdijk rather than Centraal and had no problem getting into town via one of the rerouted tram routes, even with luggage. Pamphlets explaining the reroutings were available at the train stations, but only in Dutch - they could be deciphered though. Buying food can be complex, most stores are closed but many stalls on the street are open selling sandwiches and drinks.
Queensday was fascinating, but for a foreigner it can be bewildering and even a bit lonely. It’s something to do in a group, not alone, and definitely not sober. Also, Amsterdam felt on this visit to me like a city where twentysomethings go to party. I was only there briefly and on an unusual holiday, but I felt out of touch with the zeitgeist of the city.
FlyBalletGuy New York, New York
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