Art and Amsterdamming

Hotel AnneMarie is a combination of a hostel and a budget hotel in the center of Amsterdam. The hostel is very central and located near the best coffee shops, museums, and transportation.

A supermarket is just across the street, a great place to buy your food and beer at a cheap price and save a lot of money on your trip. The staff at the hotel is also a great source of information, they are willing to do just about anything to help you out.

Hotel AnnaMarie has three floors, so if you are old and out of shape do not stay here. By the time you reach the third floor, which was where I stayed, you will be out of breath. The room I stayed in had three bunk beds and a sink--a room I shared with a lovely British gal and her German guy friend. Each floor shares a common bathroom.

The building is card key access only. I felt very safe while I was here.

Every morning the staff prepares a light breakfast of toast, coffee, tea, and juice. Just what you need to start a long day of perusing the local museums.

For cultural people, Hotel Annemarie is 200m away from the famous Dutch museums.
*The Van Gogh Museum
*Museum of Modern Art
*The Rijks Museum


Some of our other services are
*free Internet access
*free kitchen use
*free coffee and thee all day long!
*free lockers
*free breakfast
*no curfew
*free city maps

Directions:

To reach our hotel with public transport do the following;
When you reach central station take tram 5 ( on the right side of the station when you exit it ). Get out at Museum Square (10th stop, 3 stops after Leidse Square). When you arrive here you stand in front of the concert building where you have to go into the street on the right side of it.

The hotel is in front of Concert Gebouw.

Map:

http://www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/HotelAnnemarie-Amsterdam-4585

Like all Youth Hostel International accommodations, this place was pretty standard and had a college dorm room feel. The staff was helpful and the place was packed with information about things to do. The building itself was once a school so it gave it a really great atmosphere...however, it was not that homey and could be a little more sterile. The room I stayed in was a bright, open bay of about 20 or so beds, in general it was pretty quiet, but if you are a light sleeper you will not be able to rest...I recommend earplugs.

In the dorm room each person is assigned a bed and a wall locker. Remember to bring a lock. In the larger dorms there are two bathrooms, each with one shower, one toilet, and two sinks. During my stay there was never a problem with the bathrooms being crowded since everyone was working and playing on a different schedule.

One great thing about this place was how clean it was. I was impressed. The complementary breakfast was also very nice. There was a healthy selection and it was just what I needed to start a day filled with walking.

The location of this hostel was the best part. Everything was so close. The trams were right out the front door, the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum were down the street, and shopping was just a few minutes walk away.

The most interesting part of my stay was when I walked into the dorm for the first time. The area to the right of my bed was a little messy and there was something that looked like an incense burner on the floor. However, when I went over to investigate I realized it was a bong. The friend I was with started to freak out. She used to work for counter-drug. However, didn't worry...the hostel is a drug free zone...but that doesn't mean that an "incense burner" or two won't find its way in.

How to get there:

By train:
From Central Station you take tramnumber 1, 2 or 5. You get off at Leidseplein. From Leidseplein you walk towards the Marriott Hotel. In front of the Marriott Hotel you turn left. Zandpad is the 2nd street to the right.

Partially closed down for renovations until 2009, Rijksmuseum still offers one of the best displays of art I have seen thus far. In addition to a variety of other artists, the museum houses works by great 17th century Dutch masters, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Vermeer, and Rembrandt. I highly recommend the audio tour. For a couple of euros it is very enlightening and and illuminates the painting's history and nuances.

The museum itself is also a work of art. The architectural details, inside and out, are as equally impressive as the collection of masterpieces within.

Admission costs: 10 euro

The Rijksmuseum is open every day from 9am to 6pm, Fridays from 6pm to 10pm. Closed Jan.1

For more info, visit their website: http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/index.jsp

Let me just say...It is totally worth your time to side trip here. My friend and I came to the Hague with the sole purpose of seeing Vermeer's "A Girl with a Pearl Earring" and it was worth the ticket and the train ride.

When you go, try to make it early in the morning when they first open up. In a museum as small as this crowds can be a pain. Every wall of the museum is covered in well selected masterpieces, no space is wasted on filler. I can safely say this is one of the best museums in Holland. Simply because it is simple and the pieces are well selected and displayed.

They are open Tues-Sat 10:00am to 5:00pm; Sundays and holidays 11-5. They are closed Mondays.

The cost is minimal...maybe 10 euro.