Description: My husband and I are pretty calm and unflappable people who don't get too stressed by things. Despite our family and friends knowing this, I think they were all still pretty amazed when the weekend before our wedding we decided to go to Amsterdam for a few days. They all supposed we'd be at home panicking over last minute arrangements instead of drinking beer and cappuccinos and stuffing ourselves with pancakes and chips with mayonnaise. We married in mid March which is well outside the peak season in Amsterdam and were able to get a really cheap deal at the Victoria.
Why the Victoria?
Well it's easy - that's the main thing. I've got lost by following my nose looking for hotels in Amsterdam and walked miles but you'll not have that problem at the Victoria. You get the train from the airport to the Central Station walk out the front and there it is, directly in front of you on the corner. It's handy if you want one of the many canal tours that are offered nearby, and if you are looking to check out the red light district (don't be ashamed - everyone does. You don't have to actually go inside!) then that's only a 5 minute stagger away. The main shops of the city centre are a similar distance too. With the Victoria you'll need no long walks, no complications getting lost, and no nasty surprises caused by unexpectedly finding your hotel is on a seedy street surrounded by prostitutes. The Victoria is a good solid choice.
If you look at pictures of the outside of the hotel you'll notice it's really rather imposing and that there's a corner with a clock on the top. Our room was on the second floor under the clock tower. As you'd imagine it's not the quietest place to stay and during the day the traffic noise and the trams can be a bit noisy but during the night, it's really very quiet. Our room was of a good size and the bed was better than normal for a Dutch hotel. Getting to the room was a bit of a challenge with lots of fire doors and odd staircases but again, any older building anywhere in the world is always challenged by fire doors. It snowed one night that we were there but the room temperature was just right and we didn't get cold or over-heated. Our bathroom had both shower and bath and the room had all the usual facilities like tea and coffee tray, cable television, hairdryer, iron and so on.
The Victoria is big and has more than 300 rooms so you're unlikely to get a sense of a personalised experience. The breakfast room in particular is a bit like being in a student canteen and is exceptionally busy and loud but the food is good and doesn't run out and they serve until quite late which is important in a city where people often don't head to bed until the sun's coming up the next day. The hotel has changed hands since we were there so I can't be sure exactly what it's like now but no amount of changes will alter the main reason for choosing the Victoria and that's its great location.
Date of Visit - March 1998
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