Hotel Vondel – Amsterdam, Netherlands
When I booked our last minute trip to Amsterdam only a few weeks out, first I thought we’d just stay at the same hotel we stayed at last year because we really liked it. But after searching, they had really low availability so I decided to try something new. I found the Hotel Vondel first because I loved the photos of the eclectic boutique hotel and after seeing the price, booked it immediately. After staying there however, it’s not a hotel I’d choose to stay at again and here’s why!
LOVE
Location– One of the few things I actually liked about this hotel, the location was great. Within a 5 minute walk to the canal belt and the Nine Streets, it was really convenient and located close to all of Amsterdam’s main attractions.
Comfortable Bed – The bed was actually really comfortable throughout our 2 night stay and we did sleep well while there.
DIDN’T LOVE
Tiny Room – We’ve stayed in some really small hotel rooms over the years, but this one seriously takes the cake. I couldn’t even take a photo of the room it was so small and when I looked on the hotel’s website for a similar image to the room we were in, I couldn’t even find it. Which also by the way, the photos online do not nearly look like the hotel does in person, so this is the closest image I could even find and our room was about half the size of this one.
Inefficient cleaning – Our room on our second day there didn’t get made up until 4:30pm! We were already back in the room trying to take a nap after exploring all day when the cleaning crew came in. And because the room was so small, there wasn’t even any place for us to go so they could really only clean our bathroom.
Loud – From the street to the rooms next door and the hallway, this place is incredibly loud.
Steep stair and tiny elevator – While the small elevator didn’t bother me that much (though there is no way you could fit 2 people and full size luggage in it), what really bothered me as a hazard were the steep stairs. Nick slipped on the way down on our first day and lucky I was in front of him, otherwise he could have been seriously hurt. They are tall and super steep!
Run Down Decor – While the photos online make this hotel look really chic and modern, don’t be fooled. It’s actually really run down inside the hotel and the photos look nothing like the actual space.
TV didn’t work – Not only did the TV mounted on the wall look like it was about 20 years old, it also didn’t even work.
TIPS
Good price, but not worth it – While the price might be a good sign to book this hotel compared to others in the area, I would suggest that it’s not nearly what you pay for.
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Emily of Em Busy Living says
It’s unfortunate that they misrepresented their hotel through their online photos. At least someone called them out on it!
Casey says
Yea, the photos make it seem like the rooms and lobby are like 3 times the size they are in real life!
Christine Everyday says
Wow, it seems like they should be reported if the images aren’t real!!
Casey says
Well, it’s not that the photos are totally different, they definitely show what the hotel looks like but they misrepresent sizes of spaces big time in their photos. They are shot at angles that make the hotel look a lot different than it actually does!
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished says
Oh, bummer! I hate it when the lowest price hotel is actually worth much less.
Casey says
Yea totally… so disappointing!
Natalie Minniss says
Ugh, I can’t stand when I find something that looks amazing online and then it looks almost nothing like the photos. You win some and you lose some I guess!
Casey says
Totally. Usually we have awesome hotels, so there has to be one every now and then that is just kind of not.
Erika says
Boo, sorry you didn’t enjoy your stay here and that they misrepresented their hotel. 🙁
That said, I do really enjoy your hotel reviews!!! In fact, they are some of the only ones I read. A couple of questions I have though:
1. What is your process for choosing hotels? Not sure if you already have a post about this, but how do you choose? Through a certain website, different reviews? Just curious about how you find them. :)) and if you don’t have a post already, I’d love to read one! Especially for hotels abroad!
2. Would you mind including the standard price of the hotels you stay in in your posts? I know sometimes they are comped or whatever but it would be nice to know the sort of range you are staying in, just for informational purposes. :))) And if you’re not into sharing the exact prices, maybe you could have a system, like: $ or $$ or $$$? Does that make sense?
Anyway, thanks for sharing your stays! 🙂
Casey says
Thanks for your comment Erika, I love hearing what readers want to see here on LOM! I don’t think I’ve done a process of choosing hotels post, so I’ll write that down and work on it! As to pricing, I actually used to share what we paid for our hotels but then with discounts and times of year we stayed, I found it didn’t really represent what readers might actually pay and such, but to give you an idea, most hotels we stay at are between $150 and $300 per night, somewhere in that range.
Erika says
Thanks Casey!! 🙂