A hotel with a character (Die Port Van Cleve Hotel Amsterdam)

Member Name: mrtesttube

Product:	Die Port Van Cleve Hotel Amsterdam
Date:	04/02/09 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Location, room size, staff and breakfast

Disadvantages: No mini-bar - or should that be an advantage ;-)

My partner and I stayed in this hotel from 1st-5th January 2009. We were looking for a cheap new year break and booked it very last minute - on New Year's Eve!

We booked via hotels.com. Every other hotel in Amsterdam were looking for extortionate rates - obviusly because of the time of the year coupled with such a last minute booking. We regularly travel to Amsterdam and stayed in many hotels over the years - mainly the same ones as I usually stick to what works best! We saw the "Die Clieve Van Port Hotel" on the website offering room rates of only 120 euro per night and decided to try it out as it seemed to be the only half decent hotel available at a half decent price.

The Hotel is located on a corner of Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal which is directly opposite Dam Square, behind the Royal palace. This made accessibility to Central Station and the amenities of central Amsetrdam very easy and manageable (especially as it was too cold to walk long distances!)

Externally, the Hotel is beautifully presented and well-kept. The lobby area is small, but nonetheless tidy and decorated to a good standard. A concierge is at hand for luggage and staff seemed extremely friendly and polite. We checked in easily and used one of the two elevators beside the check-in desk to go to our room which was located on the second floor.

The room, for Amsterdam Hotel standards was fantastic. It faced the rear of the Royal Palace. Although many of the rooms at this hotel offer a mini-bar, we did not have one - which was disappointing at first but then I realised that it was not such a bad thing after all, as when the "munchies" hit at night time, it costs you dearly! The room consisted of a large queen size bed, two lamp tables, safe, tv and table and chairs. It was certainly the largest room I have had in Amsterdam. Walking down the corridor on our floor, we had a quick glance to see what size the other rooms were whilst they were being cleaned by the Housekeeper and it seemd that other rooms were of the same proportion. The interactive television offered internet tv and gave you the opportunity to view our hotel bill in real time. Wifi access for your laptop or smartphone costs 10 euro per day - which is standard really for Amsterdam. The room was well decorated and most importantly, extremely clean. The bathroom offered a bath and shower and it too was extremely clean (dirty bathrooms in hotels are a pet hate of mine!)

We did not use room service and breakfast was not included in our stay. For the first couple of days we went to various restaurants/cafes for breakfast and found eating out in Amsterdam (especially at breakfast time) to be becoming more and more expensive. So, on the third day, we decided to try the hotel breakfast, served from 7 until 11am at a cost of 20 euro per person. It seems a little steep, but in comparison to breakfasts in cafes with limited choice, this offered great value. The buffet breakfast offered a selection of breads and pastries, croissants, scrambled eggs, beans,sausages, bacon, toast, hard boiled eggs, a wide selection of cereals, fruit, cheesed, unlimited tea/coffee and juices, meats and yoghurts. My partner is vegan (and extremely fussy!) and was certainly not disappointed with the selection on offer. I would highly recommend enjoying breakfast at this hotel. With the pound being so low against the euro when we were there (almost like for like), breakfast was well worth the 20 euros. Again, the staff in the breakfast room were very friendly and helpful.

As our flight was late, we decided to take advantage of a hotel offer which enabled us to keep our room for another five hours after the checkout time for a 20 euro charge. This meant that we could have a lie-in on our last day. It also meant that we did not have to trail our luggage about with us for hours until we got to the airpory and I know that some people dislike the idea of leaving their luggage locked up in a hotel luggage room with other people's for hours. Checking out was very easy and straightforward.

We did not take the opportunity to avail of the bar in the hotel, which also offered meals and snacks. However, it's appearance seemed welcoming and the menu seemed very reasonably priced.

In summary, our experience of this hotel was great. I cannot honestly think of any dislikes! I would highly recommend staying here. It is advertised at a four star hotel and matches it's ratings in terms of standards of service and appearance. As some readers are aware, booking a hotel in Amsterdam can be a bit like taking a lucky dip and hotels do not always live up to their expectations. Die Port Van Cleve is certainly an exception......

Summary: Great all-round hotel which will not fail to disappoint