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HI - Stayokay Amsterdam Vondelpark Hostel Details
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HI - Stayokay Amsterdam Vondelpark Hostel Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Rip-Off Cancellation Policy Apr. 19, 2010. all airports in Europe are closed because of the Iceland Volcano dust -- emailed Vondelpark hostel a few times, no reply, phoned on Apr. 19th to cancel our reservation for Apr. 27/28th, they will not refund any of it. 143 Euros lost -- and you know they are renting the room back out cause other people are stuck in AMS waiting to fly out. — Ken, Victoria, BC , Canada (2010-04-19) Comfortable After a long day of traveling, the long walk down the small side street was a little difficult, but once my friend and I got to Stayokay we were relieved. The lobby is trendy, comfortable, and entertaining. There are places to hang out, vending machines, a bar, TVs, Internet access (not free, but not too expensive), and a lot of information on night life and other tourism. The room was clean, but quite a hike (the elevator stops at a certain floor and you have to walk the rest of the way). Expect to wake up early with the sun! Perfect location. I could see Vondel Park from my bed -- it basically was the front yard. Breakfast in the morning was a typical european breakfast, good selection. I did the pub crawl which was down the street. Lovely area, so close to the museums. Oh, and great security. Key card to get in doorway, then have to get buzzed in by front desk, then to get upstairs you need to use your key again, and then again to finally get in your room! We had to stay an extra night, which was no problem, even got the same beds. Good crowd overall. Staff are great! — sarah , United States (2009-08-05) Good Stayokay is a very good hostel, very well organized, and oriented to host travelers. Prices are bit expensive, but generally worth the money. The staff is very friendly and helpful by all means. Rooms are large with wc and shower, negative is the water tap. that there is only one inside the room can cause discomfort for the residents. Lockers inside the room for every person, need a pad. Extremely good breakfast, dont miss it for any reason! Negative thing is the extremely expensive internet access and the cost of the lockers for short-term luggage storage. I have also to state that I'm disappointed for the policy to raise the prices more when special events or holidays occur in Amsterdam (a common policy in hostels there). I consider that it is not the philosophy of the hostels. — Andrew , - (2008-05-19) Good location and excellent bedrooms Great hostel -- good location, very clean bedrooms, lockers, friendly staff, good bar, and it is a social hostel. There is also a place to park your bike at night. — Ale , Brazil (2008-01-01) Nice, safe, clean This was my first hostel on my trip and was an easy adjustment. I was one of five guys in a smallish, six-person room (three bunk beds) with its own bathroom, which was nice. Lockable lockers in the room (but too small for pack). Hostel was big and clean and felt very safe. Good location. Breakfast was very good. Helpful and friendly staff. Most guests were families, kids, and school trips. Not too exciting and not too much action though. — Jesse K , Canada (2007-09-14) Very clean, great breakfast, big lounge/lobby/bar/cafe area, friendly staff that really knew Amsterdam. And comfortable pillows! Quite a ways from Central Station and the Red Light District. — ann and dave (2007-03-18) I stayed here for a quick weekend trip last summer (around July 2006) and did their special Heineken Package and was able to visit the factory for free along with two free drinks at the bar. The location is great and the park was close by. My boyfriend and I rented bicycles and rode around all day! — Gloria Simpson (2007-02-13) I stayed here in June 2006 and really enjoyed my time. Amsterdam is pretty compact so you can walk to anywhere from the hostel. Good atmosphere and its location right next to Vondelpark lent the hostel a peaceful and laidback vibe. Met some great fellow travellers in my dorm which always helps as well. Would stay here again. — G Lim (2006-08-08) This was a great hostel. It was one of the best hostels I've stayed in! The staff were very helpful and we were able to buy tickets to museums at a discount. It also allowed us to skip the queues when we got to the museums. The location of the hostel was also really great, right next to the Vondelpark and close to all the museums. It was also great that they sold stamps and had a postbox right at the hostel, that was very useful. The breakfast was nice, better than nothing! The rooms were pretty good. It would have been helpful if the lockers in the rooms were bigger. I would definetely stay at this hostel again! — Sonia (2006-07-07) Good hostel, probably in the one of the most interesting areas of the city. Great location! It's right near the Van Gogh Museum as well as several other good ones. Right across the road from Vondelpark (a beautiful and relaxing park in the middle of the city), and only 10 minutes walk from the De Pijp Neighborhood, where you can find tons of amazing ethnic food (ever tried Assyrian?) and see tons of Amsterdam locals enjoying their beautiful city. I know everybody likes to come to Amsterdam to do drugs, but if you don't check out the world class museums and art the city has to offer here you are the worst kind of fool.
The hostel has a no-drugs policy, but with a nice park 25 feet from the front entrance why would you want to sit in your room and smoke anyway? Because of this policy there are a lot of high school-aged tour groups that seem to stay here, but we never saw or heard them after 8 p.m. The hostel also has a nice bar with good local microbrew beers and friendly staff. Breakfast is basic, but fresh and all you can eat.
The one problem is this: The way the beds are designed makes it difficult for very tall people to hang their feet over the edge of the bed, but unless you are over 6 foot 4 that shouldn't be a problem. — Anon. (2005-09-14) I've stayed in this hostel twice and it's probably the best hostel I've ever stayed in. It's in a great location with a beautiful park outside. Go out early in the morning and you might see people practicing Tai Chi and martial arts. The rooms are clean with good shower and bathroom facilities. The free breakfast is better than average and you can sneak out some bread, meat and cheese to make sandwiches later in the day. There is also a cafe/bar where you can get meals and drinks. This hostel seems very popular with families. — Owen (2005-05-04) Excellent hostel! We've stayed there twice. Rooms are spotlessly clean and reasonably priced. You even get a free drink at the bar each time you stay! There is a pretty good-sized common room, pool table, foosball, a separate (tobacco) smoking room, and a very reasonably priced bar/restaurant that stays open till 1 a.m. The front desk staff are friendly and helpful — they sell tickets to most of the major sights in the city at a discount.
Only downsides are that there tend to be large school groups that come through that can clog up the lobby and reception and be a little noisy in the hallways. The laundry room is small and also used by the staff, so it can be a bit of a wait (they usually try to free up a washer when there's a guest waiting, though). Also, for some reason the toilets in the dorm bathrooms run really slow. You can only flush them about once every 10 minutes — kind of annoying if you are a "double-flusher." ;). It's also a little ways out from the city center and train station (although it is walkable without luggage). — Brian VDB (2005-04-30) The place was clean and things tended not to get stolen. But I couldn't help but feel it was like a school field trip. The hostel was overly regulated (the hardest stuff you could bring inside was a cup of tea and a pack of cigarettes — IN AMSTERDAM! Come on!) And it was full of young families, school tours or people with far more money than adventure. It was an impossible place to meet even slightly interesting people (i.e. the regular backpacker type). Case in point, I'm writing this review in the room on my laptop at 10 p.m. and everyone's asleep! Sure your stuff FEELS safe, but then why would you even leave home to be bored and "safe"? Trust me, the place is aimed at a different demographic to most backpackers (see their prices) and unless you're carrying the crown jewels, avoid this place. It's dull and you'll find yourself exploring Amsterdam on your own. Bottom line, your days will be like a party no one but you showed up to, and your nights will be like a school field trip. — Anonymous (2005-03-14) VONDELPARK was so clean! I stayed here many times during our trip. The breakfast is awesome! And in true backpacker form, don't forget to pack a sandwich for lunch and sit in the park! The staff were so nice, especially the ones who helped me when I had to get my tooth pulled! The only bad thing is ~ you can't smoke in the rooms and there are like a gazillion kids and families! But, at least you feel safe and are clean! I would certainly stay here again in a couple of years! — T.L.G. (2005-03-06) This is the best hostel I have visited, and I have stayed at quite few in Europe and Asia. I was here November 2004, and I was totally happy with everything. The staff were friendly, courteous, and helpful. The rooms and bathrooms were clean. I really enjoyed having a bar serving fresh Heineken a short elevator ride from my room. They have great secure lockers to stash your stuff. Sheets are supplied. If you don't have your own towel, you can buy one for 3 euros. They have washers and dryers to use. Yes, a lot of school groups use the hostel, but I only saw them in the mornings as they prepared for their tours. They have a small restaurant serving dinner specials and a great free breakfast buffet. They had a movie night for 2 euros. It's a short walk to Leidesplein, the tram, the Heineken Brewery, and a big outdoor market. I will definitely stay here again. — Jeff (2004-12-16)