NH Barbizon Palace, Amsterdam

Our standard room was a big disappointment-a smoking which, (no surprise really!) smelt of stale smoke, the room felt unclean and was generally not what would be expected of a five star hotel-more like a 2 or at best, 3 star. Most annoying of all was that the window which faced on to the street did not open. I requested a room with a window which would open and staff were very helpful in accommodating my request. I was initially shown to a room with windows which opened onto an inner courtyard which was very dark and which I declined. I was then offered a "deluxe room" which was fine, a little old fashioned and quaint but really not at all what you would expect of a five star hotel. Breakfast was not included in my accommodation, I had a look and decided it was not worth the �22 being charged-there are plenty of nice and less expensive places to eat nearby. The location is central but very noisy if your room faces onto the street. On the assumption that all of the standard rooms are similar to that which I was allocated, I would not book a standard room in this hotel.

From check-in through departure, we were treated as royalty. The staff went out of their way to make sure our stay was memorable. This is truely a Palace and a must see if only to tour the building. We will recomment this to everyone and hope you enjoy your stay as we did.

You can't beat the location: right across from the train station. This offers you a wonderful location for catching buses all over the city to see whatever you want. If it is the scandelous nature of Amsterdam that you seek, that is very close as well. The rooms were very large for a European hotel and extremely clean with beautiful bathrooms. It was a bit stuffy and conventionish, but we loved our stay at the NH Barbizon Palace!

My room didn't have the best view but I didn't really seem to notice...there were windows on the floor allowing 360 views. I got a great price just after New Years 2004 (~$110/night). This hotel is a classy place with marble bathrooms and 400 thread count sheets. The breakfast bar was pricy at 20 euros but I still remember the delicious fare to this day. Staff was friendly and accomodating. Very safe (you needed a room key to go Anywhere on elevators) and quiet hotel. A 3 minute walk to central station - where you can go anywhere in the city or continent. Can't wait to go back.

we stayed there last year (2003) and we'll be there in 2004. We were very happy with the location (across from central station). Within walking distance to many sites as well as the main drag to dam square and shopping. The only thing that I noticed was that the wallpaper in the room was peeling in some corners. oh, and not all the rooms have a decent view.