Who doesn’t love Amsterdam? This walkable city was meant to be explored and I love visiting it as often as I can. There are many Amsterdam hotels to choose from, but if you want to stay in central Amsterdam and near Centraal Station, there’s no better place to stay than Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre.
If you’re unfamiliar with the ibis Hotels brand, ibis is owned by AccorHotels and was founded in 1974. With 1800 hotels worldwide, ibis offers affordably priced accommodations throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East, and the Americas.
How I Chose One of the Many Amsterdam Hotels
Choosing one hotel from so many Amsterdam hotels isn’t easy. However, my hotel of choice for my latest stay in Amsterdam was the Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre. After Danielle and I got off the DFDS ferry from Newcastle to IJmuiden, we took a coach to Centraal Station. A few minutes later we were at the front door of Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre.
Location, Location, Location
I’ve stayed in several different areas in Amsterdam and a few different Amsterdam hotels when I’ve visited and a central location is key.
You literally can’t get any closer to Amsterdam Centraal Station as it’s 0.1km/0.06mi from the hotel. Other nearby points of interest include:
- Anne Frank House: 1.21km/0.75mi
- Dam Square: 0.8km/0.5mi
- Rijksmuseum Amsterdam: 2.8km/1.74mi
- Van Gogh Museum: 3.2km/1.99mi
Fast and Easy Check In
With a fast and easy check in process, it takes only a few moments to get checked in at Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre, 100% non-smoking hotel. Check in is at 2 pm and check out is at noon.
The front desk is always staffed with friendly and helpful employees to help you not only check in and out, but to answer any questions you might have. We found our room to be excessively hot and we were provided with not one, but two fans from the front desk.
Super Easy DIY Luggage Storage
If you arrive early, like we did, usually you have to leave your bags in a manned luggage storage area. But Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre does it a little different. You’ll get a coin from the front desk to put in the turnstyle that lets you pass through to the Luggage Storage room.
Wheel your bag down the ramp or walk down the stairs and put your bags to the left while you pass through the turnstyle.
Then the front desk person will buzz you into the room where you can safely store your luggage. There’s even small safes inside in case you want to store valuables separately. I initially was hesitant about how safe this is, but the room is supervised by the front desk staff and also monitored on CCTV.
I especially liked being able to leave my luggage here after I checked out of the hotel, but before getting my train to Schiphol Airport. Click To TweetI especially liked being able to leave my luggage here after I checked out of the hotel, but before getting my train to Schiphol Airport. That helped because I didn’t need to find a luggage locker at the train station. It saved me money and time, two things I never seem to have enough of as always.
On Site Restaurant and Bar
Don’t feel like going out for dinner? Walk down to the lobby and over to the International ibis Kitchen Restaurant, which is open for dinner daily from 6pm until 10:30 pm. The bar just to the right in this pic is also open daily.
Awesome Public Spaces
Whether you’re waiting to meet someone or killing time, the lobby at Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre is welcoming and inviting.
There’s a table and chairs if you want to eat something, use your laptop, or read.
As well as a small business center with two desktop computers and two printers. Handy if you need to print out tickets for attractions or your flight.
If you didn’t make it to breakfast on time, go to the Fresh & Ready Take Away section of the lobby and pick up a few things. There’s even fresh squeezed orange juice. You can also find sandwiches and beverages like coffee and water, too.
To the left of the Fresh & Ready Take Away area are the elevators to the hotel rooms. You’ll need your card key to access the elevators, which adds a nice extra layer of security.
I love this little poster inside the elevator with so many great Amsterdam facts. Did you know any of them?
Where else might you ever see a Heineken beer dispensing machine sandwiched between a soda machine and a water machine? In Amsterdam, of course.
Clean and Comfortable Rooms
When time came for us to get to our room, we collected our bags and headed to our room on the 7th floor. Room 773 was a clean and comfortable room with two twin beds. The new Sweet Beds are super comfortable although small. We called down and asked for extra pillows, but other than that, the room was adequately sized for two people.
There’s also a desk, a safe, a small wardrobe and shelves, a TV with international channels, and of course, free WIFI.
TSG Tip: I’ve read online where some people say the hotel is loud because of the noise from the trains coming and going. While I could see them and hear them if I tried hard, it wasn’t enough to disturb my sleep. If you’re a light sleeper, ask for a higher floor and that should help.
The bathroom features a large shower, which is bigger than some other hotels, including Amsterdam hotels, I’ve stayed at in the past.
TSG Tip: I always bring my own toiletries to avoid shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel surprises. ibis hangs a shower gel in the shower and over the sink and I think it can be used as a shampoo, too.
Great Views
This was the view from our room looking out over the tracks and toward the water toward the EYE Filmmuseum.
This was the view from the fifth floor bridge overlooking Centraal Station on a sunny day. It felt like you could see so far into Amsterdam from here.
When you see views like this, it reminds you that you’re here to get out and about in Amsterdam and not to spend all of your time in a hotel room.
All You Can Eat Breakfast Buffet
A hotel stay is only made better with an all-you-can eat breakfast buffet. When you book your stay with Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre, look for the Bed & Breakfast rate for slightly more to enjoy a hot breakfast each morning of your stay.
TSG Tip: Not all Amsterdam hotels offer breakfast so why not choose one with breakfast? You’ll start your day off on the right foot and you won’t have search for food all around the city.
The ibis buffet breakfast features hot foods like scrambled eggs with bacon and sausages as well as freshly ground coffee, fruit juices, and various breads. There’s also a new seasonal special offered every two months.
Why do the carbs always call to me? The croissants looked so flaky and buttery, but I was good and resisted.
All I could ever want is coffee in the morning. Couldn’t help but take a pic of the ibis coffee cup. So true ibis. So true.
The breakfast area is huge with tons of seating throughout the entire restaurant. While breakfast is offered until noon daily, try to avoid peak times to avoid crowds.
Add up all these great reasons to stay at Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre and why would you want to stay anywhere else? Whether it’s your first visit to Amsterdam or you want to be near Centraal Station, it’s so close to everything that it’s an obvious choice.
When it comes time for you to choose from among the many Amsterdam hotels that are out there, take some of these thoughts into consideration for a great stay in Amsterdam.
Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre
Stationsplein 49,
1012 AB AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
On my new SPONTANEOUS TRAVEL SCALE of 1-5, with 1 being super easy and spontaneous and 5 being you better plan far in advance, this is a 1. Unless there’s some huge event happening, I think it would be fairly easy to get a last minute reservation at one of the closest hotels to Centraal Station and that definitely means a huge thumbs up as far as spontaneous travel goes.
While I was generously provided accommodations from Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre, as always all opinions and photographs, unless otherwise noted, are my own.
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