Amsterdam Houseboat Rental | Something New As A Hotel Alternative

Who would rent an Amsterdam houseboat on vacation? When most people travel, either in their own country or abroad, they usually think of their vacation including a stay in a hotel or a resort of some kind. But what if you don’t want to do the touristy thing? What if by chance you want to live like a local?

How An Amsterdam Houseboat Can Make You Feel Like A Local

If you want to blend in and enjoy a stay in a foreign country to live like a local, there’s a way you can do this easily. Many sites have existed where you can find a place to stay from the unusual Couch Surfing site to timeshares to a host of others. Maybe the idea of crashing on someone’s couch doesn’t appeal to you and maybe you’re past the point of sleeping in a hostel. What choices are left besides staying in an American chain hotel in a foreign land?

Don’t despair. Instead, check out Airbnb, a completely different way to consider travel. You can rent from over 19,000 properties in 192 countries around the globe. I found someone renting out a room close to where I live at home so you don’t even need to go that far to find a rental.

My Choice Was Airbnb

For my trip to Amsterdam, I wanted to be close to the action, but I wasn’t happy with the hotel choices I found. Since I had started looking fairly late in the game, my options were limited. I wasn’t about to stay in one of the American chain hotels. Sometimes it works, but I didn’t want an American experience in Amsterdam. I signed up, completed my profile, and started looking.There were many choices available so I started to narrow them down by price, location, and feedback on the rental, much in the same way that I would look at a hotel.

With my choices narrowed down, I stumbled upon the most amazing Amsterdam houseboat rental from Simon and Jolanda and I knew this was the one. They had received excellent feedback and so I immediately got in touch with them about my rental dates. If a property is not available for the dates you are interested in, it won’t show up in your search results. I went ahead and booked the dates after conversing with the owners and made my plans for Amsterdam.

My Arrival Into Amsterdam

Upon arrival in Amsterdam, Simon was kind enough to pick us up at the airport at an early 7 am. He drove us to the Amsterdam houseboat and even went out and picked up breakfast for us. Now I’m sure not every owner will be this hospitable, but I knew I had made the best possible choice for our stay in Amsterdam.

My little Amsterdam houseboat was immaculate and recently renovated. Although on occasion you could feel the gentle swaying of the boat, it wasn’t enough to make you ill. I loved having our own little place in Amsterdam to go to after a full day of sightseeing. The views were amazing and we were off the main canal. As such, we didn’t have an onslaught of tourist boats going by constantly.

We had all of the basic necessities such as a TV, dishwasher, refrigerator, stove, and a full bath and bedroom. This might not work for you if you like all of the amenities of staying in a hotel. For example, the pool, fitness center, spa, restaurants, and so on. But we weren’t looking for those things and truly didn’t miss them. In fact, I like being able to visit a supermarket where I’m traveling and bring food back so we can try them out. Didn’t take me long to find not one, but two Albert Heijn supermarkets nearby.

What’s Important To You When You Travel?

On your next trip, really think about what appeals to you most. Is it having fresh towels and a newly made up bed every day? Or could you see yourself living in a neighborhood like a local? We knew we were blending in when people kept stopping us and asking us for directions. I would absolutely not hesitate to use Airbnb again and hope to soon. How can you go wrong when you wake up in the morning and this is who greets you?

Next up is more information and pictures from my New Year’s trip to Amsterdam. Before you leave don’t forget to read more about travel, cruises, and great travel tips on the Travel Shop Girl website.