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Review 3703: Owner, Apartment (#70512)

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Review by Amy from MA who is a SlowTrav Contributor

2bed/1bath apartment in Amsterdam, Netherlands

When

August 2008, 4 days

Location

The apartment is located in the Jordaan, a very nice neighborhood in Amsterdam with plenty of restaurants and shopping. It is on a quiet street, a 15 minute walk to Centraal station. Two tram lines and several bus lines stop around the corner.

Nearby Amenities

There were two grocery stores a few blocks away, plenty of restaurants, cafes, coffeehouses, bakeries, etc. in the area.

The House/Apartment

The apartment is on the ground and first floor of an old house. The owner lives upstairs. She rents out either the apartment as a whole; or as individual bedrooms of a B&B. There was a very steep spiral staircase from the living room to the upstairs bedrooms and bath; and also a carpeted staircase from the hallway outside the kitchen upstairs to the bedroom floor, that you share with the owner.

The street is very quiet, with mostly bicycle and foot traffic. However, there is a cafe right across the street with outdoor tables. It was closed during our stay, so I don't know how that would impact the apartment when it is open.

Garden

No outside area. There is an enclosed "sun-porch" of a sort at the back of the apartment, with an open planted area that judging by the smell and presence of cats on the roof is used by the neighborhood cats as a litter-box. For that reason, we didn't use the room.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The furniture was in average shape. Nothing broken, but definitely heavily used. The decor was very dated, with a definite 70's vibe. The apartment was fairly clean, but very cluttered with the owner's knickknacks and just felt worn and uncared for.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

Beds were pretty comfortable for sleeping, although the bed in the back bedroom was set so far down into its wood frame that the hard edge was uncomfortable. Bed linens and towels, while clean, were threadbare and ragged. The bathroom was large, with marble walls and flooring. Some of the tiles were cracked and badly chipped. The tub was so enormous that I had difficulty reaching over to turn on the shower.

Kitchen

The best part about this apartment was the kitchen, which was enormous. Large wooden table, lots of counter space, full-size refrigerator and oven. Plenty of dishes, although the pots and pans were very battered and discolored. Since it's on the ground floor, the window, covered by a sheer curtain, is directly on the street.

Problems or Bonuses

We were looking for a rental pretty last minute, and so didn't find many choices open to us that could sleep three. The location was great, and it's a huge amount of space. You could sleep three people in each bedroom if you wanted to. However, the worn and somewhat dilapidated overall feeling of the apartment was a disappointment -- especially given that it was €200 a night.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

The owner was great to work with, and replied very quickly to emails.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

As much as I enjoyed the location and the quiet, I'd look for another apartment in the neighborhood. I felt it was expensive, given the issues like catbox odor and banged-up atmosphere of the apartment. However, if you need a place that could sleep three in a room and aren't too fussy, it might work for you.