Amadeus Hotel - Haarlem, Netherlands 

Haarlem is a beautiful small city close to Amsterdam. The compact city centre is best explored on foot, and it's also a great base from which to explore other parts of Noord-Holland. The NS railway station is a 10 minute walk to the north, and the location is unparalleled: right on the south side of Grote Markt, with a great view onto the busy city square from either the front bedrooms or the high ceilinged breakfast room / lobby on the first floor. Haarlem has a dearth of cheap city centre accommodation. Any Haarlemers with a big city centre townhouse should seriously consider a budget hostel to rival the town's only really cheap option - the StayOkay which is some distance away in the northern suburbs. I'd read cautious reviews of that option, and chosen to pay a bit more (?130 / 2 nights, high season weekend) to be in the city centre. The hotel is above a caf? - although there's a lift between the first, second and third floors, it would appear you have to climb at least one set of stairs to enter. Check in was easy and I purchased wireless internet for ?5/24hours, although this is still working well into my second day. The entire hotel was Haarlem's first non-smoking one, although by the time you probably read this (after 1 July 2008) a national smoking ban will be in effect. My room (34) is a single on the top floor (and has already been photographed by another reviewer here). While I appreciate that few hotel rooms have windows on two sides of the building for cross ventilation, being a narrower room on the west side of the top floor, the large window turned the room into an oven during the second half of the summer days. An oscillating fan purloined from an alcove down the corridor helped. The single bed was ok, but an annoying shelf above the bed meant one couldn't lean against the wall to watch the small TV (with Dutch, German and a couple of British channels). There's also a phone and an in-room combination safe, which will look after all but the biggest laptops. There is no night staff in the building; access is with a key card and there's an emergency phone contact if there are problems. Late arrivals can arrange (with prior warning) to collect their key card from a combination lock box. Breakfast is included and is expansive with cereals, yoghurt, breads, meat, cheese etc. So, overall, ok, but verging on being too expensive, mainly due to Haarlem's lack of budget accommodation. Those with limited mobility would probably find the stairs a problem.

My wife and I spent five nights at the Amadeus Hotel in Haarlem, the Netherlands. We based our choice on price, and on the write ups for it in various guide books and websites. These sources said the Amadeus provided good basic accommodations in a charming location -- on the Grote Markt square in the heart of old Haarlem. We had an excellent, comfortable stay there, and unreservedly recommend it to others looking for clean, comfortable, affordable rooms in an excellent location. The rooms were relatively basic, as the reviews we read had accurately reported. But the beds were comfortable, the in-rooom bathroom and shower perfectly adequate, and the premises clean and tidy. And very quiet (our room was on the top floor, at the back.) The building is quite an old one, with steep winding stairs, and a very small noisy elevator which starts on the first floor, not the ground floor. Those with mobility problems would not find it a good choice. The continental breakfast -- included in the price of our room -- was not fancy, but certainly more than met our needs. Breakfast was the only meal available in the dining room; the rest of the business day, it operates as an internet cafe, with reasonable rates. Wifi was available for a daily fee. The hotel's location -- between the old town hall and St. Bavo's church -- was enchanting. It is about a 15min walk from the central train and bus station. If you have rolling bags or light luggage, it is a practical walk. We did take a taxi from the hotel to the bus station when we left, since it was 5am, and snowing. The ride was less than 8 euros. The hotel concierges were pleasant, knowledgeable and helpful. I will add that Haarlem proved to be an idea headquarters for exploring. It is a short, fast commute into and out from Amersterdam, and as a rail hub, gives excellent access to many other towns and villages. It is also a convenient 38 minute bus ride from the airport.