Multatuli Hotel - Amsterdam, Netherlands 

Absolutely HORRIBLE.. avoid like the plague!!!
Posted: Wed, Jun 11 2008
Absolutely lousy hotel...the room was small and dingy and the A/C was giving off such a bad smell that I had to turn it off!! The bed was horrible and it gave a backache after a couple of nights! Bathroom was smelling too, especially the WC. Light was blown in the entrance and did not get repaired throughout our 4-night stay in spite of repeated complaints. Breakfast was just about average with poor and repetitive choice. Service was lousy too.., the receptionist was cold and unhelpful. They never voluntarily give any useful information. Avoid this lousy hotel like the plague!! I paid over ?90 (Euros 109) per night for a supposedly 3-star hotel that was worse than an average 2-star hotel!!

A wise choice
Posted: Wed, May 07 2008
I chose to stay at the Multatuli Hotel partly on account of its convenient location ( just across the road from the station ) and also for the range of facilities on offer. The cost per night, including buffet breakfast and tax, amounted to 93 euros (?76). I had booked a single non-smoking room, but since none was available on arrival I was upgraded to a triple room instead. There was a wardrobe with shelves and a safe, a minibar, tea and coffee tray, table and chairs, a TV with BBC1 and BBC 2 included, air-conditioning and best of all an immaculate bathroom with both bath and shower, Sheets and towels were changed daily and the room kept spotlessly clean. Although my room overlooked the main street opposite the station, there was no disturbance from traffic noise throughout my stay. Security is excellent too, since the main outer door automatically locks on exit and you press the buzzer to gain entry. The staff on the front desk were always available, welcoming and friendly and happy to temporarily store all my luggage on the day of departure when I checked out. Another nice touch is the offer of free tea/coffee and a piece of cake in the afternoon or evening. The breakfast room is comfortable and equpped with a plasma TV and aquarium. All in all I could not fault this hotel and would certainly return on a future stay in Amsterdam.

BIG disappointment - ruined holiday.
Posted: Sat, Apr 05 2008
Just got back after four incredibly uncomfortable nights in the Multatuli. The big problem was the room, which in my experience would be lucky to be considered two star, not the three star advertised. First of all it was tiny. The room was long and narrow - about six feet wide by about 18 feet max, and it this narrowness that made it less than comfortable (see my comments about the bed further down which will hopefully explain what I mean by this). Into that was crammed a wardrobe with safe, a minibar fridge with a TV and radio alarm clock on top, a small round table and two chairs, and something that I can only call an excuse for a bed. It was no more than about four foot wide - we actually thought it was a large single bed. It was shoved against the wall at one side, with just enough room to walk past at the other (no bedside shelves/cabinets - just a shelf above your head). If you needed to go to the loo in the night you had to climb over your partner, and then try to climb back in and get comfortable enough to sleep. The tea and coffee making facilities were right at the bottom of the bed so that during the night the duvet would rattle cups, saucers and teaspoons if they weren't shifted out of the way, though finding somewhere to put them was a challenge. What's worse, the bed sagged at the edges, so you were either cramped up against your partner or sliding off the edge of the bed. It also had a tendency to slide away from the wall, which left you falling into a hole. And if that wasn't bad enough the wall is coated in some sharply textured white paint. I was left with a bleeding elbow after banging against it while trying, in vain, to get comfortable in the middle of the night. We had stayed in the Multatuli twice before and went back because it was clean, tidy, and very easily accessible (opposite the Central Station). But never again - it's still clean, tidy and of course accessible, but the rooms haven't been refurbished in years, it's very, very tired decor wise, and the room was atrocious for the money and star rating. Admittedly we opted for a smoking room and I suspect their smoking rooms are probably the worst in the hotel - it's the only reason I can think of for this room being so poor. It's no excuse though, we paid the going rate for a three star smoking room and feel totally ripped off. The breakfast was adequate, with the usual array of cheese, cereals and rolls. The coffee was in stay warm pots that didn't seem to do their job that well (lukewarm coffee was all you needed after a night in that bed). The scrambled egg was never the same two days in a row (ranged from cold and watery to fairly tasty, or on one occasion not there at all for about ten minutes, by which time I'd made do with a roll and cheese). There were also mini sausages which were nice and spicy and boiled eggs still in their shell. So overall, the breakfast was little more than something handy, so that you could go down get a bite to eat and then go back to bed to try to catch up on some of the sleep lost due to the bed. We never did though, which impacted on the rest of the holiday as we were constantly tired and not able to properly enjoy the sights and entertainment this fantastic city has to offer. The staff are friendly, and we were allowed to stay in the room until noon on checkout day as our flight wasn't until late that night. The bathroom was small and allowed just enough room for your knees when sitting, but it was spotlessly clean and if combined with a better room would not have been cause for comment either positive or negative - just OK. Wifi broadband can be purchased at about 10 euro a day, or just under 40 for a week. You may be wondering why we stayed in the room and didn't complain. We should have, but by the time we'd tried to sleep in the bed our stuff was already all unpacked and it seemed easier just to put up with it. I'm sorry now we did - never again. I'm also sorry I didn't take any pictures of the room but by the time we'd packed I just wanted to get out. Bottom line, if you're considering staying here I would advise you to make sure you get one of their better rooms. To say we were bitterly disappointed with the one we got is an understatement.

great location!
Posted: Mon, Mar 03 2008
The Hotel Multatuli is directly accross the road from the central station.We took the train from the airport which took about 15mins. The hotel is old inside but the rooms are clean with a modernised bathroom.The foyer and dining room are lovely with fresh tulips on the tables every day. A complimentary cooked or cereal, toast, friut etc every day and free tea coffee and cake early afternoon and early evening! A great location for seeing the city and for walking along the canals. Shopping good and restaurants and cafes great.