We have a bit of a Love/Hate relationship with this hotel, but thankfully it seems like it only happened once. We’ve now stayed in this hotel 3 times. The first time was lovely, and the second time, back in February 2019 unbeknown to us was right in the middle of their room revamp.
The Hilton Amsterdam is a lovely hotel. The staff are friendly, the hotel is well furnished and the bar? The Half Moon Lounge is just lovely. Big wing-back chairs, a real fire and a view over one of Amsterdam’s many canals. It’s just fantastic.
The Rooms – 7/10
The first time we stayed here, in February 2018 we had a ‘Garden View’ room, which looked out over the front of the hotel. It was quiet, and reasonably well fitted. It had the typical Hilton Queen bed which was as usual lovely and comfy. The bathroom was well fitted with a heated mirror, shaving mirror and full size bath. Importantly, the water pressure was fantastic, so you really could warm up after a long day exploring, or fill a nice deep bath.
The second time, in February 2019, we had a little less luck. We’d been upgraded to a canal view room. To be honest, there’s not much difference between the two rooms other than the view. Both have decent size wardrobes, its just a case of the view. You don’t even notice any noise difference, so i wouldn’t say its particularly worth the extra. However, it was on our second visit we had the biggest problems. Unbeknown to us at the time of booking, the hotel rooms were being refitted, so we were woken up daily with building works. It was unfortunate. The hotel did the best they could, by giving us free access to the Executive Lounge and upgrading us to a suite, but that didn’t really help much. What i was most surprised to find was that the amenities in the Suite were no different to a standard Queen size room. The only difference was a ‘Lounge Area’ with comfy sofa, but lets be honest, on a city break, hardly any time is spent in your room. The most important thing is to have that comfy bed and a nice bath!
Returning for our third visit in February 2020 though, we did notice a marked improvement. The dark wood of the wardrobes were the same, but the room did feel much lighter than before with new lighter wallpaper and a revamped desk. Thankfully, in this visit there was absolutely no noise!
Hotel Amenities – 8/10
We’ve never tried out the Health Club, we just aren’t really ‘Gym’ people, but from a quick glance it looks well equipped. What we can really focus on though is the Half Moon Lounge. This has to be our favorite place to sit down and unwind after a busy day exploring. It’s one of the most welcoming hotel bars I’ve seen. The staff here are lovely and the dark wood, low lighting and nautical theme make the bar feel warm and homely. Sit back in one of the wing back chairs, enjoy a drink and a slice of Warm Apple Pie and you could be in heaven. There’s a good selection of wines and spirits, all at what I’d call ‘average Hilton prices’.
Breakfast is served at the on-site Restaurant, Roberto’s. We’ve never eaten a main meal in the hotel, but the menu does look mouthwatering. Breakfast is on the expensive side, however at least it’s all included. You can either self-serve a hot breakfast, continental breakfast or order from a Menu. Amy’s favourite is the Waffles!
Location – 8/10
The hotel is located on Apollolaan, located in the Vondel park area. Neither of us are experts on the suburbs in Amsterdam, but it does seem to be one of the more upmarket ones, with Vegan Cafes, Porsches and Lamborghini’s a regular sight. It’s a quiet area, and walking around at night you do feel very safe, just watch out for the Cycle Paths on the pavement! You can walk into Central Amsterdam (Dam Square) in about 45 minutes, or walk to a tram stop in under 10 minutes which will get you to Dam Square in about 10-15 minutes depending on the time of day. We really like the location of the hotel, mainly because it’s so quiet around the hotel. It’s also about 25 minutes drive to the airport, and very close to the RAI, either walking or in a taxi.
Value for Money – 6/10
There’s no way of glossing over it, this is an expensive hotel, and you can stay more central for less, but I guess the question is do you really want to?
Overall Review of Hilton Amsterdam
Out of a total score of 40, the Hilton Amsterdam gets 29. We think this hotel is more about the location and the amenities than it is about the price. If you want to stay a little out of the mayhem of central Amsterdam in a cosy, relaxing hotel, then this is the place!