Travel Planning Seminar Day 3: Hostels and Overall Rankings
Hostels. The word conjures up images of bare-boned accommodations and packed-in young adults. Not now! From luxurious lobbies to simple rooms, we discovered that shopping for a hostel was just like researching any lodging choice. Location and amenities influence the cost, and each hostel has a unique character. They are so much more than just a bed nowadays.
In Amsterdam we stayed at Clink Noord and StayOkay Vondelpark. We liked Clink’s location near Amsterdam Central, the transportation hub. With the trams and centrum close by, it is just a few minutes to any destination in the city. Clink is across the river from Central, and a ride on the ferry offers an intriguing view of the city with the contrast of the old architecture and new developments. StayOkay was located in the Centrum of Amsterdam, which placed us in the heart of the action.
Die Wohngemeinschaft was our selection in Cologne. This place caught our attention with its themed rooms and creatively styled beds, such as roadcases, instead of the typical basic bunks. The location was easy to get to, and the X-factor was clearly the quirky beds. And the bar on the main floor didn’t hurt.
Brussels was a different story with very few hostels here. We just went with the best rated one, called Van Gogh Youth Hostel.
Hostels:
Clink Noord (AMS): 10/10, great staff, clean all around in every area. Bar was very fun and well priced. Would stay again in a heartbeat.
Die Wohngemeinschaft (COL): 9/10, nice staff, very clean as well. Hard to get into the building and elevator without a room key already, but once you get checked in it is easy and fun. Bar was fun and well priced. Great dark lit atmosphere with energetic people.
Van Gogh Youth (BRU): 0/10, staff was rude when I asked a few questions on arrival, place was very dirty and it had a very strong sewer odor. It was so bad that we checked out without even staying overnight and hopped the next train back to Amsterdam the same day.
StayOkay Vondelpark (AMS): 7/10, very clean and front desk staff was great. Not quite as cool as the first two hostels, but no complaints. Great location to have a night out on the city.
Featured Restaurants
Satellite Sports Bar (AMS): 8/10, my favorite place to be in Amsterdam. The food was standard bar fare, and drinks were very well priced. The energetic atmosphere of sports fans surrounding this place made it my favorite hangout. We watched the Ajax and Bayern Munich game here with locals, tourists, and some travelling Germans. The game got intense, and so did the fans watching with us.
The Pancake Club (AMS): 10/10, they specialize in pancakes of all types and they surely hit the spot. Whether it is savory crepes or sweet poffertjes, both were fantastic. Location was right on the canal near Vondelpark, right in the heart of the city.
De Brasserie in Holland Casino (AMS): 9/10, great atmosphere to enjoy a top notch meal. Food was great and well priced for the quality.
Gaststatte Lommerzheim (COL): 10/10, the best meal of the whole trip. The pork chop was truly special, and the Kolsch they offered was great. We wanted to go somewhere off the beaten path and visit a local restaurant, this place is worth a visit for anyone going to Cologne.
Gilden im Zims (COL): 8/10, the schnitzel was good and the atmosphere was great. Location was near the Rhine River with a quick walk to see some of Cologne’s city center.
Activities:
Canal Cruise (AMS): 9/10, the canal cruise was fantastic and very cool seeing the whole city of Amsterdam on a boat rolling through the canals and under the bridges. The pizza was fine and the drinks included were Heineken and low-grade wine. All in all, definitely worth the 25 dollars.
Van Gogh Museum (AMS): 10/10, seeing the mind of Van Gogh and his life struggles on canvas was fascinating. Since most of his most famous works are in more well known museums, seeing some of his early work was still beautiful.
Cologne Christmas Markets (COL): 10/10, this was the most fun I have had in any city ever. Seeing the vast array of activities and products at 20+ Christmas Markets in the city was very fun. I bought a few Christmas presents for my mom and sister from here and being immersed in the Cologne culture felt unbelievable.
Brussels City: 1/10, even though parts of the city had cool architecture, most of where we saw and near the hostel was dirty and ridden with graffiti. City was very dirty and my friend Zach who with me was robbed. Not worth the hassle or the sights.
Ajax Game (AMS): 10/10, the Ajax game was an environment like no other with passionate fans, amazing stadium, and a great game to watch. I may be biased since they won 8-0, but nevertheless, had a great time.
Heineken Experience (AMS): 8/10, starting off with a walk through memory lane, the tour begins with going through the brand’s history and some early brewing knowledge. Around halfway into the tour, it transitions into a 21st century, technological based experience. There are bottle murals, lighted displays bouncing with music, and a green screen room to take cool photos with Heineken themes around the border. Plus, the Experience includes two Heineken.
Holland Casino (AMS): 8/10, this was a last night, spontaneous, decision to blow money at the casino. We ended up with an amazing meal and some fun times, nevertheless. We just played slot machines, since we were too broke to play table games. Clean environment and a very cool building to go into.
