Best Value: Taking all factors into account -- price, location, facilities, hospitality, Dutchness, and that indefinable something that makes a stay memorable -- the Estheréa, Singel 303-309 (tel. 020/624-5146), is the best value in town.
Best Location: Just off Leidseplein, the city's most lively square, close to theaters, cinemas, the casino, heaps of shops and restaurants, canal boats, street performers, trams, and general gusto, you find the Crowne Plaza Amsterdam-American, Leidsekade 97 (tel. 020/556-3000). Location isn't everything, of course, but this is a fine hotel, and its Art Deco Café Américain is a city institution.
Best for Canalside Luxury: No fewer than 24 old canal houses along the Prinsengracht were converted to create the Hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam, Prinsengracht 315-331 (tel. 020/523-5235) -- which would ordinarily be considered a serious loss, except that the Pulitzer is a genuine prizewinner.
Best for Tradition: Die Port van Cleve, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 176-180 (tel. 020/624-6429), is one of the city's oldest hotels, but has entirely modernized rooms, so you can celebrate the 17th century in 21st-century comfort.
Best for Families: The Crowne Plaza Amsterdam City Centre, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 5 (tel. 020/620-0500), provides reliable accommodations and service in a family-friendly environment close to Centraal Station and the main public transportation links. You also get an indoor swimming pool.
Best for Business Travelers: The NH Barbizon Palace, Prins Hendrikkade 59-72 (tel. 020/556-4564), is modern, luxurious, stylish, and efficient, and has an excellent location -- opposite Centraal Station -- and a full range of business facilities.
Best for Prestige: The opulent Amstel InterContinental Amsterdam, Professor Tulpplein 1 (tel. 020/622-6060), has this in abundance and offers much more, including one of the city's best restaurants and a superb location beside the Amstel River. This is the first choice of visiting celebrities, so don't be surprised if you see some famous faces.
Best Unknown Hotel: A combination of location, decor, personal service, enthusiastic owners, and general all-round quality wins the small and little-known Seven Bridges, Reguliersgracht 31 (tel. 020/623-1329), this accolade.
Best Budget Hotel: Many cheap hotels in Amsterdam leave a lot to be desired. Not so the Museumzicht, Jan Luykenstraat 22 (tel. 020/671-2954), a plain, clean, and friendly hotel in a superb location across from the Rijksmuseum.
Frommer’s is America’s bestselling travel guide series. Visit Frommers.com to find great deals, get information on over 3,500 destinations, and book your trip. © 2006 Wiley Publishing, Inc. Republication or redistribution of Frommer's content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Wiley.
For a complete listing of Frommer's-reviewed accommodations, visit our online hotels index.