B&B La Festa, Amsterdam — Hotel in Amsterdam

An expensive stay even for Amsterdam: my two nights cost me 276 euros with tax (without breakfast). This is pricey for a single room and bathroom off a narrow, steep flight of stairs with no common area at all (though the bathroom had been refurbished, with a good shower).

This isn’t really a B and B. An e-mail sent in advance of my visit said that breakfast - which cost extra - could be delivered to the room, or eaten at a nearby cafe; but there was no mention of either option when I arrived, and I couldn’t find Desa the hostess later to ask her how to organise my breakfast. I later checked the website: apparently I should have booked breakfast at least 24 hours in advance ... I was too late therefore.

It was helpful to have advice in advance of the trip on transport from the airport. I actually found the 297 bus option (which Desa advised against) much the best: only 25 minutes from the airport, avoiding a change at the huge central railway station which the train + tram option entailed. The bus stop was three minutes walk from the guest house.

When travelling solo, I’m happy to be low maintenance: I re-use towels, make up my own bed, etc. The room wasn’t serviced at all, however: eg I came back late at night to find the single tea/coffee mug still dirty on the desk, and no new supplies of tea (which I drink copiously when travelling!).

The second morning was very wet out, but the umbrella(s) advertised as being “in the drawer” were nowhere to be found; again I failed to find Desa to ask her to lend me one. (I didn’t set eyes on her once after being shown my room on arrival.)

I agree with others that the pizzeria downstairs is an asset: friendly, with good pizza.

I was grateful to Desa for printing out a boarding pass for me ... which I was able to ask her to do remotely, by e-mail.

An impersonal sort of place: strange because everywhere else I went in Amsterdam I found people extremely pleasant, often offering help without even...

Location. The area is the best thing about this place. Jordaan is one of the nicest districts. Lots of pretty streets, good cafes and restaurants nearby and within walking distance to most other areas. It feels safe and is quiet. The room is very basic but quite adequate. It is literally a room in someone's house with an en suite. It was clean. The beds were comfy. Small fridge/coffee maker/kettle. The bathroom/shower was fine, clean. There was a small balcony which is nice. No a/c. Couldn't hear any noise from the street or people passing by. However - people do live upstairs so the banging, footsteps, dropping things, slamming doors etc at night and early in the morning was very loud. You'll also hear every noise the guests in the other room make. So overall the area is fantastic. There's also a really nice Italian restaurant literally underneath the rooms. Do not think this is a typical B&B. It's not. You don't get any breakfast but there are bakeries nearby. It's a house with 2 rooms. More like an Air b&b. There's no reception, nowhere to store luggage, no room cleaning etc. Fine for a few nights though. We didn't see or meet the hosts, but the communication before was good. If you can sleep soundly (or be OK wearing ear plugs) through banging and noise you'll be fine! If you want a lie in past 6.30am you won't get one! As much as I liked the area and the room was OK for a few nights, sadly I couldn't stay again as I hardly had any sleep for 3 nights due to the noise in the other rooms of the house - and sleep is very important for me! The stairs up to the rooms are typically very steep and narrow so be careful if you have...

we enjoyed our stay here, though it isn't strictly a typical B&B (you pay extra for room service breakfast or to have it at a local bakery- we didn't have this so cannot comment). the room was lovely, with TV, Netflix, and WiFi. the bed was extremely comfortable with bedside tables, tea and coffee facilities, hairdryer and a mini fridge which wasn't too expensive. the bathroom was well decorated, clean with an excellent shower, and the rooms heating was easily controllable. the room was small (usual for Amsterdam) but felt bigger as it had patio doors onto a nice balcony with table and chairs which was a definite for us being smokers. the room was facing a back street so was very quiet. even the builders renovating the next door property didn't disturb us!|the location was perfect, with bars, cafes, newsagents and mini supermarket within a five minute walk. We walked from centraal station which was about 30 minutes with luggage but it was only around 20 minutes to most attractions from the accommodation. Desa, the host was lovely and gave us lots of info and even came to or rescue when we left our key in the room!|I would definitely stay here again, its not particularly cheap but no where is in Amsterdam, and the balcony was worth it. our only surprise was that we thought there was a little kitchenette in the room but that has now been blocked off. this did not bother us though, as we had a fridge for the wine!|date of...