Hotel Arena

There was a great view over the park, and I’d stay here again. The only real problem was a tiny LED on an alarm across from the bed. It lit up the room once the lights were off and made sleeping difficult, so I had to buy a sleep mask. Otherwise, the hotel was clean and well kept, with polite, friendly, professional staff. Breakfast was plentiful, and I loved the fire pit area in the bar.

The room felt like our own Amsterdam apartment for the weekend. It had a bedroom on a second floor, plus a balcony overlooking the lounge downstairs, and was much more than we expected. The scent in the room was so nice that my wife bought some from the shop below. Staff were brilliant: they gave us space but were helpful and polite whenever we needed them. We didn’t try the catering, but spent a few hours having drinks in the bar one evening. It was cosy and welcoming, and the open fire pit was a nice touch. We were beyond impressed and will definitely be back.

One thing to budget for is the deposit: it’s €50 per night, so €200 for our stay, plus tourist tax at 12% of the accommodation price. It wasn’t clearly advertised during booking. The deposit is refunded at checkout, so it isn’t an extra charge in the end, but there were other guests complaining about it when we checked in. I’d contacted the hotel beforehand to confirm our booking, and they kindly answered all my questions, which let us plan for the deposit in advance. We stayed four nights in a “comfy” room. The bed was massive, there was plenty of space for the two of us, and we slept really well. The room was lovely, with stairs inside, and it was cleaned daily while we were out. One small improvement would be fitted sheets or sheets long enough to tuck under the mattress, since we sometimes woke up lying mostly on the bare mattress. The hotel is beautiful, nicely decorated, and well located. Trams are about a five-minute walk and the metro about ten minutes away. There’s a small shop by the tram stop for snacks and drinks, which was handy. Check-in and checkout were simple, and the staff were very kind. We spent a lot of our holiday relaxing here and would definitely return if we visit again.

We had lovely canal views and a peaceful night, even though the hotel is close to the main attractions. Shops, bars, and trams are nearby, too. The grounds were magical, and the staff were friendly and so helpful. Our room had a large double bed, desk and chair, tea and coffee, a wardrobe with plenty of hangers, a hair dryer, and a large bathroom with ample towels and toiletries. There was a fully stocked minibar and lots of information leaflets as well. The only issue was that the power shower drained more slowly than we used it. It wasn’t a major problem, and we’d definitely stay again.