Hotel Bellington

The shared bathroom was the one drawback: it’s very small, and the shower leaves so much water on the floor that drying your feet is awkward. Apart from that, I had a really nice stay. I was there four nights for a short Amsterdam getaway, and the location was perfect. Check-in was quick and easy, the rooms were clean and had what I needed, and they were cleaned regularly. The staff were always really nice.

After a long day exploring the city, the bed made for a really good night's sleep. The room itself was spacious, clean, and nicely decorated. I also liked the modern touches: fast Wi-Fi, a large flat-screen TV, and a coffee maker that was great for starting the morning.

The broken window shade was the reason I gave four stars instead of five. On our first day, the room on the top floor got pretty hot in the high temperatures because the shade wouldn’t stay closed and block the sun. The fire escape door was left open, which helped cool the floor and circulate air. I also enjoyed stepping out there to watch the birds in the morning. The place is clean, well managed, and in a great location. The bathroom and shower are shared, as some bad reviews point out, but they were kept clean and we had no issues. The stairs are steep, though no steeper than in other Dutch buildings we visited. For a budget stay, I’d definitely come back.

I woke up after the fourth night with more than ten bites on my legs, so I think I may have been bitten by bed bugs. If you stay, check the bed first. The first three nights I slept on top of the blankets, but it got cold on the fourth, so I slept under them. The room was better than it looked in the online pictures, which was a nice surprise. It was mostly clean and spacious, and the location was handy, close to lots of shops and restaurants. There’s no air conditioning, just fans, so the room got quite warm.