Hotel Twenty-Three

It’s a handy place for a stop between connecting flights, around 20 minutes from Schipol airport by taxi. The hotel feels modern but still quaint, and the rooms are nice and up to date, with a huge shower. Breakfast has a good selection. Reception is open around the clock, there’s a snack bar, and you can rent bikes to get around the city.

The hotel was very clean and otherwise a great place to stay, but breakfast was a huge disappointment. The food didn’t seem fresh. Even the sausages were so hard and bad you could break a wall with them. It seemed like old food from previous days had been reheated and served.

The location is a strong point. It’s in the town center, unlike many nearby chain hotels on business parks at the edge of town with nothing around. The price is also lower than many chain hotels nearby, and the service was excellent. Breakfast was worth the cost when included in the booking. The comfortable king bed had a nice, soft mattress, which suited me. Still, the rooms didn’t match what I expected from the online photos and descriptions. I booked the most expensive option, the Superior King, but it wasn’t bigger than the other rooms. Most were about 24 m2 and had the same amenities, while the other room types cost only about €10 less each. It sounded superior, but the details didn’t feel classy: poor paintwork, plastic shower panels, loose amenities and lights that didn’t work. The bathroom setup was especially odd, with separate shower and toilet spaces and the sinks in the middle of the room. Taking a shower fogged up the whole room. Most rooms are advertised as having an ensuite bathroom, but this didn’t feel like one. I found it hard to judge value for money. Based on my experience, I’d book one of the cheaper rooms because the more expensive one didn’t offer much extra. I felt misled by the room photos and differences in the advertised styles, which is why I gave three stars instead of four.

The price was good for the rooms, and I’d consider returning for that reason. It’s around a 20-minute walk to the train station, and I think the airport bus stop is about five minutes away. The main concern was the room’s cleanliness. I fell asleep soon after arriving, but when I checked properly in the morning, it was dirty and neglected. There was used snus from the previous guests in a drawer and some questionable stains on the drawers. When I told the staff, all I got was “okay,” with no apology or much reaction. That surprised me for a four-star hotel. The cleaners need to check the drawers more carefully. The walls are a bit thin, so I could hear a lot from other guests. I’m a very heavy sleeper, so it didn’t bother me much, but keep it in mind if you’re not.