Discount hotel in amsterdam

The following is a listing of some of the hotels, B&Bs, etc., in which ITN readers have stayed over the past year or so plus restaurants or sights nearby. Prices are those paid at the time of the visit and conversion rates are approximate.

When writing to ITN about accommodations, always include the PRICES and addresses/LOCATIONS, along with the DATE (month/year) of your visit. Also, please state whether the price is per person or per room and, if it is per room, whether it's for a double or single room. Thank you.

Write to Accommodations Worldwide, c/o ITN, 2120 28th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818, or e-mail editor@ intltravelnews.com (please include your surface-mail address).

Europe

On my trip to HOLLAND in August-September '03, I found four reasonably priced B&BS. None had bathrooms en suite, and in one case I had to walk down a flight of stairs to the bathroom.

* My favorite was Inge B&B (Raamsingel 32nd, Haarlem, 2012DT Netherlands; phone +31 23 551 2490 or e-mail ingeny@planet.nl). The house was a 5-minute walk from the main shopping street.

My room was large, with a wall-mounted TV and a window overlooking the canal. The only drawback was the stairs--four flights and STEEP! I pretended that I was climbing a mountain and hauled myself from step to step using the handrail. It cost about 40 [euro] ($46) per night.

Inge Geels brought a tray to my room each morning with a super breakfast. In addition to the regular bread or rolls and tea or coffee, she added fruit juice, fresh fruit and a hot item (boiled egg or grilled-cheese sandwich).

* I picked up my car in Haarlem and drove to Delft and the Soul Inn (Willemstraat 55, Delft, 2613DS Netherlands; phone +31 6 224 59622 or e-mail edwinroos@planet.nl)--only 10 minutes from the center of Delft.

This inn had parking on site and rooms on the ground floor (small but adequate, with wall-mounted TV). No view, as the windows were too high up to look out of. About 45 [euro] ($51).

Breakfast was in a kitchen equipped with a fantastic machine that dispensed about 10 kinds of coffee as well as hot chocolate and, for tea, hot water.

* From Delft I drove to Arnhem and the Pension-Appartament Immerloo (Eimmerssingel Oost 25, Arnhem Netherlands; phone +31 26 321 8353, e-mail immerloo@freeler.nl or visit www.immerloo.freeler.nl)--not within walking distance of the city but less than five minutes from a bus that took me right to the center of town.

For a very good price (27.50 [euro], or $31) I had a small room with high windows and with toilet and shower a few steps away. Breakfast was in the dining area and was a pretty basic Continental. Parking was only a few steps from the house.

* I turned in the car in Arnhem and took the train to Amsterdam and my final place, Hotel Wynnobel (Voissiuusstraat 9; phone +31 20 662 2298)--actually a B&B. It was only a 10-minute walk from one of the main squares and less than five minutes from a tram that went to the center of town.

My room was on the fourth floor, with a toilet and shower a few steps away. The room was large but had no TV, nor was there a guest lounge, but for 30 [euro]($34) in Amsterdam what can one expect? Breakfast, a basic Continental, was brought to my room.

This is a family home, and Mr. Wynnobel still lives there. He will Chat with guests and (occasionally) play the piano for them. When I told him where I was from, he immediately sat down and played "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

Readers who have questions, please e-mail me at woulf@tdl.com and I'll do my best to respond.

--CONNIE WOULF, Richmond, CA

It has been truly rare in our years of travel that an overnight stay, dinner and, the next morning, breakfast are an absolute delight and become a special memory. And it's even rarer when it's a bargain!

Chateau de Labessiere (55320 Ancemont, FRANCE; phone [03] 29 85 70 21, fax [03] 29 87 61 60, e-mail rene.eichenauer@wanadoo.fr or visit www.labessiere.com) has only one negative: it's out in the countryside, not really on the way to a big tourist destination. However, it is quite close to Verdun and the Meuse. While the roads are well marked and easy to drive, one does need a car and a good map.

Chateau de Labessiere was built in 1720 and has been lovingly restored by its present owners, Rene and Marie-Jose Eichenauer. They purchased it "as is" several years ago and literally camped out in it with three small children as they patiently and tastefully restored it, room by room. Today they continue to live there, providing six large rooms for guests.

The hotel's card says "lovely meals." This is a great understatement! Dinner began with aperitifs and tiny homemade quiches in the salon with our hosts and the other guests. The table settings in the spacious dining room were, to use again that overworked word, "lovely."

Marie is an accomplished chef who obviously enjoys her work. Our 4-course meal featured cold stuffed salmon, chicken in a golden cream sauce with white raisins, baked tomato stuffed with mild cheese, and wee pea pods and green beans sauteed with minced ham. After feasting on this we were brought several tasty cheeses, and, of course, we didn't resist dessert, as lovely as it was delicious.

All of this was accompanied by excellent local red and white wines, then we moved back to the salon for coffee. It was one of the most exquisite meals we have eaten.

Our room was delightful, too. It was spacious and tastefully decorated and had a nightlight and washcloths,--real rarieties in Europe.

In the morning, fresh bread from the bakery accompanied Marie's light, airy coffee cake plus many kinds of ham and cheese, homemade jam and lots of fresh fruit (another rarity in European hotel breakfasts).

Our visit was in May '03. The cost? An unbelievable 60 [euro] ($70) per person for everything! On our 6-week trip, our stay at the Chateau de Labessiere heads the list for warm memories.

--NANCY & DONALD ADOLPHSON, Danville, CA

We stayed at Hotel zum Hirschen (Hauptstrasse 19, D-79219 Staufen, Black Forest, GERMANY; phone 49 0 7633 52 97 or visit www.hirschenstaufen.de), Sept. 4-7, '03.

This is a wonderful base from which to absorb southern Germany's Black Forest culture and to visit the wineries along the upper Rhine. Only a 15-minute drive south of Freiburg, Staufen is a charming village surrounded by vineyards (try their own Gutedel wine). A castle ruin is on the hill above the town.

The hotel, run by the Kerber family (who speak English), is in the center of the medieval Old Town in a pedestrian zone, but they have parking for your car by the hotel. A quiet double room with bath and breakfast cost 70 [euro] ($82).

The hotel restaurant offers homemade specialties like fresh trout and a really authentic Black Forest Kirsch cake. The village also offers a variety of restaurants to check out.

--CONNIE DOTY, Orinda, CA

On a visit to Sicily in September '03, we stayed overnight at the Hotel Lady Lusya (C. da Spinagallo, 96100 Siracusa, ITALY; phone 0932 710277, e-mail info@ladylusya.it or visit www.ladyluysa.it). Set in a lemon grove, this lovely, small hotel is in an ideal location for the area. Our stay was in peace and tranquility.

The hosts, Lucy and Piero, are a charming and gracious Italian couple who speak English very well and warmly received us. The moment we arrived, we were greeted by Piero and felt like we had always known him. A quiet-spoken gentleman, he gave us a tour of this lovely family estate, then introduced us to his beautiful wife, Lucy, for whom the hotel is named. They have a handsome young son, Chris, who was a delight.

Our double room, with air-conditioner, cost 120 [euro] ($140).

The pool area is immaculate and has many chairs for relaxing.

Dinner, served in the hotel's charming dining room, cost 40 [euro] ($47) for two and was superb; they have a wide selection of wine. Afterward, we enjoyed cappuccino in the lovely sitting room.

--CAROL & BOB McLAUGHLIN, Seattle, WA

We stayed at a truly outstanding guest house in Prague, May 6-20, '03. The Guesthouse Lida (26 Lopatecka St., 14700 Prague 4, CZECH REPUBLIC; e-mail lida@login.cz) is mentioned in "Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2002."

Located on a quiet street in a middle-class neighborhood, it's a short walk from a metro station and two tram stops. Three very good and reasonably priced restaurants are just a few steps away.

There are about seven rooms available, which were full every night of our stay, but we heard no noise from other rooms. The rooms are spacious, with high ceilings and private bathrooms. We found our accommodations to be excellent. Rooms cost $45 and $55 per night, including breakfast.

When we contacted the guest house, they saved a room for us without a credit card or deposit of any kind, and when we arrived at the airport in Prague, the proprietor was waiting for us. Jan Prouza and his brother, Jiri, own and operate the guest house.