According to "Trip Advisor" the Hotel Groenendael is Ranked #321 of 346 hotels in Amsterdam.
One review from that site describes it as follows,
“Nasty room, and all my clothes were stolen!”
3 people found this review helpful
"This was, by far, the worst hotel I have ever stayed at. As soon as I walked into the room, I wanted to leave. The carpet and walls were stained, and the whole room was very dingy. I suggested to my husband that we should leave..."
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Reality Check
Call me old fashioned, but I find this little guest house in the centre of Amsterdam to be warm, cosy, friendly and perfectly located. I wouldn't, admittedly, take my missus there for a romantic break, but that is not, and never was, the point of this hotel, and it doesn't aspire to such claims. Far from the Travelodge generic box, Hotel Groenendael is a trip back in time for anyone who wants to sample the soul of Amsterdam as it was in a former heyday.
The rabbit hole opens the moment you exit Amsterdam's Centraal railway station, some 30 minutes by train (3 Euros) from Schiphol airport.
As you leave the station building, your eyes are filled with the visuals and sounds of Amsterdam's Damrak. You are dramatically plunged into the soul of the city. Be careful at this point not to be hit by a tram, a bike, a car or by the speedy local pedestrians as they meander through the awe struck tourists, staring out at the living mural in front of them. Bikes are everywhere.
You have directions to the hotel because you rang ahead and looked at a map. But you're already lost after twenty paces. No bother, that's the point. Amsterdam is a maze, and that's the fun of it. Its a colourful, twisted, gnarled, squashed place. Amsterdam is filled with wonder, everywhere you look.
Luckily, the Groenendael is a short distance from the station. A right turn off Damrak and you're nearly there. Not before you've sunk deeper into a world of wonder, a pavement soaked in colour and flanked by quirky, irregular shapes and angles that leave you with whiplash as you crank your head round for a double take.
You apologise to the pedestrian coming towards you. You apologise to the cyclist you've caused to swerve. You apologise to the tram driver who has halted his entire cargo to avoid splatting you all over the tiled cobbles. "Sorry, I was looking over there!"
Blink and you'll miss it, but the sign is there, poking out into the streetscape. Hotel Groenendael. A sinister door invites you to ring the doorbell. You push the button. A buzzer sounds, indicating the door's locking mechanism has disengaged. You pull open the door, and face a ladder-like, vertical flight of stairs. On this occasion you've booked ahead, and, 12 hours earlier, fulfilled the hotelier's request to phone ahead to confirm you'll be arriving, and when. They're expecting you. 2 double rooms. Bed and Breakfast.
You open a thin door and enter the first floor reception. Its a modest, narrow, cosy lounge decked from floor to ceiling in travel memorabilia from the USA and other parts of the world. Currency notes from all over the world form a patchwork wallpaper, as do a collection of North American car number plates, pinned to the walls. There's a tall drinks refrigerator and a tiny kitchen at one end, The other end features a few quaint tables and chairs, a settee, and a tiny "office/reception/TV".
The hotelier invites you to complete the usual visitor's form, and asks if you'd like to pay up front or at the end. No bother, your choice. He issues you with keys for the room, and for the front door at street level. "Keep the noise down at night, please." he requests, "Breakfast is 8-10am", before slouching back into his chair to continue watching the Dutch news on his TV.
The rooms are, like most of Amsterdam's crash pads, basic. A sink, a bed or two, a light switch, a tile mirror, and a plug socket, and a painting. Toilets and showers are across the hallway, shared with the other guests. The rooms are warm, and some (I've stayed in most of them) rooms feature great views of the rooftops across the city centre, or the street below.
The Dutch are a people who do not mess about. They are not lacking in a sense of humour, but they keep it wrapped up in a matter-of-fact style. Not overly intent on making friends with you, but self-assured enough to reassure you that they will help you if needed. Ask a question, you'll get a straight answer. After 7 or 8 visits, they will engage you in short conversations. Up to that point, anything you need to know, they are willing to help and advise. But they leave you alone to get on with the serious business of losing yourself in Amsterdam. Some 4 hours after leaving my Lancashire home, my bag is off my shoulder, and I'm off down the rabbit hole.
Part 2...coming soon
Part 2...coming soon
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| Funky Street. Nieuwendijk Voorburgwal |
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