Zandpad 5, 1054 GA Amsterdam Tram 1, 2, 5 (stop: Leidseplein); 12 (stop: Van Baerlestraat) Tel (020) 589 89 96 Websitewww.stayokay.com
BUG Review
This hostel is split into three connected buildings, one of which is a restored wooden school house. Some of the windows still have the original stained glass, others have a nice view of Vondelpark. It is smartly decorated, with vaulted ceilings, track lighting, and cushy leather couches. The common area is airy and sleek, with a great little bar where you can have cheap drinks under a disco ball. However, it is an HI hostel, so it often welcomes large school groups and therefore has a minimal atmosphere compared to the others. Location is great. Staff are outgoing and friendly. Overall, a good place for solo women travellers, though perhaps not the perfect place to meet others.
Price Dorm bed €22.20-34.80 (€19.70-32.30 HI/Stayokay) Double/twin room €62.80-89.20 (€57.80-84.20 HI/Stayokay)
Prices include breakfast Prices are in euro and are inclusive of all taxes.
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Reception Open 24 hours
Book Stayokay Amsterdam Vondelpark
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This hostel, after staying at the Bulldog was bliss, if you want you can have peace and quiet, and if you want you can meet some great people at the bar! The breakfast was great, and the comfy beds were wonderful. Sure, not as "cool" as some of the hostels in Amsterdam, but I had a great few days, and year after year I keep on going back! I think I've stayed here at least four or five times.
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(Review ID: 4582)
Perfect!!!!!, May 17, 2006
Reviewer:
Tiago Duarte
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saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
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(3)
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(3)
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That hostel was perfect for me! With a perfect breakfast and all the facilities a hostel need.In the frontdesk you can find a lot of tickets to all the events in the city with a good price, and all the staffs are very cool.This hostel different of all the others in Amsterdan, and if you go inside the others to check the prices, will you see the difference!Take Care and enjoy the experience at Amsterdan... for sure you will love it!
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(Review ID: 4583)
Great location, well run with good facilities!, February 28, 2006
Reviewer:
Mike Tate
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saw things this way
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(5)
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(5)
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Was at this hostel mid-february (off peak) with my girlfriend for 4 nights. I booked a room with two beds and actually got a 4 bed room with ensuite toilet and shower all to ourselves! This was really comfortable for both of us.The location is quality! It's right next to a big park and a few minutes from Leidseplein (Led Zepplin) which has loads of restaurants and bars. It took about 20 minutes to walk everywhere else which was a treat because it's such a beautiful place with all the canals and interesting buildings. You could easily get trams if you wanted to get around quicker. Watch out for the millions of crazy cyclists!The staff were really friendly and helpful. They put on a great breakfast each morning. It's a really secure place, you need a key card to get in to the building and your own room. You get clean sheets and have a locker in your room (take a padlock unless you want to buy one there for 3 euros). There was no curfew which is vital. There's a bar inside with a pool table, you can get meals there (although we never tried it). There are about 6 internet computers. You have to pay to use them but it's not that bad. There's a big lounge with a small TV (can't see why anyone would want to watch it anyway). There are also vending machines for midnight munchies.Being there with someone else was spot on but it might be too big if you went there by yourself. If I had been travelling alone I probably would have preferred a smaller place where it's easier to meet people. You could meet people here of course, everyone's real laid back, probably because most are stoned but it would be easier at a smaller place.
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(Review ID: 4584)
Fantastic experience, January 18, 2006
Reviewer:
Peterc1983
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The hostel was large but modern and very well organised, centrally located and security is fantastic (although you might get a bit tired of using your swipe card 20 times a day). I stayed in a 4 person dorm that had a toilet and shower ensuite which was good quality and cleaned daily. The rooms were very clean and the beds were comffortable. The rooms all have big lockers you can fit pretty much all your baggage in during the days so thats an extra bonus.The pub downstairs is great, they serve cheap beer (you get one free when you stay there) and good qaulity cheap meals. The internet access is great, they have about 6 coin-op computers to use. Handy hint is to use the one that directly faces the front-desk. When we were there it was giving out 5x as much time for a 50 euro cent piece as it should have :) There is a pool table, foozeball table and a large lounge area with a tv. The laundry facilities are fantastic and a load will cost you 4.50 euros.Overall I have nothing but praise for this quality hostel.
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(Review ID: 4585)
really, an okay place to stay, December 27, 2005
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Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
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Pros:*About the cheapest hostel in Amsterdam.*Truly multilingual, friendly staff. (I am American and live in Germany. The staff spoke both languages with me. Usually hostel staff know just English.)*TV in the lounge that received multiple English language channels.*Close to the Leidseplein, with lots of shops and restaurants. (The walk to Amsterdam Centraal is about 30 minutes, or 10 minutes on a tram.) Many boat tours also stop nearby.*Relatively secure access, with key cards.*Ban on marijuana, which is great, if you're in Amsterdam for other things. *Aside from bread, cheese, meat, etc., breakfast also included a few traditional Dutch foods, such as Stollen (in December) and another type of bread similar to Lebkuchen. That was a nice touch. Cons:*The room wasn't quite as clean as those in other HI hostels (I got there at 2, the earliest I could check in, and there were a few hair pins and receipts on the floor).*You will not be let into your room prior to 2 p.m., no exceptions.*Multiple Dutch people staying there warned me to stay far, far away from the Vondelpark at night, and that they would be wary of walking back to the hostel alone after dark. (They did, however, also agree that it was the nicest hostel in town.)*There isn't elevator service to all floors.*The room I had, on the top floor, wasn't heated very well and the duvets were really thin. Prepare to wear layers to bed, if you come in winter.*Between skylights in the room and the brightest exit sign I have ever seen, the room never really got dark.*Only 2 toilets in a 20-bed dormitory. (There were 4 showers though.)
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(Review ID: 4586)
oscar prize equivalent for hostel breakfast, September 21, 2005
Reviewer:
Niladri
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n/a
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n/a
Imported Review
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
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(5)
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To sum in short, the major points of this hostel are very organized, clean, secure, very well located ( specially around the lovely museum troika ) and of course, a very very hearty breakfast
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(Review ID: 4587)
If you don't mind kids everywhere, July 9, 2005
Reviewer:
Elliot Pennington
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Imported Review
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(4)
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First hostel in my month long trip. We were there for three nights. Here's the good and bad:Good:Rooms - clean and huge, nice lockers, really clean bathrooms in the room.Security - as good as I've seen anywhere elseBreakfast - seriously, it was amazing. Better than youd get at a lot of restaurants, and its totally free.Location - awesome, right in the south part of the city, next door to the Vondelpark. Easily acessable from the train station.Bar - nice little bar in the ground floor, cheap beer during happy hourBad:Kids everywhere. This is an HI place, so there are lots of school groups. Atmosphere - not bad, but not great. Conclusion - we loved it. Traveling as a couple, it was perfect for us. I dont think I would have liked it as much traveling solo. Great location, clean, safe, and the best breakfast I had in a month.
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(Review ID: 4588)
well located, beautiful, though a little big, July 9, 2005
Reviewer:
Kathryn
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Great hostel-- clean, well-located, secure, spacious, basically everything we could ask for! We arrived in Amsterdam a little apprehensive because of stories we'd heard about the condition of hostels there, but we were pleasantly surprised with the Stayokay Vondelpark. The place is huge and does have a bit of an institutional feel (ie, not a great place to meet people), but the services are excellent & the breakfast was one of the best I had on my 5wk trip. The location, right off Leidsplein, is also GREAT -- I definitely recommend this place.
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(Review ID: 4589)
Cleanest hostel we stayed in, good location. Read., March 12, 2004
Reviewer:
Matt Kerttula
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saw things this way
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(4)
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This hostel is very clean, really nice and in a sweet location. The pub downstairs has cheap Heiniken too. The first night we stayed at Stay Okay, was perfect, but the 2nd night we moved to the building with the washing machines and dryers and my friend woke up with red marks all over him. (Bed Bugs) Don't let this discourage you too much, since the rest of us were fine (4 of us). I would stay there again and this hostel is really nice a little expensive, but that is all Amsterdam hostels. I heard from numerous amounts of people to avoid the Flying Pig.
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(Review ID: 4590)
Huge and impressive but ...., November 12, 2003
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Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
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Out of the 7 Hostels I stayed in, across 5 countries in Europe this august, Vondelpark was the largest, most organised and impressive. All the comments made by earlier reviewers are correct. Only one jarring note, the hostel (as can be seen from its lounges) is occupied by large groups, making it intimidating and difficult for individuals to get company and make new aquaintainces.
