Oudezijds Voorburgwal 220, 1012 GJ Amsterdam Metro Centraal Station, Nieuwmarkt Tel (020) 620 38 22 Websitewww.bulldoghotel.com
BUG Review
The Bulldog is everything you want in a hostel in Amsterdam. It feels like a chic hotel with hostel facilities. Located on one of the quieter streets in the Red Light District, it is clean, safe, and organized, and attracts a good crowd of easygoing and interesting college aged partiers. With its own famous “coffeeshop” next door, a rooftop terrace, and a huge attractive bar decorated with palm trees and aquariums, its definitely not lacking in atmosphere. Rooms are decorated gorgeously and well-maintained, with brand new carpet and mattresses, and each has its own shiny white bathroom facilities. Halls are all freshly painted, also with new carpet, and adorned with some nice artwork. They also have laundry facilities, which is rare. The staff are talkative and welcoming, and have very high security standards, so despite its location in the RLD, it’s still a great option for girls travelling alone.
Price Dorm bed €17-29 Single room €65-79 Double/twin room €84-93
Prices include breakfast Prices are in euro and are inclusive of all taxes.
Me and my girlfriend stayed at the Bulldog for 2 nights in the last week of October, the staff seemed friendly and were willing to help us with all we asked. The rooms were in good shape, we had a locker at each bunk site. The showers were warm , and on the clean side. The security card was checked every time we entered the hostel , which made for even more peace of mind. The breakfast arrangment was a good one too, good meats,cheeses, bread and coffee/tea/juice. The only thing that i did not care for was that it seemed that half the computers for internet use were broke most the time. Not a big deal, just had to wait a little longer. Met some great friendly people during our stay there.Thanks to the Bulldog for a great time in Amsterdam.Iwould definitely stay there again.
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(Review ID: 4593)
stay somewhere else, November 3, 2005
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Anonymous
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if you are a a solo female traveller, don´t stay here, unless you like the concept of random men on the street grabbing you and hassling you..centrally located it maybe, but its really dodgy.granted, the hostel itself is really clean, top security and great bathrooms and good breakfast. BUT the staff were rude, unless you were a member of the opposite staff. people who stay here are too caught up in their own thing, or too high to care to make friends. its one of the biggest hostels in europe, and therefore has no atmosphere and is way too overpriced for what you get.
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(Review ID: 4594)
Clean, safe and Central!, March 7, 2005
Reviewer:
Rose
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I spent a few nights in the Bulldog in mid January this year. I walked into a spotless room, with an ensuite and lockers for each bed. It doesn't have huge personality, but then again, I think that is defined by the people you happen to room with! It is really central in the Red Light District, and whether you want to do drugs or not, it's a really cool place to stay!
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(Review ID: 4595)
Stay here, but be forwarned, January 8, 2005
Reviewer:
jaypandolfo
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If you are going to Amsterdam, and either plan on doing drugs or don't mind if the majority of everyone else around you is, then do yourself a favour and stay at the Bulldog. The facilities are first rate: comfy beds, lockers and one of the best hostel showers in Europe. The staff was really nice and helpful. The place is really easy to find, and extremely central (right on the edge of the red light district). It's no more than a 10 minute walk from the train station. Compared to other hostels in Amsterdam, it's cheap: I met people in the city who were paying 23-25 Euros per night; me and my friend ended up paying less than 20 (thanks to our ISIC cards) even though we arrived right in the middle of Cannabis Cup. And finally, there's so many interesting people staying at this hostel, everyone from university students to 60 year old old-school potheads; there's never a shortage of people to smoke or party with. There's no reason not to stay at the Bulldog. I defy you to find a better hostel in Amsterdam.
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(Review ID: 4596)
Would never stay anywhere else!, October 14, 2004
Reviewer:
Craig Cerny
( whalecock@hotmail.com)
from Coral Gables, Florida, USA
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I go to Amsterdam a LOT! Once or twice a month, to be precise. And there is not another place that I would even consider staying while there! I LOVE it there! The rooms are always impeccably cleaned and maintained, the bar in the lounge is well-stocked and very well-tended, and the staff is friendly and helpful --- if a bit crazy! The whole Amsterdam experience is enhanced by staying at the Bulldog. Now, I don't go to Amsterdam to sleep, but it's nice to know, once I've had enough of what I went there for, that I'll be able to sleep comfortably and securely! The security there is first-rate . . . if you are not a guest, you don't get in, plain and simple! And please, don't be one of those people who mumble and grumble; if you have a problem, the staff of miracle-workers will fix it for ya! In summary, it's simply the best! Try it . . . you'll LOVE it!
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(Review ID: 4597)
GREAT location, friendly staff, exceptionally clean, September 27, 2004
Reviewer:
mjimenez
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I ended up getting stuck in Amsterdam after I missed a connecting train, and was lucky enough to stumble across The Bulldog. The location is great, as it is only a block from the RedLight, and is walking distance from the central Amsterdam train station. The staff was very friendly. The hostel can be a bit intimidating for single travellers though as the bar downstairs isn't the best most comfortable place to walk into alone. I would stay there again if I was in Amsterdam.
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(Review ID: 4598)
Nice decor, clean, and great location, but high price, July 22, 2004
Reviewer:
sayleen
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I stayed at the Bulldog in June, and had to pay 24 euros, which was much more than I had paid for other hostels I visited in Europe. It was clean, and the decor was nice, but I don't think it was worth it for that price. The hostel is located on the outskirts of the Red Light District, but surprisingly, the rooms were not too loud. Breakfast was until 10am, which was kind of early, but the breakfast had a good variety (consisting of coffee, milk, tea, juice, deli meats, bread, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, etc). The rooms are not safe to put anything valuable (i.e. passport). Someone in my room got hers stolen. The room I stayed in had its own toilet and shower. The restroom ran out of toilet paper though, and it never got refilled, the two nights that I was there. Other than that, it was one of the better hostels that I stayed in. A coffeeshop is just right next door, and the staff was helpful and English-friendly.
10 of
10 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 4599)
anti-social, but otherwise perfect, May 20, 2004
Reviewer:
schuylercampbell
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This place is the nicest hostel I have ever stayed in, but it was also impersonal, quiet, 100% full of Americans/Canadians, and frankly just way too nice for dingy travelers like me. The coffeeshop sells premium products, but it is far too loud and certainly not one of the best coffeeshops in Amsterdam. As for the restaurant, a lot of prostitutes hang out there waiting for shady Americans to hire them. The red light district is literally a hundred feet away, which makes for an interesting post-coffeeshop walk (always full of middle-aged Germans haggling with minority hookers). Great place if you want security and a FANTASTIC bathroom, but I think there are more colorful spots to hang out in.
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(Review ID: 4600)
well I will say it was very clean, March 24, 2004
Reviewer:
Erin
( erinhopkins@verizon.net)
from Brooklyn, NY
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-This place was clean...-You had to put your key in the light to turn it on. This was annoying- I'm sure my roommates were real pleased with me when it took me five (loud) minutes rummaging around in the dark looking for my key at 5am so I could pee.-They didn't ask me if I wanted a co-ed dorm. (I wouldn't have cared...) But then they put me in (a women) in a room with 7 men. I didn't realize it right away because the men sort of drizzled in one and two at a time, but when I woke up and saw it was just me I was kind of disturbed. I mean, that just isn't a good idea. Five men and three women would have been another story.-shower curtains!?!?-overpriced internet-the bar really wasn't set up to meet people. It was too loud and felt more like a normal restaurant/bar than a social hostel. -not too friendly front desk.-very touristy feelingIn general I thought this hostel was over-priced and impersonal. And they should not have put one woman in a room with seven men.
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Hostel Manager's Right of Reply
Thank you for the honest review you sent to bugeurope after staying in our hostel. Taking the effort to write reviews means two things; either you are overwhelmed or you are very dissapointed. For me these kind of reviews are good feedback in order to change or maintain the quality of hospitality we try to achieve in our Hostel. Last year we were no 3 worldwide according to hostelworld.com based on criteria like Character, Location, Fun, Staff, Security and Cleaniless. The avarage rate was 8.8 (out of ten!!).
We are very proud of course. Presenting yourself as 'a five star hostel' means you have a lot to explain once in a while The expectations are high. We have completed our renovation in July with the fourth flour. We try to achieve a great meetingplace with a little more facilities and fun then elsewhere. But we have still a long way to go. Some wishes and dreams needs more time (and money).
Creating an atmosphere for example with music, is of a major importance not only for the experience of the guest but also for our pleasure. Unfortunately it is sometimes subject to the person behind the bar- if it is too loud or not apropriate for the ocassion it can be a downer. I fully agree with you that our lounge is not the meeting place you may have expereinced elswhere. It is too new- too square and too much concept. You know how interior-designers are...it's like going to the dentist. There you are, lying with your mouth too far open, eyes closed and you hope/pray that everything will be ok.. But according to the reactions of many other guests it is a very comfortable place. It sometimes also depends on the people you have in the hostel , the moment of the day and ofcourse good music! We are now working out some suggestions from guests to add two more round sitcorners. No matter how, one day it will feel like a perfect livingroom.
I can imagine that you were somehow intimidated by the presentation of Bulldog (touristy) as a brand. Our logo's, (bull)dogs everywhere, on t-shirts, doors, neonsigns, walls, energy-drinks, paintings..Maybe you think it is pretentious, arrogant, obtrusive..But gee we are far from Disney - we are not that friendly but we are definitely not arrogant and we like to deal with things in a straight and funny way in Amsterdam. The Bulldog as a company is running its bussiness for almost 30 years and a lot happened.
It would be heaven if my staff would be able to respect and foresee every problem or question, stupid or not, of our guests. Be professional in every situation. But a hostel cannot be controlled by only rules and regulations, you would take the heart out. Even then we present it sometimes too straightforwarded
No showercurtains? Ok that is understandable. They were at the laundry and we did not have a second set. Sucks, i agree. But what is totally unacceptable that you were in an 8 bedded room with 7 guys and we do apologize for that. We do have a selective bookingspolicy to maintain a certain atmosphere. We have private rooms, dormrooms, suites and also female dorms! I think you were booked in a (in this case mainly) maledorm because of your name. Sometimes it is not quite clear by name if we deal with a male or a female. In your case the name Erin is in many country's also a name for a male. Reasonable? I don't know but what i would like to offer you the next time is a free night stay in one of our femaledorms to compensate and give you another opportunity to review again our hostel, hopefully this time more at your convenience and in a more favourable light!
Sincerely yours,
Jim Zielinski
Manager Bulldog Hotel
(Review ID: 4601)
Amazing, March 2, 2004
Reviewer:
Mish
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This would have to be one of the best hostels I have ever stayed at. Wonderfully clean, friendly staff, comfy beds, breakfast, no curfew, and good security. It's also not right on the Red Light district dodgey strip, not to mention the cutey on the front desk!I thought the coffee was brilliant! The shower things isn't that big a deal - although a chair in there or something to put your clothes on would be handy. And I had no problems with the reservation. Also, I'm not a 'smoker' and found this hostel good as there is no smoking in the rooms, - plus the idiots who sit on the couch (in the bar) staring at the wall for hours on end - provided reinforcement that they wasted their time in Amsterdam. There is so much more to this brilliant city. And this is a brilliant hostel - worth every euro! I wouldn't recommend anywhere else.General Amsterdam advice - all the "show's" are complete tourist traps/rip offs. You will get done!
