Stayed here for two nights for a weekend visit to Amsterdam. On the map you may think that the hotel is situated quite a way out from the centre of Amsterdam, but don't let that deceive you. The hotel is ideally located, being situated in a quiet, leafy part of town, but only being a short walk into the central area, the walk is a gentle along side the Amstel river. The hotel is also a 2 minute walk from a metro station so you can get direct from central station which is what we did when we first arrived. The walk from central station to the hotel is 30 minutes at a leisurely pace, and it takes in most of the major sights on route so we found ourselves walking everywhere!

The hotel decorum both inside and out is one of the 18/19th century old fashioned luxury, with an ornate reception area with wide steps and furniture which wouldn't be out of place with Louis XVI Versailles palace. As a platinum ambassador I was given a room upgrade to a river view room.

The room is well sized with tall ceilings, large bed, a very large bathroom, with separate shower and toilet room. However despites its old fashioned design the room has its modern comforts, with flat screen TV (has a huge choice of multi language channels, besides the normal BBC World & CNN) A separate hi fi system, illy coffee machine and one of the best A/C I've had in a hotel (i.e it was quiet and the room noticeable got colder and warmer unlike most!)

We chose to eat in the hotel the first night, the hotel has two restaurants, it's flagship has a Michelin star, I wasn't feeling too lavish so we eat in the brasserie. If I'm honest it was priced higher than every other meal I've had in any intercontinental around the world but I enjoyed my food, especially the dessert which was a fantastic chocolate brownie.

We slept very well both nights, beds are comfortable with the sinking pillows you expect of Intercontinentals, and the 3 layers of curtains meant that very little light came through in the mornings.

Staff were professional and very helpful, providing us with all information we required, umbrellas and I couldn't fault them in the slightest. When we went to ask about a business centre to print off boarding passes for our return flight the concierge informed us that they didn't have one but he checked us in for our flight and then printed our boarding passes off and handed them to me with a copy of the Sunday Times, excellent service!

Overall I enjoyed my stay, the rooms are very comfortable, clean and the staff are fantastic. Whilst the surrounding area does lack local restaurants close by the location is ideal for visiting Amsterdam as it gives you a quiet place to stay in the evening and close pleasants walks to all the action. I must admit that this hotel is priced higher than every other Intercontinental I've stayed in and the old fashioned style is not to my taste (prefer contemporary ones) But I don't hold it against the place and would stay there again and recommend others to do so.

The Amstel is one of the great hotel experiences in Europe. Everything from food, to ambiance, to architecture and decoration, to location is the best. There is only small one downside of this majestic, old-world hotel, the mini-bars are not mini. You must purchase a full size bottle of alcohol. If you would like just one drink or possibly two, you are must through away an almost full bottle. However, otherwise one of the most fabulous hotel experiences that you can imagine.

Everything you could want in an elegant old world European hotel. Let's start with the pool. It's huge and one side opens to a terrace with views of the Amstel canal. The rooms are large, the bathrooms generous. The breakfast buffet is lovely and the service is impeccable. Be charmed by the concierge staff led by Aad van den Berg, who will make anything possible.

First time in Amsterdam, hotel is very beautiful by looking at the river but not every room has river view. Breakfast is very good quality but also very expensive too. Some rooms are not good for senior or diable people as they have steps in the bedroom.