My husband teenage daughter and myself arrived at this beautiful hotel on a cold snowy day and were greeted by a friendly member of staff who advised us that there was free tea, coffee and hot chocolate in the lounge all day to warm ourselves up. we were then shown our room by a member of staff and shown where everything was and our to use the safe. The only draw back was that there were not many drawers in the room but this did not matter for only two nights. My daughter was on a folding bed and did not worry. The room was large and warm and the bathroom lovely. There were two sinks but I would advice anyone that is fussy to take their own shampoo. I had read a previous reviewer and packed some. As well as the hot drinks there were biscuits and sweets around the hotel and very much appreciated after the cold wet walks.

The hotel recommends several restaurants and we tried one two minutes walk at the back of the hotel it was Dutch and the food delicious we also tried an Italian that they recommended and the food was also very good.

The breakfast although expensive at 14 euros was delicious and set us up for the day and gave us the chance to try Dutch cheeses and some of their jams.

Our room was warm and we even managed to watch English television enjoyable on a very cold night

We read many reviews on this site before booking and the Estherea Hotel really does deserve its high rating. We booked a standard room, which we did find quite small but we weren't intending to spend much time there so wasn't an issue. What was a problem were the decorators that started work next door at 7am, we mentioned this to reception and they offered us an alternative room (bigger and better view) immediately, no fuss or hassle. The hotel staff were all friendly and the hotel has a nice relaxed atmosphere, which was always a pleasure to return to after a hard day touring Amsterdam. The location is perfect and very central to all museums and restaurants, would highly recommend the Estherea and will definitely return again ourselves.

I went to Amsterdam for the first time with my spouse last weekend. We stayed at the Estheria for 2 nights in a deluxe room (room #114).

At first we were very satisfied by the hotel because it is beautiful, our room was large, clean, well decorated, and had a nice view on the canal, and the staff made a good impression on us.

The first problem arose on the first night: our room was on the first floor and we were disturbed around 1a.m by a group of people talking loudly right under our windows, probably waiting for some friends on the doorstep of the hotel. Apparently, nothing special has been done for (external)noise insulation. However it only last 15 minutes and thus was a minor problem. Note that we could not hear any noise coming from other rooms.

The second problem was of much greater importance. We asked for a non-smoking room, as usual, because we are, though french, very sensitive (negatively) to cigarette smoke. The room was indeed non-smoking, and nobody had smoked in our room, but the room in front of ours (room #115) was a smoking room. And the guests in room #115, in their right, were unfortunately smoking a lot. Our room was invaded by smoke all night and we had to sleep with an open window in spite of the outside temperature (I would say around -5 °C). At the reception, after checking the corridor, they admitted that there was indeed a lot of smoke but could not do anything because room #115 was a smoking room and the hotel was full (so that they could not give us another room).

We thus spent a terrible second night in that hotel.

We however appreciated the breakfast (non smoking area). Note that it is not included in the room price (extra 14 EUR per person).

Note also that the hotel has no restaurant but that there are plenty right next to it.

I did not ask for any discount (not my style, at least with my wife standing next to me :C), but when I checked out, they did not ask me whether I had enjoyed my stay, they did not apologize, and did not offer any kind of compensation.

Apart from that, Amsterdam is a beautiful city and we had a wonderful time wandering in its streets and visiting a few of its museums.

My girlfriend and I loved the Estherea. This was my second time in Amsterdam, and the hotel was definitely better than where I stayed the first time.

PROS

1) Central location on Singel, which is the innermost of Amsterdam's four concentric canals. Roughly 3 blocks from Dam Square, with easy access to virtually all Amsterdam attractions. You can walk anywhere from here or catch a tram, but if you have luggage, a taxi is Eur 10 or less from Amsterdam Centraal.

2) Very attractive lobby with extensive sitting areas, a big aquarium, and all the charm of a 17th century Dutch canalhouse.

3) Well-decorated room with soft lighting, a soft off-orange paint job, and very comfortable bed.

4) Responsive management. We had a billing problem that was very quickly resolved by management.

5) Informative website with detailed property history.

CONS

1) Breakfast is 14 Euro extra. We skipped it. There are dozens of quaint little cafes within a 10-minute walk of the hotel, most of which have English menus and good breakfasts for Eur 6/person. Just walk in the direction of Jordaan.

2) Bath amenities. You'll encounter quintessential Dutch cheapness when there is no soap, shampoo, or conditioner in the bathroom. Instead, there is a wall-mounted bottle of institutional-style chemical ooze that is said to work on both hair and skin. My girlfriend had a rough time, getting neither clean hair nor skin.

3) Views. If you want a canal view, be sure to ask for it (and pay extra). Our room had a view of a ventilation shaft and caught a lot of noise from the teenagers across the ventilation shaft. The clientele of the hotel appeared to trend towards college-age Americans and families.

Also note: wireless internet is 10 Eur per 24 hours.