It is my great pleasure to give my review of The Nadia, a little hotel in the center of Amsterdam which provides to the traveler, if they are willing to be challenged as to what a hotel experience is usually like, an amazing and rewarding stay, a small, warm, humble, pleasant place unlike anyplace I’ve stayed in. This is because of the intimate nature of the physical structure, the history, and location of the building, and the intimate nature of the hotel owners and staff. Now it’s very important to understand; this hotel is not for everybody because, and I like to think in a symbolic way, the two flights of very narrow and very steep staircases that one must climb up to hotel itself. If you’ve stayed there you know exactly what I mean…this is an old building with no elevator so in order enter you must climb a big staircase. No joke. It like climbing a small mountain. But if you are up for the task and ready to climb the stairs to see what awaits you at the top then push the buzzer on the street go though the door and up you go!

Warm and friendly faces greet you at the top in the very small cozy lobby. A smiling attendant offers to bring your luggage up the steep staircase. You are welcomed with a cold drink. Osam and his staff are ready for your arrival and they addressed me by name before I told them who I was. Osasm sized me up and gave me the loveliest room, #207 by the way, a corner room overlooking the canal and street. He gives rooms based on personal need and his expert knowledge of what room would be best for you. Don’t expect a luxurious room. Mine was small yet warm, with few amenities. (ok Osam, here is a negative, just like you wanted to know): the bathroom amenities could be greatly improved like better towels, soap, show curtain etc. It was clean but not fancy. Small but cozy. Trade in fancy for an historic building with years of history and personal service. It’s an old building and an historic monument so I take these things in stride…this is not a fancy place, it’s a genuine place and so some things can slip by.

The personal service continued through my stay. Each time I returned to the hotel and by the time I reached the top of the stairs my key was placed for me on the counter. You leave the key each time you go out. The staff experience here is unlike any other. When was the last time you were greeted and attended to by the owner himself who is running the hotel from the big the long counter in the lobby.

A place you must spend time in is the kitchen/ breakfast room. There you will find a tasty breakfast in the AM and coffee served all day and late into the night. One morning I ate some croissants and sipped coffee on the small kitchen balcony overlooking the street below. It was bucolic; a memory and feeling I will always cherish.

My pleasant interactions with Osam the inn keeper continued my entire stay and during my last night I stayed with him talking for 2 hours and having the nicest exchange. When my cab came at 5:15 am Osam himself carried one of my bags down those steep flights and arranged a cheaper cab to get me to the train.

I could go on about the guys who carry your bags up those long stairs and the kitchen staff, the magnificent view of the church across the street across from the Ann Frank House, the location, the location…5 minutes walk to Dam Square, near all trams, near the quite Jordan and the “9 streets” shopping area, an internet cafés down the street, good restaurants on the street, and a really tasty french fry cart right across the street… and on and on…. but what makes this place great is what YOU can get from it. I will certainly return to the Nadia again when I visit Amsterdam. Osam has already promised me that if I want the same room, it’s mine although there are so many lovely rooms I might try something new. This is a marvelous hotel experience and should not be missed.

Nadia is a lovely hotel in a excellent location and amazing building. The hotel staff is very friendly and they managed to make my stay there unforgettable. The room was very small but with a huge balcony, allowing me to enjoy the canal view, the Westekerk view and the street view. Enjoy Amsterdam from this hotel if you need a place to stay right in the heart of Amsterdam.

After much deliberation and a last minute change from another hotel to the Nadia, all we can say is, brilliant. We read all the whinging reviews about steep stairs and small rooms, so we were forwarned. But you show me a building in Amsterdam without steep stairs, and it does your legs good anyway :-) Greeted by the very friendly Osam (cheers for an excellent stay and a great way to kick off our Euro holiday) Great location and value. It was clean and everything worked, plenty of hot water etc etc. Wont bother trying another hotel when we next visit. If your on to a good thing stick to it. We were even offered a room with a better view after our first night, but we were comfy and couldnt be bothered moving, we didnt go for the view from the room, we went to experience the city. And what an experience it is. We couldn't get over the amount of people in one place, its full on and 3 days was probably abit short, so that just means we will have to go back. And the Nadia is where we will be staying.

The staff was unbeatable at this hotel. I made a major mistake when booking the hotel, and ended up calling and trying to get two rooms for the very next day instead. Everything was worked out for us, with smiles! It is a great location with a restaurant closeby (turn right out of the hotel, go to end of block--good omelettes), and a pancake restaurant right next door. We were welcomed at the hotel with a cold drink, which was great after a 2 hour drive and the hospitality never ended. The room is quite small, and the reception is at the top of a long set of steep stairs, as people have mentioned. Good little continental breakfast was included with our rate, and the balcony off our room was great in the morning, watching the city wake up! The public transportation of trams was great and convenient for sightseeing, and our car was taken care of by a company the hotel works with. There is also a taxi stand as you go left out of the hotel, and just over the tiny bridge. A great stay at a great price!

Pam in Brussels