reading some of the reviews below it seems some people dont understand what amsterdam is about. being as its one of the only places in the world where you can smoke weed in public places, people flock there in the thousands just to get stoned. as a result, its a bit of a party place and a lot of the people you will meet there will be very stoned and/or drunk most of the time, especially in budget accomodation where you find mostly young people/students. it is unfair to criticise this place for being full of them when most places in amsterdam are full of them and that is the kind of person they are looking to attract.

if you dont like being around weed/smokers of weed, then not only dont stay here, but dont stay in any youth hostel. if, like me, you dont smoke weed but can handle being in the presence of people that do then i advise you stay here as its pretty good. and its not like everyone there smokes either, we met several people who didnt who we had many 'meaningful' conversations with.

the reception, bar, internet area, common room and pool table are all in the same space making it an extremely sociable place to stay. there is loud music playing throughout most of the day going on until about 4:00am so take ear plugs in the likely event that you will want to sleep before then (though we were on the ground floor - i imagine if you are either downstairs or upstairs from the bar then it wont be as loud). the rooms arent spectacular but they are clean and have free lockers. the bathrooms downstairs i think have recently been refurbished and as a result were excellent. breakfast is included and is pretty good.

i also found the location to be pretty good. its a 3 minute walk from the train station and about 5 minutes to Dam Square (more or less the centre of the city). Its pretty far from the Van Gogh museum but you cant be close to everything.

so if you can handle a bit of noise and some stoned people (something you really should be fully expecting before you arrive in amsterdam) then theres no reason not to stay here.

I enjoy hostels for the experience of meeting people from all over the world.

The Flying Pig Downtown is nothing but American frat boys and burnouts, all of whom are too stoned or drunk to hold a meaningful conversation.

The location is terrible, on a pee-smelling street near Damrak. At night the area is full of seedy characters, and some of these characters somehow manage to get inside the hostel.

The Palace location is a little better and shows the much nicer side of Amsterdam, a city I love, a city that knows how to take advantage of boneheads.

I stayed at the Relaxed Pig in March, 2005. Although the location was great, I found the Pig to be quite dull and subdued. The bunk-bed style room I stayed in was okay, but I didn't spend much time there. The hostel is a short walk from the train station and there is good public transportation nearby.

This was only the second hostel I stayed in (the first one being in London right before this-- and not being too pleased with its conditions). And I was blown away by this place. Its in a great, central area.. and its extremely convienent to Centraal Station. The reception area is also the lounge area (which is set below the large windows with alot of pillows and low tables), "internet lounge", bar, and pool table area. So its obviously a hub of activity.
My room was perfect. Nice comfy bed (though I was on the top bunk) and the room was "en suite" with a large shower area. Plenty of hot water. The personal lockers were incredibly large. If your backpack is small enough you could basically put the whole thing in there. The radiators kept the room nice and warm.
There were a few couches in the hallways. And though I believe all rooms were "en suite", there were additional bathrooms and showers in the hallways. And there were many vending machines offering an assortment of refreshments in the back of the building. And there was a kitchen and "happy room" in the basement. (Unfortunately, I never made it down there for the free breakfast.) There was this great booth area under the stairs with a sun mural, where I enjoyed my lunch. A large kitchen area and dining area, that also had a tv and couches (w/ dvds). This "happy room" is where you were allowed to smoke, no matter the time. As the reception area was a 'no smoking zone' until 5pm. There was also no smoking in the rooms. The staff was incredibly friendly and laidback. The one time I had a computer problem, they immediately fixed it. And I never once had to wait to be let in to the hostel. I had my card in hand and I was buzzed right in. And I even befriended one of the bartenders, who escorted me (a single female) through the red light district as I felt unsafe going alone at night. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out in the bar area, drinking the tasty, inexpensive beer (and I normally don't even enjoy drinking beer) and talking w/ other travelers. I mean.. this hostel even has umbrellas sitting by the front door that you can borrow in case it rains!!

My only complaint(s) about this place would be that I reserved a 4 bed room and I was put in what is technically an 8 bed room (2 sets of twin bunk beds plus 1 set of double bunkbeds). BUT-- there were only 4 of us in the room.. no one slept in the double bunkbeds. Now, this isn't really a complaint but I found it odd-- I'm a single female and I was put in a room with 3 guys. But the guys were really cool and I enjoyed rooming with them (only one snored!).

And when/if I go back to Amsterdam, there is no doubt that I'm booking a room here again. There's a reason they've been voted No #1.