Wow! I just came back to this site because I was curious about the reviews. We stayed at Maes back in October of last year, and there were less than half of the reviews now posted. Think about staying here, this is only a small forum of their actual guests (all of whom I am positive that have wandered away happy). We were fortunate to stay in the attic apartment, and I cannot say how great the little place was. We had a small kitchenette, bathroom seperate from the w/c and a teeny bedroom with the most comfortable of beds...and an orchid in our kitchen!

Where do I begin? The benifit of staying here was that Ken and Vlad are real people. The "cold" breakfast that people are talking about is an authentic, and bountiful meal in European style, and served till 11am...so if you are an early riser get breakfast down the street, explore a little, and come back for a snack...nutella on home made bread, for example, or a bananna supplemented with tiny ginger bread cookies! All this pairs wonderfully with the tea you probably just bought from the market down the street.

Your hosts have made it plain thet the kitchen is open as well, so you can make your own early breakfast and whatnot. I found the place easy to find from the train station, and I'm suprised about how flexible the owners were upon our late arrival. Nothing more needs to be said about the excellent Thai place next door...I nearly cried.

What indeed am I saying? This place really sucks because I don't want reservations to hold me back from booking a spot the next time we return!

I agree with many of the other posters, a great place to stay but with pros and cons. The pros first. Breakfasts are great, all cold but fantastic cakes and breads with ham and cheese. A great location away from the hustle and bustle of the bars and cafes but with a good Thai restaurant next door and bars and other restaurants within 3 minutes walk a good spot to be in. Vlad was really helpful and friendly with a good knowledge of the city and nothing was too much trouble. The cons, well not many but meaningful. We were put into a room in the Heren B & B, 2 doors down in the same street as Maes. Our room was fairly small and the bathroom was quite compact as well. Not too much of a problem as it was the cheapest they have and was fine for thentwo of us. The big disadvantage was the noise. Although on a relatively quiet backstreet there is a lot of passing traffic and people and on Friday and Saturday nights there was a lot of shouting from drunks walking down the street. We were woken up many times, the worst at 4.30 in the morning. Didn't get a full nights sleep all week. Next we go, and we will go again, we will rebook but insist on a room at the back. If none is available i will go elsewhere. Although away from the main noise and bustle thankfully, Amsterdam has a thriving stag party culture now, there is a mini red light area directly between you and the tram station. Not unnerving at all at any time but there nonetheless. Experienced travellers may find an easy way round it, we just walked down the couple of streets that were affected. Also, the stairs being consistent with many properties in Amsterdam are like Everest. If you have mobility difficulties ask for a ground floor room. I would and hopefully will go there again, it is spotlessly clean, in a good location and with great hosts but next time i will ask for a room at the back.

My boyfriend and I stayed in the ground floor apartment and it was absolutely adorable. If you want to expierence the true dutch lifestyle, this is the place you should stay. It has a self catering kitchen which was great, we could go to the local store buy some groceries and make our own dinners (which also saved us money.) It is just like home, you clean up after yourself. You have your own little outside patio area with table and chairs. The living area is very cozy and comfy. The bed was super comfortable. Our hosts Ken and Vlad were very helpful with where to go, what to do and when they didnt see us for a day or two, they made sure to check in on us to see how we were. They are very gracious and caring hosts. Vlad we love you babe...Stacey and Tim.

I've stayed here twice and found it to be a great location. Tucked away from the noice of Damplatz and the stoner district, Ken and Vlad are welcoming and incredibly helpful. The first time I stayed with them I was on vacation, and Ken was great about helping me plan an itinerary for my time in town. It's great to be able to get away from the tour book stuff. The second time I was on business, and it was a wonderful place to get a quiet night's sleep and a good start to the day.

I highly recommend Maes and plan to return the next time I am fortunate enough to go to Amsterdam.