We have now stayed twice in three years at Maes. Ken and Vlad are great hosts, the rooms and b&b are spotless, the back terrace most pleasant on mild evenings. The breakfasts are great (this most recent visit, lots of love and care and refills of coffee from Jim) too. The other guests are always great to talk to, from all over the world, even the American Midwest! We also enjoy visiting with Vlad and talking to him as much as we enjoy the city.

Maes is centrally located near all of the sights (blocks from the Anne Frank House) in what we consider the best and most "real" non-touristy neighborhood in the center of the city, the Jordaan. We enjoy using a key to "come home" and always make believe that we too are Amsterdammers entering our steep-staired home. It is much, much better than slinking into a reception area to your cramped hotel room. This b&b is big on charm, friendly on the purse or wallet, and most pleasant.

Of course, again, Vlad is the best part of the stay. He is a wealth of information about what is going on in the city, full of good cheer and fun and wit. It is always tough to get tulips or other beautiful fresh flowers for the b&b because Vlad always beats us to it! But we'll keep trying!

We would never think of staying anywhere else when we visit Amsterdam, and recommend Maes/Heren to all of our friends who travel.

We stayed at Maes B&B for a week this Oct.

Location: The location was exactly what we wanted. Instead of feeling like we were in a tourist container, the neighbourhood (the Jordaan) is where I would want to live if I was to move to Amsterdam. Staying there made us feel more like we were living there than being tourists. But it is also central to almost everything and was walking distance to everything touristy we wanted to see (although we like walking, some people might want to bike or take a tram to the Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum).

Rooms: Very comfortable. Tasteful and not pretentious, cozy but not frumpy, warm and lived in but not cluttered. In short, a place you feel very comfortable and at home in. And attention to detail, like pen and paper at Internet connected computer, soft reading lights so you can read and not keep the other person up. We were especially happy with the studio apartment that had everything we needed and more, like a dishwasher and Internet access. The B&B room we stayed in wasn't huge, but such is life in an old Dutch building.

Cleanliness: Most hotels seem to me to have either an inevitable collection of residues from past guests or feel sterile and chemically cleaned. But I really liked the rooms we stayed in and felt like I was sleeping and living in my own place.

Hospitality: Everyone there was great, and Vlad, the person we saw the most, was quite possibly a perfect host. He obviously likes hosting people because otherwise he couldn't do it so well. He is hospitable the way a good chef who genuinely likes to cook prepares food for people without pressuring them to eat. I don't always want to stay in b&bs as it sometimes feels you are in someone else's space or you don't have enough privacy. But Vlad is available, helpful, personable and fun to talk to while you still have your privacy and do your own thing. It's a lot like staying at a friend's place, although I don't have any friends with guest rooms that well set up and make me breakfasts like I had there. He also has good taste and seems to have a knack for recommending different places according to what people like. For example, at breakfast one morning there were some British people happy with his pub recommendation and when saw my yoga mat he came back a few minutes later with a yoga schedule at a nearby gym.

Food: I really liked the breakfasts, both the social aspect of it in the pleasant kitchens and the food. Great bread that I wish I could find at home. Very wholesome and healthy and tasty and miss them now that I am back. It was also great to have a kitchen available to use.

We both want to come back to Amsterdam for a holiday next year. Having a place we like so much in terms of comfort, rooms, location and hosts is a big part of it. And if either one of us was traveling for work in Amsterdam, this is where we would stay even if we had the option of a more expensive hotel being paid for.

We stayed in the loft in the Heren B and B for 6 nights and just loved it. We have stayed in B and B's in France, England, US and Canada and this is definitely one of the best. The welcome is friendly, the breakfasts amazing and the location can't be beat. We love to explore a new place on foot as you see so much more, and we walked all over Amsterdam easily from this location. The longest walk was 40 minutes to the Heineken museum. Ken and Vlad are superb hosts. All of the suggestions they made for restaurants, and things to do were great. We will be returning to Amsterdam to stay in this great place again.

I had the pleasure of staying at Maes for only two days, and cannot wait to return, not only to Amsterdam, but to this gem of a place. Ken and Vlad have managed to create an atmosphere that feels like home the minute you are welcomed in, and patiently answer what I'm sure are the same questions over and over for their guests. My room was cozy and the bed was extremely comfortable and breakfasts left me dazed and confused by the choices! Yet I always managed to find enough croissants to fuel me up for the day.

The location is great, and as one reviewer already noted, Amsterdam is a fantastic city to discover on foot. Every time I went out the door I got lost, but always managed to find my way and always managed to find someone who spoke English and was happy to point me in the right direction. It was always a treat to come "home" after wandering around all day playing tourist.

Vlad, Ken, thank you so much for a great stay and I look forward to my next visit!