Last month, five of us stayed at The Collector for three days. We could not have had a better experience! Our host, Karel Poels, went out of his way to ensure our stay was as comfortable and rewarding as possible. From providing all kinds of information - Karel has a large collection of visitors guides not only to Amsterdam but the Netherlands as well - to making sure we had everything we could possibly need, Karel did his very best for us. And when two of us decided we were really going to have to buy another suitcase each to accommodate all our purchases, Karel not only produced a flyer for luggage that was on sale, he even went and got it himself! When we demurred, saying that was really asking too much, he insisted, replying that we should go and do our sightseeing while he took care of the details. And he certainly did, even though in the end, he had to go to three different stores to get the bags we wanted!
The Collector is located in a typical Amsterdam house - 4 stories high, narrow, with steep stairs up to the first floor. The 3 rooms, each with its own bathroom, are all located on the same floor as well as a very well-stocked kitchen which is for the use of the guests. And there is free, unlimited internet access. Although it's situated on a fairly main street, it's actually quite quiet at night, with just the occasional motorbike. The #16 tram, which goes through town to the main train station, stops right outside the door. The Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum (where Rembrandt's Night Watch is located) are less than 10 minutes walk away.
When you consider the price of even the cheapest hotel in Amsterdam, The Collector, at 95 Euros/night including breakfast, is a real bargain and certainly more than worth the money.

Steve and Mary Stark, Vancouver, Canada

All the great reviews are true. Karl is a great host who could not be more helpful and friendly. His place is clean and very convenient to anywhere you want to go. There is a tram right across the street. I had met people there who ALWAYS stay there..and love it as we did. You make breakfast yourself in the little kitchen, which was fun and different. Karl came up in the morning to talk and see if he could help with anything. He is a relaxed and charming man. I agree, this is a wonderful place to stay while in Amsterdam.
Nellie

My boyfriend and I spent a total of 7 nights at the Collector in July, 2006. We arrived early (9 am) and greated by warmly by Carel, the proprietor who told us we could leave our bags and check in when he changed over the room.

We were given the room facing the street, the clock room, and although I thought it would be loud with the windows open, it wasn't. The decor of the room was uber-deco purple, black, and white and the bathroom luxuriously tiled with a great a shower.

Breakfast was "serve yourself"- Karel keeps the guest kitchen stocked with coffee and tea making supplies as well as breads, meats, cheeses, and fruits. I prefer this type of breakfast to the typical B&B breakfast as I could have it as early -or as late- as I wanted.

Karel allowed us to stow our bags there for the three days we left to explore Brugge, Belgium- a major treat and well appreciated.

The locale is perfect if you're not into the super-party Amsterdam scene. It's near the museums, Vondel Park, the and the Pijp (which is great for multi-ethinic dining opprotunities ).

My only complaint was that sometimes his lush towel smelled mildewy-. I don't really know why this was so, as they were freshly replaced everyday.

Overall, highly recommended.

Cannot fault The Collector. The location is very good - right on a tram stop to central station and an easy walk to the Rijksmuseum. The room was very clean & comfortable and Karel provided free access to the internet and personal recommendations of sights & restaurants. Best touch of all, we put our Wedding Anniversary cards on display in the room and found a lovely display of roses on our return. Breakfast is self-service using the wide range of good quality local ingredients in the fridge & cupboard, with coffee/tea available at any time.