We were looking for a small place that afforded privacy yet would also provide us with help if needed. Eric's is that place.
We stayed in Apt 3 on Govert Flinckstraat.
We arrived in the rain to find that no one was home though!
So after ringing the bell for a few minutes we went a few doors down to the coffee house to ask to use the phone. They were very helpful there, let us use the phone, let us park ourselves and our bags at the back table to wait. After about 15 minutes my companion went back to ring the bell again and ran into Alias who told us Eric was out of town and he was our contact person. Apparently there was slight confusion but it was not a big deal. The person at the coffee house would not let us pay for our coffee either !
Now, onto Eric's .
The only drawback for this place is the stairs which are very narrow and very steep. But, using caution and the handrails, we were fine. I think that most older homes in Amsterdam have the same steep and narrow stairs.
That being said, we very much enjoyed our stay.
The room was large and bright with 2 windows . The furnishings are very basic and simple but clean and comfortable. There is a TV if one wishes to watch with both english and dutch stations. The radio gets good reception. The small kitchenette has all one needs to cook and the frig is more than adequate to store one's foods.
The bathroom is bright and well lit and the shower has good strong hot water.
The location is not near the Center but one can take tram #4 or 25 and get to the Center within 15 mins. We very much enjoyed the location , being near Albert Cuyperstaat's daily market , the museum district, Concertgebouw, Vondelpark. There is another small but delightful park , Sarphatipark that is closer.
While there is a coffee house just a few doors down, we did not experience much noise at night except for a few hours on a Friday . Otherwise it was fairly quiet the rest of the time we were there.
After we had been there a few days we met Patrick who came to take our payment . He is a very pleasant person and was great to talk with. We never met Eric but hopefully we will . We definitely plan to return to Amsterdam and hopefully to one of Eric's places.
Thank you Eric!