LOVELY BARGE APARTMENT
Submitted: August 26, 2012
Stayed: August 2012
This apartment, in the Captain's cabin of a former working Dutch barge moored in the Westerdok area, is spacious and very comfortable. The living area is a particularly attractive and pleasant place to spend time. The kitchen is very well equipped and it is easy to cook a full meal. The main bedroom cabin has a very comfortable 6 foot wide bed and is quite cosy though the room itself is inevitably not that spacious as it's in the hull and the steps down to it are quite steep. It also has a hatch for a door but all this is part of the fun of staying on a boat. The second bedroom, which does have a door, has a very low ceiling and is quite small so is better suited to younger children I feel. Some noise from next apartment audible in this room. The boat was extremely clean, and whilst there are issues in staying on boats with regards to water availability etc, the owners were very attentive in sorting this and any other issues out. In the UK the phrase 'b&b' implies the owners live on the premises and provide breakfast; they don't and I was a bit unsure why the publicity implied breakfast would be available for 10 euros. It was unusual and much appreciated to have an internet-connected computer in the boat. There are two chairs available on deck so you can sit outside. Because we were a family of four staying for longer than usual, the owner kindly offered to collect us from the local station and when we broked a cup during our stay we were not required to replace or pay for it. I liked the fact the boat was in part of the working harbour, where we could see the still-working barges coming and going. There is some noise from pumps in the boat, some of which occurs at night because of the other apartments. The boat is not right in the centre, but bus 48 (5-7 min walk) gets you quickly to Central Station, and tram 3 is a pleasant 10 min walk which gets you direct to the museum area, but also interchanges with other routes to get you into the very centre like Dam Square. The shops and cafes along Haarlemerdijk in the Jordaan are about a 15 min walk and are very diverting, and for the energetic it is possible to walk right into the centre. The nearest supermarket is a good 10 minute walk and, be warned, doesn't take credit cards! I could have wished for some complimentary bikes to be available for us to use, as bikes are so prevalent everywhere, and it is an easy and quick transport option because of the availability of bike paths. Only one small mirror.
Owner's Response: Our comfortable boat is especially appreciated because of its attractive living area, the nice kitchen and the romantic first bedroom. In the second bedroom the ceiling is low above the 4th bed. Children love it, because it feels like sleeping in a hut. But also grown-ups, with a young heart, like the cozy idea of sleeping in a hut. When you enter the second bedroom, the ceiling is even higher then normal, as it is above the 3rd bed, which stands in the first part of the room.
Indeed, bikes are the best transport option in Amsterdam, making you really independent of public transport and time schedules. They offer also a very nice possibility to discover places you would never find using a bus or tram. Bikes can be easily rent at the Central Station, not far from the boat, at Macbike or Starbikes.
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