7 Reasons Why You Should Book a Vacation Rental in Amsterdam

You’ll no doubt have your own reasons for considering a vacation rental in Amsterdam – but here are the seven reasons I think it’s worth looking into.

Why Stay in an Amsterdam Vacation Rental

1. Budget – As mentioned above, you might look at a weekly rate for an Amsterdam vacation rental and think it’s too expensive, that only rich people must rent apartments when they travel. But it’s simply not true. Vacation rentals can be a budget-friendly alternative when you factor in the ability to cook your own meals and to split the cost between other people you’re traveling with. Multiply any nightly hotel rate by the number of nights you’re planning to stay if you want to have a more accurate comparison with the weekly rate for the vacation rental. Vacation rentals usually become more budget-friendly the longer you stay, but even a visit of 3-4 days can be long enough to make a rented apartment the cheaper option.
2. Traveling in a Group – Traveling with a group is one of the things that can make staying in a vacation rental in Amsterdam cheap, but it’s not just for budget reasons that an apartment or house is better with a group. Whether you’re talking about several friends or you’re traveling with your family, renting a vacation home or apartment makes more sense than renting a bunch of hotel rooms. With a vacation rental you get not only bedrooms and bathrooms but also common areas like a kitchen and living room at no extra cost (and sometimes for less) that’s just for your group. And anyone traveling with kids knows what having their own space can mean – put the little one down for a nap and still have another room to hang out in, satisfy picky palates with a familar meal whipped up in your own kitchen, etc.
3. Smoking – Amsterdam is famous for its tolerant attitude toward marijuana, but tolerance for smoking in general is dwindling across Europe – including in Amsterdam. Many hotels and hostels now have a no-smoking policy in many rooms and common areas, so if you’re hoping to have more smoking freedom then a smoke-friendly apartment rental may be the way to go. Of course, not all vacation rentals in Amsterdam have a “smoke ‘em if you got ‘em” policy, but they’re very clear about it in the descriptions before you book – so you’ll know in advance whether you’re booking a smoke-friendly vacation rental or not, according to your needs.
4. Residential Areas – Amsterdam is a small city, but there are still areas that are more touristy and others that are predominantly residential. If you’d like to experience the more everyday side of Amsterdam, there’s no better wa to do that than by renting a vacation home or apartment in a part of town where real people live. Again, because Amsterdam’s center is relatively small, chances are good you’ll still be very close to all the sights and attractions (or you’ll be close to public transportation that will have you in the center in no time flat) – but you’ll still have the feeling of being away from the tourist center whenever you want to be.
5. Longer Trip – As mentioned above, renting a home or an apartment in Amsterdam (or anywhere, for that matter) usually becomes cheaper on a per day basis the longer you stay, but that’s only one of the reasons why booking a vacation rental for a longer trip is preferable to a hotel. Hotel rooms are small in most of Europe (unless you’re splurging on a fancy and expensive hotel), and if you’re in a small room for more than a few days that can get tiresome. Even if you’re out for most of the day sight-seeing, it’s nice to be able to relax when you come back to your hotel – and that’s tough when there’s nothing in your room but a bed. Having even a small apartment to call home (even temporarily) means you have a much more welcoming space to kick back in.
6. Cozy Atmosphere – Even if you’ve found an incredibly charming hotel to stay in, your space is still going to be limited to one room, and everything about it is still going to scream “hotel.” In a vacation rental in Amsterdam, on the other hand, you get an entire apartment or home to enjoy – and even if it’s not exactly how you’d decorate it, it’s still a million times more likely to have what someone might call a cozy or homey atmosphere. Plus, it’s entirely yours, with no need to hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door if you want to lie around in your underwear for the afternoon and read a book. Or whatever you like to do when you lie around in your underwear in the afternoon.
7. History – I’ll admit that this last item isn’t unique to vacation rentals in Amsterdam, as there are plenty of historic hotels in the city. But whereas many hotels have been updated with lots of modern conveniences, many residential buildings retain history in a different way. Sure, your apartment rental may be in a building that’s relatively new – but it could also be in a building that’s several hundred years old. Don’t worry, though, your vacation rental will be thoroughly modern, with all the things you’d expect from an apartment or a home – it just might have an historic brick wall or old-fashioned lock on the door.

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