The night staff person was amicable and helpful. He checked me in, provided me with helpful information about the locale and travel and provided me a complimentary power socket convertor for use as I had left mine in Turkey. I stayed in room 24 which was one of the attic rooms. I believe the hotel has between 23 and 26 rooms available.
The hotel is the sort of slightly upgraded hostel type that is located all over Europe. It is a normal townhome type building located in a city block. it is not free standing and is entirely vertical. Due to the age of the building I doubt there is any way to add an elevator so if you have heavy or large luggage you may have difficulty going up and down the narrow stairs. However if you have light luggage or backpacks it is no trouble at all.
The only real separation between a nice hostel and this hotel was the single, reasonably large room and personal bathroom facilities. However, given that it is priced closely to the "higher end" hostels it is quite worth the price for a personal room and bathroom. The room was clean if a bit dated and overlooked the city. The internet was free, wireless, and fairly responsive which I consider quite a perk in Europe. The linens and towels were clean and well prepared but some of the towels were more of an off white an a white from age and laundering; this fact did not bother me in the slightest, I merely used them as floormats. There was a desk, small refrigerator, television, and plenty of power outlets available. The sink and toilet were quite close in my room; but the bathroom was a good size overall.
The room is only serviced upon request while you stay which I appreciated but it should be of note to others if they wish their room serviced daily. It is located minutes from Rembrandt Square and right in front of the 9 and 14 tram lines which lead all over town as well as back tot he central station where you can catch another affordable train to the airport. It took me apprxoimately 20 minutes to travel from the Airport to the Central Station and another 10 or 15 minutes at most to travel by tram from the central station to the hotel. It is minutes away from the food and entertainment located in Rembradt Square and only a few minutes more from such places as Madame Toussad's, Dam Square and the Torture Museum. If you are looking for local attractions the Red Light District is located directly east of Dam Square and Anne Frank's House is located directly west making the hotel quite convenient for travel. It is well within walking distance of everything for anyone even vaguely fit.
Overall I was impressed with the Plantage Hotel and would recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable, comfortable, private hotel with free internet and more than reasonable accomodations for only slightly more than the cost of a hostel. As I noted it is more of a high end hostel or quaint local affaire than a standard "hotel" ala the Holiday Inn or Hilton or such. I would recommend it primarily to a younger crowd as it is not suited for business meetings or conferences but it could easily be suited to the lone business traveler who is not looking to stay in a Marriott or Crowne Plaza or such. I was a lone business traveler but I am also in my late 20s. It could be well suited to a young couple traveling Europe or friends traveling Europe.
Have a great day!
