I really liked this hotel for what we paid. The facilities are really nice, the only downside is that you can't really walk anywhere. There's a tram/bus thing that stops nearby, although it can be a bit tricky guessing where to get off on the way back (or maybe we were just enjoying Amsterdam too much). If you're okay with commuting that way, you're good to go. Oh, but important: the trams don't run very late, so if you want to have a late night, it might not work.

I recently stayed at the Tulip Inn Art - Amsterdam Hotel for three nights. The hotel is located about a 10 minute bus ride west of the Centraal Station in a residential and semi-industrial area. A rail barn is located behind the hotel, but the area is clean and quiet. I left the window open in my room at night and really didn't hear much train noise. If you take the train to Centraal Station from Schiphol Airport you will pass the hotel (left side of the train) approximately four minutes before arriving at the Centraal Station.

The Tulip Inn is connected to the Golden Tulip Art hotel. It appears both hotels are run by the same management as they share a front desk. Based upon the brochures in the lobby, it appears the Golden Tulip has a more "upscale" product with larger rooms and better amenities. Nevertheless, I found my room at the Tulip INN to be quite satisfactory. The front office staff were very pleasant and efficient and were more than willing to assist with questions, recommendations and directions.

The room was a comfortable size for a European hotel in the mid $$$ price range. I paid US$101 (inclusive of all taxes and fees) per night on Hotels.com. The room was spotless, the linens crisp and clean, and the bathroom amenities were nice.

The hotel offers a full breakfast for 15 Euro in the restaurant. I did not experience the breakfast as I thought this was much too expensive.

Overall I had a very comfortable stay and would highly recommend this hotel to anyone who doesn't want to pay the exorbitant rates of a "downtown" Amsterdam hotel or the overpriced mid-range hotels that often have poor quality rooms. Believe me, I know as I've stayed in several of these hotels!

DIRECTIONS TO THE HOTEL (by bus):

From CENTRAAL STATION:

Walk out the main doors of the station towards the Damrak. Look for the "HOTEL VICTORIA" sign. It's located directly in front of the train station at the intersection of Damrak and Prins Hendrik Kade. Walk to the intersection BUT DON'T CROSS THE STREET! Turn right and walk about 75 yards. You will find a bus shelter there, directly in front of a kiosk for the Holland International canal cruise company. Wait for bus number 48. It runs every fifteen minutes from 0600-2000 M-Su and every thirty minutes thereafter until about 2400 hours. You will alight from the bus at the stop designated "HEMPOINT". The bus stop is directly in front of the hotel. Goto the GVB (public transit) website: http://www.gvb.nl/english/travellers/timetables/Pages/vertrektijden.aspx and select "Timetable by Line", then click on Line 48. I suggest stopping by the GVB office directly in front of the railway station and purchasing a 24/48/72/96 hour transit pass that is good on busses, trams and the metro. The pass is a good deal at Euro 7.00 / 11.50 / 14.50 / 17.50, otherwise the single ride bus fare is Euro 2.40.

An alternative way to get to the hotel from the airport is via the airport shuttle which costs Euro 12.00 one-way or 19.00 return. You can find information at this website: http://www.schipholhotelshuttle.nl/site/home.asp

About 15 mins from Schipol airport, in quite an industrial area, the hotel is fine. Clean, good value - all you can ask for really. Took about 15 mins by bus to get to the central station. Not a bad thing to say apart from the location ain't great if you want to see all Amsterdam has to offer.

In total I was there several weeks. The people from the restaurant did much more than their best, good food. Overall service was OK, although there was a hick-up, but the people from the restaurant restored that. Very negative: the beds: too soft!!! Also when you stay in a room you think at night that someone is breaking into your room, but it's just your neighbor that is entering his/her room.