City Hotel

If you want to stay in the middle of Amsterdam's action, the 16-room City Hotel is a sure bet. This two-star pick is set between the café-packed Rembrandtplein and Utrechtstraat, one of the city's best shopping streets.

Get the party started right in the City Hotel’s stylish lobby, which is decked out with plush red chairs and dark wooden tables. Then end the night in simple, airy rooms with striped, pastel-colored blankets and great views overlooking the city.

The wall art at the City Hotel may seem a tad cheesy, but rooms are comfortable and equipped with a safe and free Wi-Fi (note that they do not have a TV). One of the two-bedded rooms we saw was rather stuffy, which could be a problem on a summer night, when sleeping with the window open is nearly impossible due to street noise.

Some rooms have private bathrooms, while the cheapest share facilities. All bathrooms are very spacious and almost clinically white and clean.

The City Hotel benefits from a helpful, friendly staff (the gent showing us around kindly warned us to duck on our way to the third floor, as the ceiling lowers over steep stairs).