Why, hello there. How are you? If you follow me over on the ole social media you might remember that a couple of weeks ago I had myself a little jaunt over to Amsterdam. It was a wee whirlwind trip, a stop-over before our flight to Vienna, but long enough to remind me how much I love it there. For this reason, sadly, my post isn't my usual big, fat recommendations post but more just some snapshots to show you how ridiculously beautiful it is at this time of year. It's a really great place to head for a mini break as, if you don't have much time, you can easily just wander round and take in all the beautiful canals, stopping off for a drink or a cwaffee in all the cafes along the way and feel like you've done enough. The weather when we went in mid-December was cold but not too cold, and - thankfully - dry the whole time, which made for the perfect wandering around conditions. It's a magical time of year to go as all the Christmas lights are up, there's a little ice rink set up down beside the Rijksmuseum complete with market and there's just a lovely festive feel in the air.
We stayed in the amazing CitizenM hotel, which I would recommend time and time again. If you've stayed in one before you'll know roughly what it's like, as they're all quite uniform ,which is nice; like a little home from home. It sits right beside a tram stop that'll take you directly into the centre of town in ten minutes or so, but is far enough out that it's nice and quiet at night (have I ever sounded older? Probably not). Oh, and it's a five/ten minute train from the airport too! The rooms are lovely; they're not massive but they're got everything you'd need from a big comfy king-size bed, to mood lighting to a big, beautiful wall to wall window. The tv in your room also offers free movies, so if you're tired after a long day of exploring then you can kick back in your big bed and watch one of those. The only thing I would say is that the bathroom is a little cubicle in the middle of the room rather than being separate so, although there's frosted glass, it's not that private. We were fine with it, but if you're planning on travelling with someone you're maybe not that close with then it's something to consider!
And there we have it, a whistle-stop tour of Amsterdam! I'm sorry I couldn't fill it with more detail, but I hope it gave you a nice little feel for the place. Next time I go back I'll go for a little longer so I can do you a full recommendations post, promise (yes, I've just made an excuse to go back).
Amy
Thank you to CitizenM for a wonderful stay!
Thank you to CitizenM for a wonderful stay!