Having read some of the other reviews on mid-priced Amsterdam hotels - and finding out that both of the exclusively "gay" options had horrible reviews, I selected Hotel Aalders because it was gay-friendly and had pretty good reviews on this site. I was not disappointed.
Here's the highlights:
Yes, the rooms are small. If you are visiting Amsterdam and are spending a lot of time in your room, you don't understand the point of travel. The room is small, but it's comfortable for what you need - a place to sleep. I was in Room 1a, which is small but also less expensive. Bed, desk, wardrobe, bathroom, TV, and a window overlooking the back yard. Plus free wifi. That's all I need. There's no A/C, but the window gave a slight breeze and I wasn't uncomfortable (actually a little chilly when I woke up this morning). Yes, the way the shower is set up, you will probably get some water on the floor. Big deal. Make sure you put down the bathmat first.
The rooms were very clean and well maintained, as was the whole hotel. They run a class act here. The stairs were steep (that's normal here), but manageable, and they have an elevator, so don't worry.
Hotels in Amsterdam are very VERY (did I say "very") expensive. You would pay less for a nicer, large hotel in the US, but that doesn't help if where you want to be is Amsterdam. For the price, this is a good hotel. You can do everything in two days here, so suck it up and deal with the cost.
I didn't have the included breakfast - wanted to get out and see the city, so I can't tell you one way or the other. There are plenty of bakeries in the city, so if you don't like the hotel's offering, it's not hard to get a simple breakfast while you are out. That's what I did, because I didn't want to waste a minute.
The desk staff were universally nice, helpful, and their English was impeccable. In fact, I was fine everywhere in the city. You hear just about every language on Earth walking around Amsterdam, so everyone uses English as common ground. The desk staff really were wonderful - they helped me find my route back to the airport in the morning, and pointed out on a map all the places I wanted to see. Can't say enough for them.
Bottom line, this is a good choice for an inexpensive hotel that's near everything (it is) but not a backpacker's hostel. I'm 46 and it worked out fine for me.













