A few weeks ago my niece and her boyfriend stayed at the Hotel de Martelaar, which is literally a 4 minute walk to the central station. "It was small but nice and clean with 2 single beds pushed together to form a big bed. (not sure if that was the norm or if that was all they had left.) Pretty nice room though, fairly new. One of those showers with a raised floor but no curtain - the whole bathroon got soaked but it was fun."

They paid about 80 euros which included breakfast. She says that they didn't really get to eat much as they had a flight to catch but it looked like it included a cold buffet of meats, cheeses, breads (to toast?), yogurt and fruit, tea and coffee. Seemed ok. Lis would recommend the hotel if more than 1 person...would be quite expensive if a single! Address: Martelaarsgracht 18 Amsterdam

Lis also suggests going to the Dutch resistance museum - "almost everything is translated, and really enjoyed it. There is even one of those baby prams with the fake bottoms to hide guns and food coupons!"

I couldn't find a web site for the hotel itself but you can book it through many sites including: http://tinyurl.com/3xdxj

Frances Toronto, Canada