Where to Stay in Amsterdam: Stayokay Vondelpark

Facade of the dining area. Behind is the main building

When looking for a hotel/hostel, my main consideration aside from price, is the location and its accessibility to the places and attractions I want to visit.

So after days of reading through other travellers' blogs and TripAdvisor reviews, we decided to stay at Stayokay Vondelpark in Amsterdam. The hostel is right beside Vondelpark and quite near Museumplein where you'll find the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh, and Stedelijk museums, as well as the famous 'I amsterdam' sign. The bus/tram stops, restaurants, and canal tours are very accessible from Stayokay.

Probably because of its price and accessibility, Stayokay's guests are predominantly students in their teens and early 20's, pretty much my crowd (ehem!), so there's lots of activities going on and there are several tours you can join.

Other things I liked about the hostel: the rooms and public areas are kept clean, they have a friendly staff, and the breakfast buffet (which reminded me of a high school cafeteria) was delicious. I also liked their hassle-free checkout because you only need to drop your keycard in a box by the door as you leave. Brilliant!

One minor downside though is that there's no wifi in the rooms, only in common areas like the lobby. For the hostel, this is to encourage guests to mingle and make new friends. That means you can only look at your phones and be anti-social in areas where you're supposed to socialize. :P

So considering its price, location, amenities, and our overall pleasant experience, I would say that our stay in Stayokay Vondelpark was definitely okay!

The view from my bed

How much:
We got beds in their 6 to 9 Mixed Dormitory Room, and it cost us Eur 40,50 per bed/night. Price already includes buffet breakfast, linen and sheets, and a locker.

Tip: If you're still to apply for a visa, book your rooms through Booking.com because it's absolutely free and you only pay with the hotel/hostel directly when you check-in. Take note of the modification/cancellation policy and deadlines though because it differs per establishment.

How to get there:
Upon arriving, we decided to follow the directions found in their instruction pack: 'From the airport, Connexxion Bus 197 from Schiphol to ‘Leidseplein’, bus runs every 15 minutes and takes you to the hostel in about 45 minutes. Buy a ticket at the driver for € 4.  From Leidseplein you walk towards the Marriott Hotel. In front of the Marriott you turn left. Take the second street right is Zandpad.'

But I think the route we took when we left is more straightforward: From Stayokay, walk towards the Rijksmuseum Station and take Tram 5 towards A'veen Binnenhof. Get off at Zuid Station or the Amsterdam Central Station, and take the train that stops at Schiphol Airport.

Take note: you can't use the GVB ticket in the Connexxion Bus or in the Amsterdam Central Station. Tickets for these have to be bought separately.

My European Dream

So I'm back from our 3-week trip to Europe. Boo! :-( We visited mainly 3 cities: Berlin, Amsterdam and Prague. Almost everyone kept asking me why not Paris, Rome, London or Barcelona as they are the most common places to be visited by first time travelers to Europe? Well for one, the friend we're visiting lives in Berlin so we had to choose places that are geographically closer to the city. Secondly, I didn't want to go to these places (yet) because they are the most common choice by almost everyone I know. In short, para maiba hehe. Thirdly (and most importantly), these cities are considered to be romantic destinations, so being a single lady, these are the last places I want to be in right now. Will save those for another visit ;-)

I'll write more detailed posts on each city we visited, but for now, here are my highlights for this trip:

1. Famous landmarks
Of course, the trip wouldn't be complete without visiting these tourist sites.

East Side Gallery, Berlin

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

Charles Bridge, Prague

Old Astronomical Clock, Prague

Amsterdam Canals

The 'I amsterdam' sign

2. Art
I love hanging out in museums so I was lucky I got to visit several. Here's just a few of them:

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Pergamon Museum, Berlin

Kafka Museum, Prague

3. Visit to a concentration camp
I have always been engrossed with holocaust-related history, so this was a must-do for me.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Germany

4. Justin Timberlake concert
Hello?! It's Justin! And we were very lucky to be standing really close to the stage!

5. Walking and commuting
I ate ice cream almost every day while in Europe. Seriously! But thankfully I didn't really gain weight because of all the walking I did. I love walking especially when you have a gorgeous view (both nature and people, hehe) so I enjoyed Europe immensely. And, their public transport is very reliable and convenient that I wish I could do it everyday hehe.

Walking around Berlin