Pre/Post Cruise Hotel Suggestions

We are scheduled for a Rhine River cruise next May. Basel to Amsterdam. We want to independently add on stays in Lucerne and Amsterdam. If anyone has suggestions for hotels in these cities, I'd love to hear from you. Looking for reasonable prices with good locations.

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We just returned from Basel - AMS. We pre-stayed at Hotel Basel. Very happy with the location, price, staff, breakfast.

Pbeach

We love Hotel Okura in Amsterdam - beautiful rooms and bathrooms and excellent service and super comfy beds and there is a great Kaiseki restaurant called Yamazato in the hotel and we go have the Omakase when we stay there. It's really, really amazing. But I've seen some other hotels that are interesting as well such as The De L'Europe and The Toren (which has rooms with in-room jacuzzis and is quite opulent!) All of these are well located where you can just walk around Amsterdam and take trams or taxis in between if needed. The Toren is right on a canal in two 17th century homes - quite fabulous!

You might check to see if the Keukenhoff is still on when you will be in Amsterdam and it is a great thing to visit. We arranged tickets through Hotel Okura and they arranged transportation for us. As I recall we had a package that included breakfast and the room and the Keukenhoff tickets. It was a quick taxi ride to our Uniworld ship the next day around noon.

If you're looking for something different, I can't recommend misc eatdrinksleep too much. We stayed there for a couple of nights before a cruise. It only has 6 rooms (3 overlook a canal). There are steep stairs--as with any old canal house--but the staff will take your luggage up and down. Breakfast is included and Rachel and Pepijn are great hosts who'll help you with recommendations and arrangements for whatever you want to do in the city. It's just off of Nieuwmarkt Square--about a 10 minute walk from Centraal Station.

http://misceatdrinksleep.com/

For Lucerne, I highly recommend Hotel des Balances. It is right on the river, and has amazing views. Book direct for some extra perks.

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I stayed at The Banks Mansion in Amsterdam last year and it was wonderful. I would stay there again and highly recommend it:)

Another vote for Hotel des Balances. Very moderate price. The rooms are a little shabby but clean with great views decent service and food. Awesome location.

Hotel Ambassade is a similar quality accommodation in Amsterdam for a moderate price. Nice breakfast room. Canal house style hotel.

We like a hotel called Ink in AMS. It's a 4-star in a very good location. The rooms are small but comfortable and interesting in a funky way (e.g., a full wall with a mural neighborhood map with fascinating personal annotations- fun to read the wall). We also thought the service and price were great.

In September 2015 my wife and I stayed at the Waldstaetterhof for our precruise in Lucerne. It was just around the corner from the train station, so super convenient if you're arriving/departing by train. You don't have the water views of some of the other recommendations, but the rates are a bit lower and it's only about a two block walk to the bridges, lake, and other popular attractions. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and the restaurant has a nice buffet breakfast. You will read other reviews that recommend a room that faces the courtyard (rather than the street) to avoid street and train noises. We did that, and noise was no issue even with the windows open. We'd definitely stay again if we get back to Lucerne.

We loved the Hotel des Alpes in Lucerne. Great location right by the famous covered bridge. Lots of restaurants and shops close by, perfect location!

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We've stayed at the Renaissance Amsterdam multiple times - probably at least five times. We like it. It is a good use of Marriott points - not sure if you have to use real money!!

Good luck,

AG

We're on that same trip right now on Uniworld (SS Antoinette) - AMS to Basel - came in 4 days early and stayed at the Amsterdam Marriott; not only has the hotel been updated but service was exceptional; they couldn't bend over backwards any more for us! It is located in the Leidseplein area (walking distance to Rijks, Van Gogh, etc) great area, but away from major hustle and bustle. As AG said, great use of Marriott points.

When we end our trip next Sunday, we'll be staying at The Hotel Lucerne - Autograph Collection, again using points for 3 nights.

We are scheduled for a Rhine River cruise next May. Basel to Amsterdam. We want to independently add on stays in Lucerne and Amsterdam. If anyone has suggestions for hotels in these cities, I'd love to hear from you. Looking for reasonable prices with good locations.

 

 

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We got to Amsterdam a few days early to explore on our own. We stayed at the Movenpick and really liked it. Two hints. Get a room with a view. This was view from our room.

Second, have your buffet breakfast in the nice bar area rather than the big dining room. Much quieter and same food selection.

For Lucerne, I highly recommend Hotel des Balances. It is right on the river, and has amazing views. Book direct for some extra perks.

 

 

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How did you insert this lovely picture? I tried on one of my replies but it didn't work.

Here is the picture from our room at the Movenpick in Amsterdam.

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Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. I will be checking out all of them! Love the photos [emoji7]

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We really enjoyed the Canal House in Amsterdam. It is (as per its name) right on a canal and within easy walking distance of many sites and restaurants. That along with a Canal Bus pass gave us easy access all around Amsterdam.

In Lucerne we stayed at Hotel Schweizerhof Luzern and it was absolutely wonderful. We had a huge room with two balconies overlooking the lake.

I'd go back to each of these in a heartbeat.

We did Amsterdam on our own last August and chose the Toren for our stay. We loved it. The hotel was beautiful, conveniently located and the staff were wonderful. We booked a. Deluxe Canal view room and they upgraded us to one of the larger rooms with the big jacuzzi tubs.

We will be back in Amsterdam next year and plan to book the Toren again.

PS the Pancake Bakery is right around the corner [emoji39]

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