We stayed at the Hotel Moevenpick while we visited Amsterdam last week. The hotel is on the opposite side of the city center, so it is a bit detached from all of the excitement. On a good sunny day, it’s about a nice 20-minute walk from the Amsterdam Central station. The hotel also provides free shuttle buses between the hotel and the train station every 30 minutes. Actually, there is only one shuttle bus running and it can only carry 8 people, so remember to make a reservation whenever you need a ride to the station or vice versa. One morning, we forgot to make a reservation. We had to wait for an hour to catch the ride to the city.
The hotel was very modern and very very clean. Our suites were spotless. The rooms were spacious compared to most of the rooms in Europe. There were nice shower gel, shampoo, and body lotion in the bathroom. The espresso maker was the star of the room. However, they were kind of strict on the towels they provided – only two large bath towels, two hand towels and no wash cloth. There was a built-in luggage rack in the room, which was nice. But we had two pieces of luggage. When we called and asked for another luggage rack, we were told that each room was equipped with one rack and that was that. How rude! Anyway, I just put mine on a chair and it worked.
With our reservation, it also came with free breakfast and free mini bar. Both were superb. The only odd thing was the chef on duty. He was also tasked with other duties so it was very difficult to get him to make you some fried eggs. One morning, I was waiting for him for 10 minutes and finally, I told a waiter if he could get the chef for me. I noticed this odd and unhappy look on the chef’s face like it was such inconvenience when the waiter told him about my request. He did come over, make the eggs, throw them in my plate, and walk away unhappily. Well, at least, I had my eggs!!!
One person in particular, I believe, should be the star of the hotel. That is Daniel. He is the driver of the shuttle bus. I think he works the late afternoon shift into the evenings. He picked us up at the train station as we arrived in Amsterdam. He also delivered our luggage to our rooms. He was professional and very friendly. During our stay for the next few days, it was always a joy if he was driving the shuttle bus. Very pleasant small talks, and always a nice smile on his face.
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