Review: Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam

Introduction
Planning & Booking
British Airways 747-400 First Class Denver to London
British Airways Concorde Room LHR
Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam
Andaz Amsterdam
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome
Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Frankfurt to JFK

Arriving at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport is far better than Europe's other monster gateways (London, Paris, Frankfurt).  By comparison, the airport is far smaller and easier to navigate.  Immigration was a breeze and our bags were among the first on the carousel.  We walked out of the terminal around 8:30 PM to find a bright blue sky - still 2 hours of daylight left - awesome!

There really isn't a "cab line" in the traditional sense as you can just grab any cab - they're all the same price (~45 Euros).  So of course we opted for the blue Tesla Model S and were on our way to the Waldorf in a matter of minutes.  Our driver was super friendly (perhaps overly friendly) but explained a few sites on the way in and warned us to watch out for the cyclists that dominate the city's streets.

Amsterdam is really a gorgeous city and both of us were glued to the windows as we marveled at canal after canal.  The Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam is located right on one of the canals in the center of the city - just a couple of blocks from Rembrandt Square.

One of many canal shots

We typically use the metro to get around cities but didn't ride the train at all - we found the city that easy (and small) to navigate.  Both hotels we stayed in (Waldorf Astoria and Andaz) are located in similar areas within row houses that were purchased and pieced together to create a hotel.  Without the Waldorf Astoria flag flying outside the property, you could just be at a home or an office.

Black Waldorf flag flying on the left

Arrival was very smooth.  Our bags were whisked away while check in formalities were processed.  I had booked our two nights on points prior to Hilton's latest devaluation so each night cost 80,000 HHonors points vs. the current cost of 95,000.  Hilton (like Hyatt) has a program where you can indicate cash upgrade preferences on award bookings.  In this case, I had indicated that I would be interested in a canal view upgrade for 75 Euros/night from our standard room.

Glad I'm not paying cash

Upon check-in the upgrade was available and we accepted.  Given that these rooms sell for 600  - 900 Euros/night it seemed like a decent deal.

We were escorted through the lobby and up to our room.

Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam Hallway

We were blown away by the decor in both the common areas and the room.

Fresh fruit amenity

The view of "our" canal was awesome.

Canal view

The room contained a king size bed, work desk, Nespresso, reading chair with ottoman, dual closets, and a giant bathroom.

The hotel has the biggest private garden in all of Amsterdam.  Unfortunately the property was unable to secure a liquor license outside which is a bummer - it would be a gorgeous place for a cocktail.  Regardless, we enjoyed strolling around in the morning and enjoying the tulips.

The hotel has several food and beverage outlets although we didn't check any of them out.  There is also a small fitness center and pool in the basement level.

We very much enjoyed our stay - I can't think of anything that would have made it better.  I highly recommend this hotel if you are in Amsterdam.  It made for a great base to explore Amsterdam 0- a city we both loved and hope to return soon.

Even at 95,000 HHonors points (which are among the easiest points to acquire) it's still an excellent deal for a property of this caliber.  This would also be a great use of the two free weekend nights from the Citi Hilton Reserve Card.

After a great couple of nights, we checked out and walked (about 15 minutes) over to the Andaz for our last night in Amsterdam.