Vacation Rentals by Owner

Paul is a very fair and friendly owner

Guest: CandifromNewYork (New York, NY)
Date of Stay: 05/04/12 Review Submitted: 05/04/12

After extensively searching many online sites for the best and cheapest place to stay in Amsterdam, I found this apartment and booked it. Unfortunately, my family had to change our plans and would not be visiting Amsterdam. Paul was very friendly and courteous and gave me my deposit back without a hassle. I look forward to staying in his beautiful home next year when we visit. Happy travels! :)

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Amsterdam Girls trip

Guest: stephanie l.
Date of Stay: 04/05/12 Review Submitted: 04/12/12

My friends and I stayed at Paul's apartment this month for a 5 day trip. There were 5 of us in the apartment and we all fit very comfortably. No stairs at all which was great! The apartment is VERY spacious and in an excellent location. The Anne Frank House is literally around the corner and it took us only about 10 minutes to walk to Dam Square everyday. The neighborhood is quiet at night. The kitchen was so great to have and we put it to good use and Paul was very helpful with every question we had and gave us great information. I will definitely stay here again when I return to Amsterdam! Thanks so much!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

What a Great Stay!

Guest: Lady G (Izmir, Turkey)
Date of Stay: 12/23/11 Review Submitted: 01/02/12

We stayed here over Christmas and had a fantastic time. This apartment is in the best location. We visited the farmers market in the neighborhood and stocked up on fresh food for the week. There is also a grocery store a block away. We ate (twice) at the nearby Thai restaurant . Everything, including major attractions, are an easy walk away. We didn't even need to use any public transportation. Paul met us at the apartment. We arrived very late but he was friendly and welcoming. The apartment was clean. I was surprised by earlier reviews that said it was not clean. The building is not modern by any means, so maybe that made the earlier reviewers think it might be dirty. I was so happy to have the apartment to go back to after a long day of walking around. We would take a siesta and then be ready for the evening events. It was one of the most relaxing vacations I have had in a long time. I even found time to use the giant tub. I highly recommend this property and can't wait to go back!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

What a Great Stay!

Guest: Lady G (Izmir, Turkey)
Date of Stay: 12/23/11 Review Submitted: 01/02/12

We stated here over Christmas and had a fantastic time. This apartment is the best location. We visited the farmers market in the neighborhood and stocked up on fresh food for the week. There is also a grocery store a block away. We ate (twice) at the nearby Thai restaurant . Everything, including major attractions is an easy walk away. We didn't even need to use any public transportation. Paul met us at the apartment. We arrived very late but he was friendly and welcoming. The apartment was clean. I was surprised by earlier reviews that said it was not clean. The building is not modern by any means, so maybe that made the earlier reviewers think it might be dirty. I was so happy to have the apartment to go back to after a long day of walking around. We would take a siesta and then be ready for the evening events. It was one of the most relaxing vacations I have had in a long time. I even found time to use the giant tub. I highly recommend this property and can't wait to go back!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Best place we've ever stayed at in Amsterdam!

Guest: Liz (New York City)
Date of Stay: 11/24/11 Review Submitted: 12/07/11

My boyfriend and I stayed at this apartment for over a week and absolutely loved it. We've visited Amsterdam many times, and rented from plenty of different places in the Jordaan, and this place was hands down the best one. The location, the space, the view and the general atmosphere was just what we were looking for. We nearly cried when we heard this place will not be available in the future. Believe me, the pictures do not do it justice. This apartment is a lot nicer than it looks. Plus, there were fresh cut flowers and a bottle of wine when we arrived. The owner was kind enough to tell us about the city, good places to shop and eat. I booked this place over 6 months in advance partially based off the positive reviews. When I checked back shortly before our trip, these negative reviews worried me. But when we saw the place with our own eyes, we failed to see what the problem was. The apartment was spotless. The only bug we saw was a ladybug outside on the courtyard patio. This apartment had it all. Great location, amazing space, and a price that you just can't beat. I would highly recommend this rental for all types.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Great Location.

Guest: Happy Travelers (Ottawa, Canada)
Date of Stay: 09/01/11 Review Submitted: 02/01/12

We stayed here for the entire month of September. This was our third visit to Amsterdam in 5 years and we have stayed at Paul's apartment each time. We love the location. It is in a great central neighbourhood that offers everything from markets, shops, great restaurants and brown cafes. The apartment is quite spacious and being on the main floor makes it very easy to bring in your rented bicycles over night.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Worst Place We Have Ever Stayed In

Guest: Family of four (Victoria Canada)
Date of Stay: 08/02/11 Review Submitted: 09/25/11

We have stayed in a lot of one star places around the world, but have never stayed in a place as dirty and unclean as this one. We were met by someone down the street who was nice and collected our money. We were jetlagged when we arrived so thought it looked okay at first - the musty smell that pervaded the place was explained by the person who let us in as due to the excessive rain. Once we looked around we realized how dirty it was - green and black mould in several places in the bathroom, droppings of some sort in the bathroom, dirty sheets, mouldy/musty smell in the bedroom, lights that didn't work. We emailed the owner to ask for our money back and he sent the person back to us and offered us 150 euros. We took this but regretted it because we never felt clean and wished we could have left. The owner never did email us back to see if things were okay after that. One night my husband went to the bathroom and found a large black slug in the bathroom - note there are no windows that open in that room, so it must have crawled in one of the unfinished holes/pipes in the floor. I found two slugs on the shower curtain. We cleaned the pile of droppings up the first time and they kept coming back, so there must be something living in the ceiling. The patio looks nice in the picture, but is covered in green mildew. The pictures of the bathroom do not show the plywood cupboard that is full of rust. The area itself is great but we had a hard time relaxing when we came back to the place. This place has obviously been neglected.

Owner response:Sometimes you feel so upset about something you don't want to respond at once. I have to because people keep asking if eveything is true. It was't true these people mailed that they want thier money back but just a discount. We gave them because we want a customer to be satisfied. They were and didn't mention anything during their stay. If everything is true in the review you must have noticed even with the greatest jetlag. They were right about the slugs, which came trough a pipe in the cealing (for fresh air). The gardens are full of wineplants and there was a hole in the pipe which I repaired. There were some pieces of rust which are repaired (I couldn't before because of 99% occupation). The sheets are always clean and there are spare ones in the cupboard. There are spare lamps available. This apartment is big and comfortable place (see other reviews). Don't expect a perfect (plastic) place but a place with atmosphere for a real good price. These people got a 33% discount and did agree so a review afterwards of this kind doesn't make me happy.

Recommended for:

The perfect place!

Guest: Cote (nyc USA)
Date of Stay: 05/27/11 Review Submitted: 06/14/11

I loved Amsterdam, the city its beautiful. Paul's appartment was perfect for the 4 of us, very confi and had all we needed. its is well located and has a special touch. I def. go back to Paul's place in my next visit to Amsterdam.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Never again

Guest: Bill & Sandy (Bend Oregon USA)
Date of Stay: 04/20/11 Review Submitted: 06/01/11

We stayed here over Easter weekend and I must admit my review of this apartment is quite different from the other reviews I read prior to booking the apartment. DISGUSTING - that is the best term I can find to describe the bathroom in this apartment. It came complete with a variety of bugs and insects, both dead and alive. Plus having green mold on the floor around the shower. In addition the bedroom smelled of mold and the bedding was very uncomfortable. I guess it is our fault for not looking at it more closely when we checked in. It is a good location and is very good size with a living room, dining area and a kitchen and an internal patio. But for us this place is totally unacceptable and we even moved out early and had to find a hotel room. We selected the apartment based on its location and prior reviews, but the conditions were totally unacceptable

Owner response:At first I showed the people around and the people were lyric about the space. The next morning they stayed early to say goodbye. They couldn't stay any longer because their little daughter was allergic for something in the house. They left money in the house for me they said. The money was just enough for one day and they left the apartment uncleaned. About the insects they are right. I had a problem with some flies which came I guess from the neighbours. Sorry about the allergic reaction of thier daughter, but an allergic reaction can be from everything. I don't think it fair to react a bad night sleep on the state of the apartment. See the other reactions. Paul

Recommended for:Age 55+

Damp and dirty but big and spacious. Great location.

Guest: mrssmiggs (Manchester UK)
Date of Stay: 04/05/11 Review Submitted: 11/18/11

I feel compelled to write a review as I do not want anyone else to book this place and be as disappointed as we were (and as per the other reviewers who were not happy). First off, I want to say that the host seemed to be a very nice man but perhaps a little clueless on how to provide a comfortable place for the weary traveller to stay. The space and light of the apartment and location is great, but it was shabby and dirty. The bathroom was just horrible and cold, dirty and mouldy. I spent our first 3 hours trying to clean the place (which is not my idea of a vacation!). We had slugs, bugs and spiders in there. We could not sleep in the bedroom due to the cold and damp (despite having the heating on full). We lasted one night and had to leave when my daughter started to have breathing difficulties due to the dust and damp. We had to quickly book somewhere else to stay, which stressed me out completely and cost us a fortune. The complimentary wine was a nice touch, but the standard of this place is no-where near enough to ensure more positive reviews. The apartment could be a fabulous place to stay if it had a revamp - a new bathroom, a new king size bed that is higher off the ground, sofa and new carpet, and a lick of paint would make it so much better. Get rid of that horrible wardrobe and ensure it is empty for guests. To ensure that the place is spotless before guests arrive would be recommended too if only for health reasons. I really hope you take heed of my advice as you could have a very successful business and secure yourself lots of positive reviews as a result.

Recommended for:

Really nice place and prime location

Guest: Business and pleasure (New Hampshire, USA)
Date of Stay: 03/09/11 Review Submitted: 03/13/11

My reason for staying there was to have a place to travel from to see clients and to enjoy a weekend of exploration. The apartment was perfect for that. Its about a 15 minute walk to Centraal Station, and there are many scenic ways to take the walk. As others said, plenty of places to shop and eat. WIFI worked great. The owner met me as planned and showed me around, then I never needed him or saw him again. The place is complete. The outdoor patio in the back is nice too.

Recommended for:Age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Great Time In Amsterdam

Guest: Houston Traveler (Houston, TX)
Date of Stay: 12/27/10 Review Submitted: 01/05/11

My wife and I stayed here for a week over the New Years holiday. The apartment was great and very spacious. Paul, the owner, was very nice and easy to work with. The apartment is only blocks away from the Anne Frank house and one block away from the Prinsengracht canal, which takes you everywhere. We walked to all attractions, no need for a car or taxi. This apartment is also in a quite area, the Jordaan. There are shops, restaurants, and two grocery stores one block over. We had a great time and would definitely return.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

This huge, well-stocked apt. is a great value & in a perfect location,

Guest: Conditioning Coach (Orlando, Florida, USA)
Date of Stay: 03/26/10 Review Submitted: 05/14/10

not just in the beautiful & mellow Jordaan neighborhood, but at the intersection of a street which provides a choice view from the front window AND a path to an ATM & a grocery store in 30 sec. & a fresh bakery in 60. There's a flea market just as close on Mondays (mostly women's clothing) & on Saturdays (fresh breads & cheeses). The chimes from the nearby Noorderkerk can be heard dueling w/those from the Westerkerk, about 5 min. away & next to the Anne Frank House, whose long lines can be avoided by visiting after 7pm. Many restaurants are close, too, including the neat Pancake Bakery, about 2 min. away. And the apt. itself was much larger than it appeared to be in the listing photos, w/an enormous, white-tiled bathroom (lit by a cool skylight) that was, by itself, the size of the last hotel room that I stayed in while visiting Amsterdam. The owner, Paul, was very accomodating and non-intrusive, even though he and his family live just above the apt. in the top 3 floors. Despite a few rough edges (an ineffective freezer in the fridge, some large flies), I would highly recommend renting this prime spot, especially before Paul follows through w/his plans for his clan to occupy the entire building!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.