Amsterdam & Barcelona Hotel Suggestions for Pre & Post Cruise Stays

[2Canucks]

I'm hoping that anyone who has stayed in an Amsterdam and Barcelona hotel pre or post cruise will be able to tell us about where they have stayed and about their hotel experience. There doesn't seem to be much info in the "port of call" section so thought I'd try here too.

 

Also what transportation was used to get from/to the cruiseship terminal /airport to/from the hotel.

 

 

Thanks in advance for any info you can share with us.

 

 

Pat :)

[ibfern]

I'm hoping that anyone who has stayed in an Amsterdam and Barcelona hotel pre or post cruise will be able to tell us about where they have stayed and about their hotel experience. There doesn't seem to be much info in the "port of call" section so thought I'd try here too.

 

Also what transportation was used to get from/to the cruiseship terminal /airport to/from the hotel.

 

 

Thanks in advance for any info you can share with us.

 

 

Pat :)

 

I can tell you that The Ambassade in Amsterdam is the best hotel there, its just incredible to stay in this area which is beautiful and nothing like the seedier "red light" district! This is a row of lovely canal houses, very popular with writers and other creatives!

 

http://ambassade-hotel.nl/

 

Unless you already know the tram system, you'll be better off taking a taxi, but the hotel is fairly close to the port of Amsterdam. I would call the hotel and ask them to make arrangements.

 

Have fun in Amsterdam.

[Dia_mond]

Next to the Passengers terminal is the Movenpick hotel, within walking distance Ibis (Central Station), Barbizon Plaza, near Dam Square is Krasnapolsky just to name a few.

[BLS]

I'm hoping that anyone who has stayed in an Amsterdam and Barcelona hotel pre or post cruise will be able to tell us about where they have stayed and about their hotel experience. There doesn't seem to be much info in the "port of call" section so thought I'd try here too.

 

Also what transportation was used to get from/to the cruiseship terminal /airport to/from the hotel.

 

 

Thanks in advance for any info you can share with us.

 

 

Pat :)

I just returned for Amsterdam last week. Stayed at the Moverpick Hotle., located right at the cruise terminal. (ever the River Boat cuises docked there) An easy walk to the City Center. (or they have a shuttle).Good food, good service!

[E-500]

In Barcelona, suggest the Hotel Universal. 4* with good rates. 5-10 minute cab ride from the port to the hotel on a major street (Paralell (sp) Ave.). 20 minutes by cab to the airport. Metro station right out the front door and at least 4 bus routes on the corner. Easy walk to Las Ramblas.

 

Excellent breakfast buffet, lobby bar, business center with free internet, roof top pool with terrace. Great, helpful staff, fluent in English to recommend restaurants, which bus/subway to take and which sights to see.

 

Walk to many local's restaurants/bars, shopping, including drug store and grocery store. Safe neighborhood.

 

We stayed there last fall 3 days before our cruise, loved it and will stay there again if we need a hotel in Barcelona.

[Mrterryl]

Barcelona. Arts hotel in the old Olympic village --- short walk to beach and good resturants.

[garden2]

We stayed at Hotel Royal Ramblas, La Ramblas 117 in Barcelona. Fabulous location plus right on La Ramblas-breakfast included! Our room overlooked La Ramblas which was fun since we arrived on Paton Saint day of the city & many parades we could see from our room! Woke us from a later afternoon nap but we needed to get up! all quieted down at night, though! Autos Vilar City tours plus airport great company! Juan was wonderful. Check the board on Ports --lots of informaiton. Make sure you spend several days in Bacelona as it is a fabulous city!

[Oahucruiser]

In Barcelona we loved the Hotel Colon directly across from the cathedral and on a quiet plaza. A block to La Rambla. Beautiful rooms and service. The rooms facing the cathedral have a small balcony and a sitting area. http://www.hotelcolon.es/eng/hotel

[CruisingJs]

In Barcelona we loved the Hotel Colon directly across from the cathedral and on a quiet plaza. A block to La Rambla. Beautiful rooms and service. The rooms facing the cathedral have a small balcony and a sitting area. www.hotelcolon.es/eng/hotel

 

We stayed here, too. I thought it was a great location and they have a restaurant on the bottom floor with a good breakfast and an expensive but delicious dinner.

[bac32708]

I also suggest the Hotel Universal that E-500 recommended. Just stayed there 1 night last month post cruise from the Ruby Princess. Great location, amenities, staff, etc.

[Posaune]

I would suggest the Eurostars Grand Marina in Barcelona (5 star). It is a very nice and quiet hotel right on the water. We watched the Ruby Princess reload and sail away after we disembarked. (now that was really sad) It is a fairly expensive hotel, but good rates are available on all the discount hotel sites. We have stayed there twice and hope to again!

[LittleMissS]

I stayed at Hotel Jazz in Barcelona. Good rates. Clean, comfortable room. Great location a few blocks away from Las Ramblas.

[Barbie075]

Barcelona - I would stay at the Hotel Universal on Parallel. We loved it -- good breakfast included, nice clean rooms of a good size, pool on the roof, near to everything. The underground transport is right outside the front door of the hotel and will take you to anything you want to see in just minutes.Their pricing is very reasonable.

 

Amsterdam -We opted to stay at a B&B in Amsterdam and just loved it!!! The best breakfast you could imagine. The owner is a former New York city Opera singer -- very interesting man. He is set up with two upstairs rooms that are ensuite and separated with a shared living room. Living rooms set up with a little wet bar area with microwave, and coffee service. Every evening he puts some kind of homemade sweet in the living room for guests to share. The owner actually lives on the ground floor (diningroom and kitchen) and top floor (above rental rooms) where he has his other living quarters. It is unbelievable set up and the cost is very reasonable. I would highly recommend. We felt like we had a lot of privacy. Also was close to the local tram and near to the rail station.

[gosport11]

if you want budget good value accomadation, i would look at the Botel, a short ferry ride from the station to Amsterdam north,not the ritz but good backpacker style rooms :):)

[mytime53]

We stayed at the Hotel Montblanc, which for us was great. At the time, it was a very reasonable price (I think we just happened upon a good rate, though) for the location (walking distance to all the sites around Las Ramblas and the HOHO buses, but quieter than Las Ramblas, and easier to find than the small hotels in the streets just off Las Ramblas). Rooms were very small, but clean. Breakfast (and I assume other meals) not worth the price (but we're never at a hotel for the meals--eating in the hotel is only a last resort; there are so many places to eat nearby that there is no reason to eat in the hotel).

Is it a luxury hotel? No. But if what you care about is location and cleanliness, and you get a great rate....

 

As far as getting to the cruise terminal, prior to our cruise we read about people hauling their own luggage down Las Ramblas. Once we were there, we saw there was no way we wanted to do that--could have, didn't want to. We just took a taxi. Ditto for airport. Read you could take public transportation, but that's not for me when it's quite a distance, late at night after a long day's travel, in a strange city, where I might not read the signs correctly.

[CarolRoy]

We got back a few weeks ago on HAL Med. Tapestry cruise Oct. 3. We booked through AAA Hotel Rialto off the Las Ramblas. Great hotel. Great location.Walking distance to the Las Ramblas. Maybe 5 minutes. Very clean. Free breakfast. Cost was $143. Hotel was a few blocks (blocks are really alley ways) from the Piscaso Museum and the Gothic Quarter. We even took the Aerobus from the BCE for 5.3 euros each. It dropped us off at the top of Las Ramblas. And it was a short 15-minute walk to the hotel. From the hotel to the Columbus Monument to catch the bus to the ship it was 2 euros each. You can reverse this - from the hotel to BCE. No problem. It was another short 10-15 walk to the bus from the hotel.We are in our 60s and had no problem walking with our luggage or on the bus. Really, really inexpensive compared to the ship's transfers from BCN to the port or a taxi. Also we used the very clean and efficient metro system (subway & taxi) in Barcelona. No problem here too.

 

Hope this helps. Carol

 

2011 – Westerdam HAL – Dec. – E. Caribbean

2011 – Nieuw Amsterdam HAL – Oct. – Mediterranean

2011- Carnival Miracle – May – Eastern Caribbean

2010 – Nieuw Amsterdam HAL - Dec.- W. Caribbean

2010 – Celebrity Summit – Sept. - Bermuda

2010 – Serenade of the Seas - March - S. Caribbean

2009 – Crown Princess – W. Caribbean

2009 – Golden Princess - Alaska - Inside Passage

2009 – Coral Princess - Panama Canal Transit

2008 – Caribbean Princess - New Eng. & Canada

2008 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2007 – Explorer of the Seas - W. Caribbean

2006 – Golden Princess - S. Caribbean

2004 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2002 – Star Princess - Mexican Riviera

2002 – Dawn Princess - S. Caribbean

2000 – Carnival Inspiration - S. Caribbean

1999 – Carnival Paradise - W. Caribbean

1996 – Majesty (private) - Key West

1989 – Sovereign of the Seas - E. Caribbean

[beechfor]

Amsterdam -We opted to stay at a B&B in Amsterdam and just loved it!!! The best breakfast you could imagine. The owner is a former New York city Opera singer -- very interesting man. He is set up with two upstairs rooms that are ensuite and separated with a shared living room. Living rooms set up with a little wet bar area with microwave, and coffee service. Every evening he puts some kind of homemade sweet in the living room for guests to share. The owner actually lives on the ground floor (diningroom and kitchen) and top floor (above rental rooms) where he has his other living quarters. It is unbelievable set up and the cost is very reasonable. I would highly recommend. We felt like we had a lot of privacy. Also was close to the local tram and near to the rail station.

 

Could you share the name of the B&B? Thanks

[jamrockgirl]

Barcelona - I would stay at the Hotel Universal on Parallel. We loved it -- good breakfast included, nice clean rooms of a good size, pool on the roof, near to everything. The underground transport is right outside the front door of the hotel and will take you to anything you want to see in just minutes.Their pricing is very reasonable.

 

Amsterdam -We opted to stay at a B&B in Amsterdam and just loved it!!! The best breakfast you could imagine. The owner is a former New York city Opera singer -- very interesting man. He is set up with two upstairs rooms that are ensuite and separated with a shared living room. Living rooms set up with a little wet bar area with microwave, and coffee service. Every evening he puts some kind of homemade sweet in the living room for guests to share. The owner actually lives on the ground floor (diningroom and kitchen) and top floor (above rental rooms) where he has his other living quarters. It is unbelievable set up and the cost is very reasonable. I would highly recommend. We felt like we had a lot of privacy. Also was close to the local tram and near to the rail station.

Hello Barbie,

While looking for accommodations in Amsterdam pre cruise I saw your post about the B&B you liked so much would you be so kind as to let me know its name.?

Thanks

[K8T]

We have stayed in two hotels now in Barcelona.

 

Novotel City, which is a bit of a way out of town, but very easy to reach on the metro. It is just walkable to the Cathedral and there is a shopping mall over the road, with restaurants and a large supermarket.

 

It is a large modern hotel, what you would expect of a chain and comfortable. We stayed here on two occasions before cruises.

 

It costs around 23 euros to get to the cruise terminal.

 

The last time we cruised from Barcelona, we stayed in the Diplomatic, which is just off Las Ramblas. This hotel is in a brilliant location, walkable from the centre and most of all safe. There is a little cafebar over the road, which did amazing pastries for breakfast, for about 3 euros (bargain!). I do know that some cruise companies use this, so it could get busy.

 

The hotel has been taken over by the Marriot and I believe they are doing some updating, which should make a difference. It wasn't a glitzy hotel, but basic, clean and had a free minibar! Nothing quite like coming in after a busy hot day and finding a beer in the fridge.

 

We would definately stay here again.

 

Kate

[FTLcruisers]

In Barcelona we loved the Hotel Colon directly across from the cathedral and on a quiet plaza. A block to La Rambla. Beautiful rooms and service. The rooms facing the cathedral have a small balcony and a sitting area. www.hotelcolon.es/eng/hotel

 

We stayed in Hotel Colon and also in Hotel Royal Ramblas and really enjoyed both. Hotel Colon is in the heart of the Gothic area and, as mentioned, Royal Ramblas is right where all the action is yet we were not disturbed by any noise when we were in our room. We used car service both times - the most recent time we used Autos Vilar and shared the ride with another couple from our cruise - they were very accommodating and dropped us at 2 different hotels without an extra charge.

 

Barcelona is one our our favorite cities and you should definetely plan on spending a few days there.

 

Marianne

[scottbee]

In Barcelona we stayed at MarinaView B&B, a couple of blocks from the Columbus Statue/Bottom of Las Ramblas. Easy to get to, lovely view of the harbour, free WiFi..

 

http://marinaviewbcn.com/

[Cellagirl]

Barcelona - I would stay at the Hotel Universal on Parallel. We loved it -- good breakfast included, nice clean rooms of a good size, pool on the roof, near to everything. The underground transport is right outside the front door of the hotel and will take you to anything you want to see in just minutes.Their pricing is very reasonable.

 

Amsterdam -We opted to stay at a B&B in Amsterdam and just loved it!!! The best breakfast you could imagine. The owner is a former New York city Opera singer -- very interesting man. He is set up with two upstairs rooms that are ensuite and separated with a shared living room. Living rooms set up with a little wet bar area with microwave, and coffee service. Every evening he puts some kind of homemade sweet in the living room for guests to share. The owner actually lives on the ground floor (diningroom and kitchen) and top floor (above rental rooms) where he has his other living quarters. It is unbelievable set up and the cost is very reasonable. I would highly recommend. We felt like we had a lot of privacy. Also was close to the local tram and near to the rail station.

 

I am hoping someone can give the name of this B&B in Amsterdam. It sounds lovely .

 

Thanks

[LHT28]

I am hoping someone can give the name of this B&B in Amsterdam. It sounds lovely .

 

Thanks

Too bad the poster did not give the name of the B & B

You could try asking on Trip Advisor in the Amsterdam forum they are very helpful there

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g188590-i60-Amsterdam_Noord_Holland.html

[beechfor]

I am hoping someone can give the name of this B&B in Amsterdam. It sounds lovely .

 

Thanks

 

The name of the B & B is Boogaards.

[weazie256]

Barcelona - I would stay at the Hotel Universal on Parallel. We loved it -- good breakfast included, nice clean rooms of a good size, pool on the roof, near to everything. The underground transport is right outside the front door of the hotel and will take you to anything you want to see in just minutes.Their pricing is very reasonable.

 

Amsterdam -We opted to stay at a B&B in Amsterdam and just loved it!!! The best breakfast you could imagine. The owner is a former New York city Opera singer -- very interesting man. He is set up with two upstairs rooms that are ensuite and separated with a shared living room. Living rooms set up with a little wet bar area with microwave, and coffee service. Every evening he puts some kind of homemade sweet in the living room for guests to share. The owner actually lives on the ground floor (diningroom and kitchen) and top floor (above rental rooms) where he has his other living quarters. It is unbelievable set up and the cost is very reasonable. I would highly recommend. We felt like we had a lot of privacy. Also was close to the local tram and near to the rail station.

Barbie

what is the name of the B B?