While I was in Amsterdam for the #ParkInnExpress challenge I had the privilege of staying at the Park Inn Hotel. It is located out by the airport and although that sounds annoying it really isn’t, a short train ride and shuttle bus from the central station will take less than 40 minutes. The hotel itself is beautiful: modern and clean with lots of attention to the small details (I’ve come to realize that it is the small details which make all the difference). The injection of color to a sophisticated decor was the perfect combo to make this hotel inviting yet fancy at the same time.
As I said, this hotel is located by the airport a mere 40 minutes from central station, for our trip and what I wanted from a hotel that weekend it was perfect. After a very early start for my 7am flight, being able to leave the chaos of the city behind for the evening was exactly what I needed. Leaving central station at 6.55pm feeling shattered, I was so glad that by 8pm I was eating dinner having finally put my feet up for the day. When you are trying to cram so much in to a weekend something normally has to give, I’m not the sort of person to take an afternoon nap so missing the nightlife was my choice. Had you wanted to head back into the city for the evening that certainly would have been possible – as long as the train is running from central to the airport as the shuttle to the hotel is a 24 hour service.
That evening I enjoyed a chicken burger for dinner at the bar restaurant. The service was friendly with the waiter coming to the table to take my order and serve me a drink – half of the restaurant tables were sat at so although it wasn’t full the barman did a good job of taking care of all of us. My only complaint would be that my food took a while but that may have been because I was super hungry I didn’t have much patience. The burger was gorgeous although I still don’t understand how anyone can eat a burger and still look classy – I found myself making a right old mess! Along with the fries I was absolutely stuffed afterwards.
Due to my tiredness that evening I didn’t really take much of the hotel in before crashing in bed. The following morning I woke to a glorious stream of light coming from behind the curtains, I had to have a peek. To my surprise I saw a beautiful sunrise just above the buildings outside my window, I opened all the curtains and allowed the gorgeous morning light to wake me up. I had the a most peaceful and deep sleep, even the distant noise of planes hadn’t disturbed me during the night. The room look glorious in the sunlight and it really showed off how large the room was: huge bed, huge windows, huge shower, huge floor space. Everything about the room was large and it really didn’t feel like a budget stay. My only complaint would be the location of the desk, because it was tucked behind the bathroom door – this meant the chair and door collided. I also found the fridge and safe under the desk to be annoying as you couldn’t properly sit at the desk – I’m sure this was just a design problem with my particular room and really wouldn’t put me off! The idea of injecting color into an otherwise white space was carried on in the room with splashes of red and a colourful art piece about the bed.
I headed down to breakfast around 9 am and leisurely enjoyed the buffet they had on offer. I was absolutely spoiled for choice – even though the buffet had been running for a few hours already. Just to name a few choices: cereal, fruit, yoghurt, meat, cheese, bread, croissants, pain au chocolate, egg, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, hash browns and more, plenty of juice and hot drinks too. Breakfast was served just beyond the bar restaurant in a bright and open space with lots of fun decor and decorations. The bar and breakfast restaurant looked on to the lobby and reception area, this whole spot was brightly lit with splashes of primary color and plenty of space to work or chat with colleagues.
Following breakfast I quickly checked out for a day of exploring Amsterdam (a blog to follow about my second day in the city). Everything was handled quickly at reception and I managed to time my departure perfectly with only having to wait a few minutes for the shuttle back to the airport.
Please note: I received a nights stay here during my #ParkInnExpress I was not asked specifically to review the hotel, however I enjoyed my stay so much I felt it deserved it’s own review. All opinions are my own and I would happily stay here again or in another of their hotels.
Prices range from €100 and under per a night.
Tags: #ParkinnExpress Accommodation Review Amsterdam The Netherlands
