I’m going to be honest, when I booked to stay on a canal Boat in Amsterdam at 7 months pregnant in the middle of December, it did cross my mind that it might not be my smartest idea. But my penchant for poor choices has always preceded me, so why break the habit of a lifetime?

That said, I did do a lot of Googling around Amsterdam Houseboat rentals AFTER I’d already handed over all my pennies to a stranger on the internet – mainly to see exactly how bad of a decision I’d made – and honestly, there’s not a whole lot of helpful information online. So, surprise bitches, today I’m serving a big hot plate of “things you need to know if you’re trying to decide whether to stay in a hotel or at one of the many Amsterdam boat hotels.” You are welcome.

Pros of staying on an Amsterdam houseboat

We stayed on Houseboat Ms 3 Gebroeders, which was right in the middle of Amsterdam City Centre, (about a four-minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal and maybe a 10-minute walk from the Red Light District) and honestly, we couldn’t have picked a better place. But, before I launch straight into singing their praises, here are a few of the reasons why a canal boat pisses all over a hotel:

• You’re central, without it being loud AF: at 7 months pregnant and therefore completely spherical, I wanted somewhere that was within waddling-distance to the Red Light District – but I also didn’t fancy being right in the midst of things after midnight when the Stag Do’s run rampage and things get weird. Staying on one of Amsterdam’s boat hotels means that you’re close enough to the action without having to listen to the LADS LADS LADS all night long.
• You can chill out on your own deck: when you go on a city break, there’s always a lull period between your day of exploring and your night out. If the weather is nice, you don’t want to be cooped up in a dark hotel room – but you also don’t want to fork out Amsterdam cafe prices on drinks just for a seat in the sun for an hour or so. With a houseboat, you get your own deck where you can crack open the prosecco and enjoy a bit of people watching before you head back out.
• You get your own kitchenette: obviously this depends on which Amsterdam houseboat you stay on, but the majority of them have their own kitchenettes – so you can save money on things like breakfast and spend it on more important things. Like stoner supplies.

Cons of staying on an Amsterdam houseboat

Seeing as I’m writing this in the first place, you might have guessed that I’m very much in camp houseboat – but in the interest of giving a balanced opinion on something, (for once) here are some of the cons of canal boat accommodation:

• You might get seasick: I didn’t notice much motion, but my fella did nearly fall off the toilet like the enormous drama queen that he is – so, I suppose if you’re susceptible to a bit of seasickness, sleeping on a literal boat probably isn’t the best idea.
• The wind can be annoying: because I managed to pick the worst weekend of the year weather-wise, we had to deal with gale-force winds hurtling the tyre-floats against the side of the boat all night. Arguably still less annoying than a stag do from Birmingham singing footy chants outside your hotel though.
• The toilet situation isn’t as private as in a hotel: If you’re still in the honeymoon period of your relationship and pretending that you don’t poo, having a toilet with just a screen door might not be the best option if you want to keep the illusion alive.

How much does a houseboat in Amsterdam cost?

Amsterdam is expensive so, let’s face it, this is the most important question. For two nights, from Friday-Sunday in December I paid 396 euros to stay on Houseboat Ms 3 Gebroeders – which considering I spent nearly 800 euros to stay in a bang-average hotel the year before, I thought it was really decent. Plus, the boat’s owner, Monique, really went above and beyond to make sure our stay was amazing. Some of the perks included:

• A fully stocked fridge on arrival (including a bottle of prosecco and beer)
• Danish pastries, fresh bread and fruit that was replaced every afternoon
• Full access to her Netflix account
• Freshly squeezed orange juice every morning at 8am (and she put little notes on it saying what the weather would be like that day)
• Access to heating on the boat (I was worried the boat would be cold, but it was 100% cosier than a hotel) and umbrellas to take our with us

So, would I stay here again. Absolutely right I would. And next time that bottle of prosecco would be gone within an hour.

Until next time… x

The post Staying on a houseboat in Amsterdam appeared first on Scarlet Wonderland.