Leonardo Hotel Amsterdam ****

Rating: 8.1

No, this is a story about a hotel and not about a chocolate shop! The Leonardo (former Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Centre hotel is one of those places you might think twice to book when you are looking for a downtown Amsterdam hotel.

My advice: just book it! The money you pay for the hotel and additional cab far together is still a very, very good deal.

The Leonardo is located on the west side of the center of Amsterdam (near Sloterdijk station) and has 17 floors. On the top floor, you find a great terras and bar overlooking the city. In winter there even have an ice skate area there! One floor down, you have a great bar and restaurant.

I stayed a few times in the Leonardo and have to say that every time the restaurant provided a great food experience and the staff in both the restaurant and bar were way above average. Attending, caring, and friendly. That’s the way it should be, feeling a guest instead of being a number. Coming back to the food experience, the staff is very creative and prepares various surprising dishes. The chocolate desert is a great example of their view how the make the restaurant an experience as well so to that point, even if you do not stay in the hotel, having dinner at the 17th floor is fun a and you will enjoy one of the better restaurants in Amsterdam.

The Leonardo is very competitively priced. You can book almost every time a room between 150 and good 200 euro per night, paying a hundred euro’s less versus a hotel 2-3 miles closer to downtown. If you need a place in Amsterdam, consider this hotel! Not looking for a room but a great place to have a drink? Consider the top floor or the bar and enjoy the views. If you have your own car, down’t worry the hotel has a very large parking garage (if not, you can always rent a bike at the reception.

AMSTERDAM, REMBRANDTPARK, NETHERLANDS