Unfortunately some family issues meant we were unable to meet Joost during our stay but he remained in contact with us throughout so there were no problems in finding the boat (only 20 mins walk from the Central station) or getting access. The location is fantastic - at one of the major hubs in the canal belt and you are surrounded by a huge variety of cafes, traditional bars and numerous restaurants of every cuisine in the back streets around the market square.

We'd been to Amsterdam many times before and were familiar with the area so as the boat was so comfortable and the views from the top deck so spectacular we didn't feel the need to venture very far from 'home' that often!

If you are staying here I'd suggest trying to make sure you are there on a Saturday in order to visit the Noordermarkt which happens just over the road - a fantastic mixture of organic food stalls, artisan produce and arts and crafts.

The area can be quite busy although more with local residents than tourists and there is a lot of traffic on the canal but the boat is secure and quiet so even on a Friday or Saturday night noise was not a problem.

Nice to find a full sized bathroom on a houseboat too ! :-)

Much better than staying in an apartment - if you haven't stayed on a canal boat before this is a perfect place to start.