Rosie and her entire family were very welcoming: advised me on best trains and stations to go to nearby cities, helped bring up and down my luggage the three flights of stairs (thanks Matt and Nick!), and engaged in conversation at breakfast in the morning. Breakfast, which was not only filling, was also a good time to catch up with other guests, share stories, and exchange information. When Rosie took off for a couple of days, her son Nick took very nicely over the host duties.

Be aware that there are some rules in the house (after all, this is someone else's house), such as not speaking on the phone in the rooms and not inviting friends to the house. There were only two cons that I think of. First, sharing the bathroom requires some flexibility, given that it is not possible to predict when exactly the other guests will be using it. Second, although breakfast is served between 9:00 and 10:00, it was not always clear when exactly breakfast would be ready, sometimes being closer to 10:00 than to 9:00. Yet, the day I asked if breakfast could be served earlier, Rosie had everything ready by 8:30. You just need to ask! Finally, and this can be a pro or a con at the same time, the rooms were on a guest-dedicated third floor. When this arrangement gives needed privacy to the guests, it also makes it seem a little disconnected from the rest of the house.

The location, although it might seem far from the tourist center at first, is great. Just a short 10 minute walk (if that) to the Museum Quarter. From there, one can walk everywhere. While the Central station is far (better take the convenient 5 tram), it is only two stops, and around a 7 minute walk, from South station. Staying in this neighborhood, which is charming and quiet, provides the traveler a good way to have a taste of Amsterdam life. It was also safe to walk to at night.

Would I go back there? Yes, I definitely would. I enjoyed walking to and from the center and having Dutch pancakes and my second cup of coffee while engaged in good conversation. Rosie, thanks for a great Airbnb experience in Amsterdam!