My girlfriend & I visited Amsterdam once before in a group, and after taking one of the boat tours around the canals, we talked about how cool it would be to stay in one of the houseboats... So for her birthday this year, I decided to make it happen!

On our previous visit, we booked an apartment through an agency - the holiday was great, but the apartment we stayed in was not as described on the website, 20 minutes tram ride outside of Amsterdam centre, totally soulless, and expensive too. So this time, we took a look on airbnb - after finding this amazing houseboat we requested our dates, and within a day they were confirmed. We are so glad that we did!

Everything about our trip was perfect - Lydia was totally friendly & helpful leading up to our arrival, and her boyfriend even met us from the station and walked us to the boat, showing us interesting things and suggesting places to go along the way. When we arrived at the boat, Lydia had gone to the trouble to surprise my girlfriend with a huge balloon and Happy Birthday banners in the boat - how many hotels do you know who will do that?! And inside was a bottle of wine, and some crackers & Old Amsterdam cheese - such a thoughtful touch, and very welcome after travelling.

We were shown around our accomodation (which is as small as you probably expect, but designed so perfectly & cleverly that it feels just right for two people), given just a couple of simple house rules, and then left to enjoy our time at the boat. Our host even offered to take us for a drink and I'm sure they would have shown us around etc., but we were happy doing our own thing.

The boat itself is beautiful, cosy & warm, and although it's actually shared with the hosts, the part you'll stay in is entirely self-contained - you won't even realise that Lydia is there (unless you want to!). The basics are all great (heating, hot shower, comfy bed - tick!) and the location is just superb. You can literally see Waterlooplein market from the window, all the essentials (like Albert Heijn, Coffee Company and the legendary Bluebird coffeeshop) are 2 minutes walk away, and it's only about 10 minutes walk to Dam Square & the red light district (oh come on, you have to go at least once!) - you don't need a tram, and you won't feel like going out is a chore.

I can't recommend Lydia & her amazing boat highly enough, we had a brilliant time that we'll remember forever and would love to return one day - if you are thinking about booking a stay here, DO IT - you definitely won't regret it!