The room is more or less as described - a basic room with a small bathroom on one floor of the house, where they also have an office opposite the room.
The location is convenient and walking distance to most attractions.
Before I give an in depth review, I have to confess that we misread the information presented on the listing and it is not the type of accommodation we would normally go for.
Having said that, even considering that the style of accommodation is unsuitable for what we needed, there are several things which made the stay unbearable for us, so much so that we left just after 2 nights instead of staying the full 5 nights that we had paid for.
In my opinion, the rates charged do not reflect the standard of accommodation, even allowing for the high season Amsterdam prices.
Some things I want to point out:
1. In my opinion the room is only suitable for 2 adults, not 3 adults. Not only because it’s small but also because the sofabed is not comfortable nor big enough for an adult. Our son is not tall but he found it very uncomfortable. It is also very low and too close to the ground. For 3 adults the place is very cramped.
2. Shower limitations: we were told upon arrival that it took 10 minutes between showers for the water to heat up. So for 3 people it would take about an hour for everyone to have their showers, which is very inconvenient when trying to get out of the house in a timely manner.
3. The room had white curtains but no dark blinds so the early sun woke you up. Not great if you had a late night and you want to sleep in. It is a holiday and not everyone wants to be up early.
4. Our son developed severe allergies in that room. It was specific to the room as he was much better outside (maybe because of dust or smells. We are unsure). We requested if we could cut the stay short due to our son’s allergy situation and pay for an extra night (stay for 2 but pay for 3 nights instead of 5) although we were aware they do have a very strict cancellation policy but we thought it was an exceptional circumstance due to health issues. Not only was the host inflexible (granted they have a strict cancellation policy) but we found her very intrusive the way she would just knock on the door without any warning and want to speak with whoever was in the room at great length constantly justifying their stance without any regard to our situation. It was a complicated, long drawn out situation but the endless time wasting by unnecessary talking was too much, especially since the host was not willing to compromise at all and we were there for a limited time to spend time with our son and had made it clear at the start.
At one stage we were told by the Airbnb mediator that the host’s husband was not happy with us staying there because we asked to leave early (and they refused to accept that our son had developed allergies in the room insisting that the room was free of allergens) and wanted us to leave BUT was not willing to refund the balance. We found this attitude very disturbing and intimidating.
We finally left after 2 nights and managed to book a very comfortable and conveniently located 4 star hotel for the same daily rate as we paid for this apartment where we felt cramped and uncomfortable.
We felt that the apartment did not afford any of the benefits Airbnb has over hotels, but had a big price tag and several disadvantages. I also found the host very uncompromising and intrusive.
Our stay in Amsterdam ended up costing us twice the amount necessary but we still preferred to forego our full payment for the cramped and unsuitable apartment and pay for new comfortable and welcoming accommodation.
Please note that this is our PERSONAL opinion based on our very unpleasant experience in this apartment.