Pien's place is an open-plan apartment on the 2nd floor of a converted warehouse at a wonderful location on Prinsengracht. It's just up from Anne Frank's house, but it doesn't feel too hectic. If you stay here you will be centrally placed to cut across to the centre of Amsterdam or stroll down to the Nine Streets shopping district or Museum Quarter. At the same time just across the canal is the Jordaan neighbourhood which is more residential but has its own interesting shops and bars, and a market on Saturday and Monday. The apartment is spacious and well appointed - it was spotlessly clean on our arrival, with fresh bedlinen and towels and even sharp knives in the kitchen, often sorely missing in a rental. We stayed as a family of three with our teenage son and it was perfect for us - the apartment is basically open-plan but there are are sliding doors to close off spaces when needed. There's a lift up to the second floor if you have heavy luggage and a space on the ground floor where you can store bikes if you're feeling bold enough to rent them. So in only a few days you get to feel like an Amsterdammer.
More importantly Pien was a friendly, courteous and considerate host. She arrived when she said she would and was responsive to our questions, offering lots of advice and tips - for example she recommended the Duikelman kitchen shop down in The Pijp which was a fabulous find.
This spacious apartment - it actually felt bigger than it appeared in the photographs - has style and soul. At night you can sit at the double-windows and watch life go by below, along the canal or at the bar on the opposite bank. Staying here is a real treat; we'd thoroughly recommend it.