Airbnb: Houseboat “Saturnus", Amsterdam

Stayed: June 2016 Cost: £233 per night / £58 pppn based on four sharing. The Houseboat: Located in front of the Rembrandt house in the old city centre of Amsterdam. This is the perfect central location, just 10-15 mins walk from Amsterdam Centraal Station, it's a great spot away from the bustle of the city street life and close enough to many of the main tourist attractions. The houseboat itself sleeps up to 4 people comfortably and is split into two apartments, one of which is inhabited by the owner, so they (Richard En Birgit) are on hand should you need them. There are two bedrooms on this boat, one with a king size bed and one with a king and a queen size bunk bed above it. If you are staying as a group of four, then you will need to be good friends, as bunking up is a condition here. Saying this, there was plenty of space and privacy and it worked very well for the little time we needed to use the accommodation, only really needing it to lay our heads during our weekend break. All beds were comfy and fully made with fresh linen, we couldn't fault it one bit. We had a fantastic stay on the Saturnus - thank you to Richard & Birgit for helping us with all of our questions prior to arrival. We didn't meet our hosts, due to arriving fairly late on the first night and because we were eager to get going at the crack of dawn to explore, Birgit simply text us to let us know she was there if we needed anything - of which we didn't as everything was just as described and perfect for our needs. Everything is thought out on this luxurious houseboat, down to fresh white fluffy towels and hot running water and a full sized bathtub available, we even had tea and coffee facilities to ease us on arrival. This was brilliant accommodation - super comfortable beds, an epic shower, fully equipped kitchen and wifi available in the living room area of the boat - it didn't quite reach my bedroom at the other end of the boat, but it's nice to switch off so it didn't worry me. The entrance to this boat was hilarious on arrival, to say the very least, we hadn't considered that we would need to hop over a precarious walkway and onto a rocking boat… it shouldn't have been surprising haha. The walkway around the front of the boat and down the steep metal stairs into the main hull of the boat was a little scary, and a little tricky dropping suitcases down into, but we made it. However, once we were in, we almost didn't want to have to negotiate the steps back out and in again! Saying this, we felt very secure as a result, with a gate locked behind us before crossing the walkway to the boat, we felt safe in a new city. Much hilarity ensued on our first full day here, having told each other how solid this houseboat felt, seeing as it was floating on the busy canal with boats passing us by, it felt like we were on land. Little did we know that after a night in the pub (yes, alcohol only, I assure you!), we struggled between four grown adults to walk a straight line from one end of the houseboat to the other. It felt as though we had to climb uphill to get to bed and sat at the kitchen table playing a game of cards made two of us feel as though we were falling backwards, almost looking like we were pinned up against the end wall of the boat - it makes me chuckle to this day, it was a very surreal feeling and I can't help but do an ugly crying laugh every time I think of us all trying to walk around that boat to brush our teeth that night, funniest moment of our trip and one that will stay with me forever. Highly rated places to visit/eat/drink: We crammed a lot into 48 hours in Amsterdam - and this is the perfect base to do it from. We managed to see the Anne Frank Haus, Rembrandt Square for waffles, Red Light District, a great brunch at Coffee & Coconuts, a boat cruise at sunset (including a quick viewing of the famous seven bridges - a must see sight!), the Bloemenmarkt (bloomin' market!) to pick up some tulip bulbs, De 9 straatjes for superb independent shopping, Vondlepark & The Rijksmuseum (great spot to soak up some sun and listen to live music/street entertainers) and the Foodhallen for amazing street food in a very quirky venue - we loved this place! The Café de Sluyswacht is next-door, on the opposite side of the canal from this Airbnb Houseboat and is the perfect pub/café to enjoy a few drinks, inside or out. We enjoyed a game or two of uno with some of the locals here, getting more and more drunk, we didn't leave this place one evening, it was the perfect night out within stumbling distance from our accommodation! We also managed to catch the opening day of the new "Banksy" art exhibition, well worth a visit. I could talk all day on my favourite places to eat and drink in this quirky City, but instead, visit my blog dedicated to some of the best places to eat in Amsterdam here! If I went back to Amsterdam, I would stay on the Houseboat Saturnus again for sure, no question. Highly recommended for a weekend away in the Netherlands' capital. If you do book yourself a stay with Airbnb within any listing, please feel free to use this code (www.airbnb.co.uk/c/joc995) to nab yourself a £25 discount off your first booking – bonus! You can book this Airbnb Apartment here! You can also see my visit to Amsterdam in Pictures - Part 1 here. And you can see my visit to Amsterdam in Pictures - Part 2 here. You can read more of my Airbnb Reviews here. Read my "About Me" page here! See more of my travel videos here and more of my food review videos here. 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