I chose this hotel because in the previous reviews it got fairly good reports, my view of the hotel is not as good as the others but then again i only stayed for one night and i never had breakfast at the hotel.

The receptionist on arrival was okay but not necessarily polite, i requested a no smoking room but the room i got had ash trays in it (so a smoking room i presume, although i couldn't smell any stale smoke),

The hotel tries to give off a grand feel to the place but on closer inspection some of the decor looks a bit cheap, my room had a light that was only just attached to the ceiling with one screw, the radiators and piping in the bathroom had rust around the pipes an looked untidy and in one of the wardrobes on the floor was a clothes hook and screws that was missing from the back of the bathroom door.

The bed in the room had sheets over it but the duvet was very thin and folded at the bottom of the bed so had to make the bed myself, okay these might be trivial matter's but it's the little things that let down this hotel when it looks promising in their website.

On checking out, my bill was more than my booking confirmation, i questioned this and and showed the paperwork, i was told this was due to 5% tax, i worked out the 5% tax and it was still more than it should have been, when this was pointed out the receptionist did alter the bill to what it should have been.

The location of the hotel is a good, good walk from the main tourist area near the station and main square but you are in a very quiet and nice looking area, the tram stop back to Amsterdam central station is literally a two minute walk away and the journey takes about 20 minutes.

I would stay at this hotel again but only if i couldn't get into some of the more established (better) hotel's nearer the centre.

I stayed at the Apollofirst for four nights with a friend of mine in June 2005 and we really enjoyed it. The room was clean, and the bathroom was HUGE!! The price of our room included breakfast, which was a buffet each morning. The breakfast had a great selection of hot and cold food. The staff was VERY nice and helpful. The location of the hotel is about a 10-minute walk to the museum area. There is a Tram #5, which is right at the end of the block (2-minute walk) which goes to Central Station and just about everywhere in the city. The hotel also has a great little bar area to relax and have a drink or read. It is very quite and away from the hustle and bustle. It is an older hotel, but I liked its classic charm. I would stay there again if I were in Amsterdam.

I stayed in the Applofirst from March 2-6th, 2005. It is a typical old Dutch hotel with some charm, though it could use some improvements (carpets are a bit shoddy and the rooms could use some brightening up). Its pluses are an extremely friendly and helpful staff - it is in a nice neighborhood walking distance to many places (Van Gogh Museum is 15 Minutes on foot, the university is about 20 minutes on foot). I found the price (125 Euros a night) a bit steep, however it does include breakfast (decent buffet style) and room tax. The breakfast room was lovely with windows to the back courtyard. You can have a nice beer in the evening in the "library" (fake books) and sit in a very comfy leather chair. Convenient shopping is near the hotel as well.
Internet access is provided via access cards, which are 5 Euro per 30 Minutes, which works well. The bathrooms were spotlessly clean, which was a big plus, and the TV had German and English programs.
And if you call the Shipholservice taxi company, they have a flat fee to the airport (22.50 Euro) - -------

We stayed at this hotel from 20-22 August 2004. We had originally booked the Beethoven hotel around the corner, but upon arrival were advised that they had overbooked. They did us a favour by sending us to Apollofirst - it was a very nice, comfortable hotel - although it does not have all the facilities in the room that you'd expect with a four star rating - or for the price (115 Euros!).

It is not right in the centre of Amsterdam but it is in a nice area. The tram stops at the end of the street and it takes about 10 minutes to Dam and 20 minutes to get to the central station. The trams are really frequent, so this was no problem.

The included breakfast was a highlight as it included a cooked breakfast and not just pretend-toast or a bread roll and jam! It was also served until 10.30am, which is a definite bonus when you are on holiday.

The staff were really friendly, and we enjoyed the stay - once we got over the fact that we were paying double what we have paid for comparable Western European hotels in our travels! But it seems that was the curse of booking a last minute weekend in Amsterdam - and we have no regrets.