Hotel de Doelen is a basic yet charming place to stay...it's like staying at an old canal house. Our room was clean and comfortable with a view of the canal. Hotel de Doelen is a great place to use as a center for a trip to Amsterdam & the city of Leiden. The hotel is a 10 min walk (max) from the train station, and around the corner from everything in Leiden. We did not eat at the hotel, there are plenty of places to get all of your meals within a 2 min walk.

If our travels bring us back to the beautiful city of Leiden, we will be staying at the Hotel de Doelen.

This is a basic two star hotel. It is very conveniently located, a short walk from the train station and near restaurants and sights. It is clean. Breakfast was excellent but had to pay extra for it.

Two problems. First, no wifi available. The desk attendant let me use one of the hotels computers so it wasn't too great an inconvenience. Second problem was that the door to the bathroom was an accordion style that was VERY noisy so when one of us got up during the night, opening and closing the door woke the other. Leaving the door parly open was not an option either. Leaving it completely open and the light shown directly on the sleeping partner partner also waking them.

Perhaps not all roomwshad that kind of door but Id sure check before I stayed there again..

The hotel is located in a very attractive street, beside a canal, and near the centre of Leiden, which is a lovely city. The hotel itself is very basic. There is no lift and my single room on the second floor involved a very steep climb up a lot of stairs. Not to be attempted with a heavy suitcase! The single room was small but reasonably equipped with a comfortable bed, desk, and chair. There is free scratchcard internet access. The TV was the smallest I've seen in a very long time, with limited choice of channels. The shower room was also very small but adequate. The shower was good and worked well, and there was plenty of hot water. There are no tea and coffee making facilities in the rooms. The breakfast was typically Dutch, but adequate for 7.50 euros. Checking in and out was very quick and easy.

We were pleasantly surprised by how picturesque this location is. We had the front downstairs room, a queen bed with a rollaway, looking right over the canal. The room was quite warm so we kept the window open until we went to bed. We didn't have a problem with noise (as others have suggested), possibly because we were exhausted each night from our full days of walking everywhere, or possibly because it's just not an issue. The staff were friendly but laid back, a style that suited us.
Leiden is an easy train ride to Amsterdam where you can walk all day, so it's a good alternative accommodation.