My husband and I stayed here for 3 nights recently. The hotel was about a 10-15 minute leisurely walk from the train station. Also we walked everywhere around Leiden and found that this was an excellent location for us. We had room #18,, which is the room that is literally 12 inches inside the front door on the right.. the breakfast room is right across the hallway. With that said,, we did not find it inconvenient at all...We did not experience loud street noises at all, luckily. I can't comment about the breakfast because we didn't eat breakfast at all at the hotel... The front desk person was friendly and helpful. However, if you are checking out early, like we did, (7:15am) it is best to settle up the night before.. Even though the breakfast supposedly starts at 7:30 am, we did not find anyone at all at the reception desk up through 7:20am. We ended up calling the emergency phone number listed at the desk to explain that we were checking out and left the key on the desk. Our room was large actually, and the bathroom was large also, although a little out dated. Still, the bed was comfortable and the room met all of our needs,, we would definitely stay at this hotel again if we find ourselves in Leiden.

I stayed at this hotel for 4 or 5 nights in August 2011. It is a quaint, historical place with friendly and trusting staff. I was in #15 and it was quite a large room with a four poster bed and a large bathroom which had a small shower as well as a big tub. One of my light bulbs blew and I called down to reception and in a few minutes the problem was solved! The room overlooked the street which could be a little noisy (but it is a university town - students having a good time) but it did not bother me as I was staying in the room alone as my son had moved into his place at the university, so the sounds were somewhat comforting. Bed was comfy and sheets and towels were clean! Nice breeze came through the window when opened. Tv was small but it worked. Breakfast is available but I never had breakfast so I cannot comment on that. No lunch or dinner is served here but their is easy walking to restaurants and shopping! Although the hotel could do with some upgrading, all in all it is a charming place (you could feel the history) and I would stay there again.

I really enjoyed my stay at this hotel. It is very centrally located, in an old building with lots of character and an imposing staircase, along a beautiful canal, in a good neighborhood, with plenty to do around about it.

I stayed for two nights, with a friend who was sufficiently enamored by the place to speak of opening a trip advisor account to review it. I have beaten him to it.

The hotel itself is fairly basic, and the age of the building makes it likely that rooms are variable in size. We had no complaints. We were given a large twin room, with two equally large windows. The room was on the first floor, overlooking a court yard, allowing plenty of natural light to enter. The furnishings were in character with the building, and the room was clean and functional.

A particular draw for us was the receptionist. She was friendly, and exceptionally helpful.

My previous visit to Leiden was some years earlier. On that occasion, I stayed in a very small room at the Minerva, which I thought was also a nice hotel. Things may well have changed during the passage of time, but I thought de Doelen compared favourably with that stay. The Minerva perhaps has the more attractive foyer; but the room I stayed in at de Doelen was far superior.

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.