One of the best hotel loyalty program deals for Amsterdam is Wyndham Rewards points for Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Centre. The hotel is a 15 minute tram ride to Dam Square, meaning you will pay about €5 or €6 per day per person for tram tickets, but likely save $60 to $100+ on the price of a comparable room closer to city center. Chain hotels in the old city center Canal Rings are generally over $200 and higher per night, even in low season.
Last week I stayed at Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Centre for five nights using GoFast rates at 3,000 points + €62 per night for a King Bed Panoramic View Executive Room. My bill at checkout was €321.70, after €2.34 per night tax added for 5 nights. My total room rate worked out to $79.11 per night and $395.55 all-in for the 5-night hotel stay. Breakfast was not included in my rate. We stocked up on groceries each day for evening snacks and breakfast.
The posted room rate for the Panoramic View Executive King room category at time of booking was €139.00 / $170.91 per night before tax and €729.75 / $897.27 for a 5-night stay. 3,000 Wyndham Rewards points cut the nightly rate from $179.45 USD to $79.11 USD for the King Bed Panoramic Executive Room.
15,000 Wyndham Rewards points I earned for $170 in spend for 2 hotel nights in Nice, France and Plovdiv, Bulgaria on an October 2017 trip provided a $500 discount on my February 2018 Amsterdam 5-night hotel stay.
This was my third stay at Ramada Apollo Amsterdam in the past 13 months. This trip I stayed in room 1216. My previous trip was room 1116 and 1016 the trip before that. All my room rates were GoFast reward nights at 3,000 points + €62. Floor 16 is the highest guest floor. Eventually I may end up in room 1616.
Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Arrival on Free Shuttle
One of the bonus features of Ramada Apollo Amsterdam is a free shuttle pickup from Schiphol Airport. The return trip from the hotel to the airport is €7.50 per person.
Airport to hotel shuttle runs every 40 minutes with first airport pick up at 6:20am and final pick up at 21:40. Hotel to airport runs every 40 minutes from 6:00 to 21:20. The hotel shuttle area is marked with signs and located on the curb to the far right of Schiphol Airport main entrance doors.
Kelley and I stayed at Hyatt Regency Amsterdam to finish our Amsterdam trip, so we only needed the one way free shuttle to the hotel and not back to the airport.
Room 1216 Panoramic View Executive room has five windows looking south and west, while the main center of Amsterdam is east. The view from bed is mostly high rise apartment buildings and the A10 ring road freeway. None of the windows open at all.
Ramada Apollo Amsterdam is in the northwest corner of Rembrandt Park, one of the primary large parks in West Amsterdam.
There is a domesticated animal petting zoo with a few horses, several goats and sheep across the street from the hotel in the park.
One of the features I enjoy most about the Ramada Apollo Amsterdam location is adjacent Rembrandt Park. A walk through the park to the grocery stores in the neighborhood is five minutes through the park walking past animal farm and over canal bridges, then five minutes through residential apartment buildings to the markets and restaurants around Mercatorplein and along Jan Evertsenstraat.
West Amsterdam is an area that was designed for residential development with a focus on communal living in the 1920s. This side of Amsterdam is constructed for densely populated living with convenient public transportation lines, market squares and parks within 10 to 15 minutes walk from most locations.
I describe the area more fully in an article I wrote last year:
Amsterdam design for social living (July 2017).
Tram 13 is the nearest tram from Ramada Apollo to Dam Square and Centraal Station in about 20 to 25 minutes.
Mercatorplein, ten minutes walk from hotel is #7 tram for Leidseplein, Museumplein, Heineken Brewery and East Amsterdam.
Ramada Apollo Amsterdam gift store sells multiple day tram passes. Trams sell GVB 24 hour (€7.50) and 48 hour (€12.50) ticket cards good for tram/bus/metro rides. Amsterdam Centraal Station has an outside GVB transportation ticket center for tourist tram/bus/metro passes up to 7 days. Tickets can also be purchased at I Amsterdam Visitor Centers in Schiphol Airport and other places.
Room 1216 King Panoramic View Executive
Funky half-back couch is less comfortable than stylish, but I have grown accustomed to the design after a couple weeks of use.
The half-door shower concept is a mystery to me. Neither of us managed to shower without totally soaking the bath floor towel to saturation.
Plenty of storage space in cabinets and a small, but empty refrigerator to load up with daily food and beer from store.
Floor 17 Restaurant-Bar and Rooftop Views
Floor 17 is the restaurant and bar. I ate breakfast buffet on a previous stay and there was a good selection of food. I did not think it was worth the €20 or so each expense for us. Yogurt and fruit from the store is fine for breakfast.
There is also rooftop access up another two floors of stairs from Floor 17.
Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Lobby
Ramada Apollo Amsterdam is a solid choice for a hotel stay in the city with a little bit of country environment. Trams make city center conveniently close and free airport to hotel shuttle is a bonus.
Rooftop views are nice on a sunny day.
Loyalty Traveler – Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Centre hotel review (July 18, 2017).
Loyalty Traveler – Hotel Review: Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Centre on Wyndham Rewards GoFast rate (April 7, 2016).
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