Loyalty Traveler Lost and Found in Amsterdam

Tell me if you have heard this one before? A guy walks into a hotel in Copenhagen and logs onto free wifi to work on his blog. The next morning when the guy turns off his computer to leave the Copenhagen hotel for Amsterdam, his computer decides to install updates. Then, the guy flies to Amsterdam, turns on his computer again and discovers his computer wants a previous password he has not used since initial set-up.

48 hours later. I have not been able to access my computer for the past two days. I typed in my 4 digit PIN I use every day and I have used for past six months since owning this computer.

Message came back stating I need to use my previous password to sign in. Since I have only used a PIN since the day I set up the computer, I had no idea what password for this PC I was being asked to provide.

Then, after 48 hours, I happened to be scrolling through my iPhone notes for a password to another online account when I found a note from last January with a password to this computer I have not used since I set the PC up after purchase.

Loyalty Traveler was lost in Amsterdam for two days, but now I have found my online voice again. I really thought I might be off  blogging for three weeks while traveling around Europe.

No real panic.

Hell, I am in Amsterdam and there is plenty of stuff to keep me occupied besides sitting in front of my computer.

Amsterdam Basics

Trams and Metro make navigating around Amsterdam a relatively painless effort. Main key to cheaper travel here is buy a multi-day tram pass for 1 to 7 days. A single ride ticket valid for 60 minutes cost 2.90 EUR. A one day pass is 7.50 EUR and a multi-day pass for 3 days is 17.50 EUR. Buy 4 days at 22 EUR to drop the price to 5.50 EUR per day. Longer period tickets lower the daily rate to 4.50-5.00 EUR per day.

A hotel about 15 minutes out of the city center can be less than 50% the price of a canal district hotel.

Goats grazing in Rembrandtpark near Ramada Apollo Amsterdam.

My room at Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Centre near Rembrandtpark is 3,000 points + 65 EUR per night after tax. We have a large Corner Executive Room about as large as the Hyatt Andaz suite we stayed in last year for 12,500 points + $150 + Diamond suite upgrade.

Loyalty Traveler – Andaz Amsterdam Suite Upgrade on Hyatt Points + Cash rate

Tram 13 stop is a couple minutes walk outside the Ramada Apollo hotel.

Adm. Helfrichstraat stop near Ramada Apollo for #13 tram Amsterdam runs from 6am to 12:09am with frequency from every 7 minutes during mid-day to every 12 minutes in off-peak hours. Night bus runs every 30 minutes after midnight.

Tram #13 takes about 15 minutes to reach Dam Square.

Dam Square, Amsterdam is one of the city’s central focal points. 

Best of all about being in a residential area of Amsterdam is access to three different supermarkets and a dozen dining places for Turkish shoarma lamb and chicken dishes at 5 EUR or less.

And this week Albert Heijn supermarket has several beer brands at 20% discount. After taste-tasting Dutch brands, Heineken surprised me to actually win my taste-test battle for best brew.

Standard size 30cl bottles (10.14 oz) of Heineken are normally 0.65 EUR. My beer price with my Albert Heijn Bonus Kaart has been 0.52 EUR per bottle or 60 cents USD.

Heineken, the green choice.

If I would man up and carry a full case of Heineken back to the hotel, the price drops to 8.99 EUR for 24 beers or 43 cents per bottle.

Efficient Living

The main impression that has been with me for the past three days in Amsterdam is this city is so efficiently livable, perhaps more so than any other city I have visited.

The longest I have stayed in Amsterdam at one time is 16 days. I think I could easily stay here 16 months, perhaps 16 years.

 

July 2017

San Francisco SFO – Copenhagen, Denmark – Stockholm, Sweden – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Prague, Czechia – Bratislava, Slovakia – London, England – San Francisco SFO (22 days-20 hotel nights-6 flights-6 bus trips.

My July in Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Czechia and Slovakia July 5, 2017

SAS flying over San Francisco

Copenhagen, Denmark: Skt. Petri Copenhagen Choice Hotels Ascend Collection

Amsterdam, Netherlands: Loyalty Traveler Lost and Found in Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands: Ramada Apollo Amsterdam Centre hotel review

Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam design for social living

Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam beer, bud and burger joints

Amsterdam and Prague Hotels: 2 stays earned 1 Free Friday Park Plaza Vondelpark Amsterdam and Park Inn Prague

Prague, Czechia: Pickpocket stole my wallet on Prague Airport Bus

Prague, Czechia: Park Inn Prague hotel review

Prague, Czechia: Best Western Hotel Kinsky Garden Prague truly boutique

Prague, Czechia: Hotel review Clarion Prague City reward stay

Prague, Czechia: Vyšehrad, Prague far from the madding crowd

Pilsen, Czechia: Marriott Courtyard Pilsen CZ category 1 reward stay

Pilsen, Czechia: Pilsen Czechia photoessay

Brno, Czechia: Holiday Inn Brno, CZ PointBreaks stay

Brno, Czechia: Brno by beer

Brno, Czechia: Brno Bones in Europe’s Second Largest Ossuary

Czechia: Impressions after 9 days in Czech Republic

Bratislava, Slovakia: Review Radisson Blu Bratislava Slovakia

Bratislava, Slovakia: Walk to Bratislava Castle Slovakia photo essay

Bratislava, Slovakia: Bratislava Slovakia photo essay part 2

Bratislava, Slovakia: Category 1 Park Inn Danube Bratislava Slovakia opens Oct 1, 2017

Bratislava, Slovakia: Trip Report Regiojet Bus Bratislava to Brno Airport

London, UK: Buyer Beware National Express bus London Stansted to London Heathrow

London, UK: Radisson Blu Edwardian Heathrow hotel review

Hotel Loyalty: Loyalty? Yes! Loyal? Not so much for my hotel travel

Hotel Loyalty: My two Club Carlson Free Friday Nights posted today

Airline Loyalty: Aegean Silver elite and 17,000 miles to Star Alliance Gold