Hotel AmicitiA

I’m dipping into my travel archives a little bit to recommend a truly unique experience for anyone looking to do Amsterdam on a budget!

If the thought of a regular hostel doesn’t quite float your boat, then the answer is simple: float on a boat at Hotel AmicitiA! Permanently docked right in the city centre, this hotel on water is the ideal location for tourists looking to cram as much of ‘Dam’s sights and culture in as possible, while also being part of the culture itself!

Hotel AmicitiA

The boat has two decks; the upper deck being a communal area with a few kitchen-y bits like a microwave and cutlery, and also a stocked fridge of drinks that has an honesty-box style donation pot. Its cosy and a great place to spend evenings playing games or utilising the free wifi. I spent a rainy afternoon curled up in an armchair, reading, writing and watching the world go by; I had the whole place to myself and it was perfect! There’s also a few toilets and access to the outside deck.

SONY DSC

The rooms make up the lower deck of the boat, accessible only by a very narrow flight of stairs – worth bearing in mind if you have large suitcases! Each cabin sleeps two people in built-in bunk beds, and also has a little sink and a bit of storage. They’re small, but if you’re spending all your time in your cabin then I think you’re doing something wrong, ha! At the end of the corridor, there are showers and toilets; they’re pretty small and the water pressure was a bit dodgy at times, but they do the job.

The hotel has a slightly unusual set-up when it comes to staff; for the duration of the day, there’s no staff aboard, and access to the boat is by a door code, with room keys left out on the desk in named envelopes. If you have any problems, there’s a contact number – I actually had to call it as I was having a problem with the door code and they were really helpful! The owner is around in the morning for breakfast, which is a Dutch/continental style buffet, and this is when you can sort out payment (cash only!) and checking out.

Overall Pros:

Great city centre location – right outside NEMO
Nearby underground public car park – I think I paid about €12.50 for 24 hours
A short walk from the train station and ferry terminal
Super rustic and full of character
Great for backpackers
Facilities like free wifi, microwave

Overall Cons:

Not really suitable for families
All bunk beds
No staff around during the day
Showers were a tad unreliable
Not ideal if you can’t stand swaying a little while trying to sleep!

I honestly loved this hotel; I know there were a few flaws but I had such a lovely relaxed time on the boat that I really didn’t mind the dodgy showers and small cabin. It was just such a unique and fun experience, and I would 100% recommend it to backpackers and budget travellers!

Would you sleep on a boat?

Twitter / Bloglovin / Instagram

July 4, 2016Lottie Leave a comment

Friday Favourite Five – My Europe Highlights

Aaannd I’m back to regular scheduling!

I would say you’ve heard the end of my European adventures, but I’m afraid that’s just not true because I’ve got a few more related posts up my sleeve, and as its Friday.. Wanna hear my favourite moments of my trip? (I am, of course, leaving Disneyland Paris out of this)

1. Mont St Michel

This was always going to be a big part of my trip; its no secret how much I love Tangled, and being on the real site that inspired the most beautiful fairytale kingdom was really magical for me.

2. Neuschwanstein Castle

Another from the bucket list, I truly fell in love with this castle, and seeing it in all its beauty truly made a difficult day a lot easier. I’d love to go back and see the inside!

3. Geneva

I really wasn’t expecting to be blown away by a city rather than a landmark on this trip, but I had an amazing day in Geneva, and while I don’t think my heart could cope with driving the city again, I’d 100% return for a city break.

4. Chateau de Chillon

This beauty was another place that I was looking forward to on this trip, but as well as living up to expectations, I was really impressed with it as a tourist destination; the access and information provided made it well worth the trip.

5. Amicitia

I know it seems silly to choose a hotel as a highlight, but staying on a real canal boat in Amsterdam was great. I loved curling up in the cosy common area, and despite the small cabin, it was a real experience!

October 16, 2015Lottie 1 Comment

Lottie Does Europe: There and Back Again

Well good readers, thus ends my grand adventure in the great wide somewhere. This post is coming to you from somewhere along the journey home; my dad came out to meet me in Amsterdam this morning, so he’s the one driving at the moment!

As the title might suggest, I’m really feeling a whole lot like Bilbo Baggins right now. I’ve been on a truly life changing adventure, there was even a dragon at one point, but I’m also really looking forward to coming home, and a bit of normality.

If you’d told the person I was a year ago that I’d make this trip, I probably would have laughed in your face. An adventure, sure, but two weeks completely by myself? Yeah right. I was the person that wouldn’t sit in a cafe or restaurant by myself, let alone go on a road trip through several different countries!

As for today, after Dad met me in the city we drove to a small town called Delft to have a little look around and grabbed some lunch before heading to the ferry. We were basically the last ones to get onto the ferry due to running a little late, but it meant no waiting around so that was a bonus really. The ferry journey was long, but it had an onboard cinema, so we went to watch Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and also The Martian, which took us pretty much up til we docked in Harwich, and now it’s just a case of back to Bournemouth!

No pictures today as its a late one and I’m using my phone data to post this, but normality resumes tomorrow, after I’ve had a bit of a lie in!
Really glad to be home 🙂

October 15, 2015Lottie Leave a comment

Lottie Does Europe: Canal Boats and Adventures

And I’m in Amsterdam!

After what I can only really describe as an ‘interesting’ night, I was all too happy to leave my hotel in Brussels nice and early to get on the road, and got into Amsterdam at around 11am. I’d done some research, and found a cheap 24hr stay underground car park that was fairly central to everything, as well as near my hotel, so headed there to leave my car and do the day on foot.

First on the agenda was NEMO, the science centre. I’ve done my fair share of museums this trip, but I’ve been dying to find a science museum, I am my mother’s daughter after all! It was literally 2 minutes walk from the car park, and in that two minutes I also spotted my hotel, so I was really onto a winner. I would seem, however, that most of the schools and families in the area had had the same idea for their day, and the place was packed with noisy kids running around, but it was fab nonetheless. With 4 floors, I spent a good few hours walking around, trying the various experiments and activities; there was something for everyone from tots to teens to adults.

Following that, I walked along the canal and stopped off for some lunch in a Starbucks (which isn’t a place I usually frequent, but it was cold and I needed a hot chocolate and a toastie) and stayed there a little while watching the boats in the canal. There seemed to be a few ‘hop on, hop off’ style canal boats going round, so I decided to go in search of one of these tours, heading for the main ferry terminal as my first stop. This, however, came to no avail, so I continued along the main stretch of water, towards the central bus and train station. Still no luck, so I kept walking.

Eventually, I realised I had been wandering the city for a few hours, seeing plenty of its beauty, but no closer to finding any of these tours. It was getting darker, there were ominous drops falling from the sky, and I wasn’t 100% sure where I was in relation to my hotel, so I decided it was probably time to start finding my way back. I went back to the car to get my things, and made my way back to the docks.

Yes, the docks, because you see my hotel for the night is, in fact, a canal boat: AmicitiA. I have a little cabin on the lower deck, with bunk beds and a tiny porthole window, and the upper deck is a cosy common area, which I currently have to myself, watching the boats go by outside in the rain. I’m loving it, its going to be the perfect way to end my trip!

October 14, 2015Lottie Leave a comment

Lottie Does Europe: A Hanover Stop-over

The hotel I stayed at last night had the comfiest bedding. Like, I almost didn’t want to leave kind of comfy. Just wow.

But I did, and you know how I’ve said the last few days about it getting colder? Well this morning when I eventually left the cosy bed to leave Frankfurt, it was a chilly 3°C out. My drive to Hanover was, yet again, delayed somewhat by more motorway roadworks, and by the time I’d arrived, it had warmed up to a practically tropical 6°C; hello big coat!

I arrived at about 1pm, and with a growling stomach, so I was delighted to see a shining beacon of hope; a guarantee of good, reasonably priced food and one of my favourite places ever.. IKEA. I mean, it would be rude not to, right? Well I thought so, so lunch and a quick browse was on the cards.

Unfortunately, due to awful wi-fi at my last hotel, I hadn’t had a chance to look up anything to do with the rest of my day, so it was down to my trusty sat-nav to find me something. ‘Find Point of Interest’, ‘Near You’, ‘Tourist Attraction’, and hope for the best.. And it came up trumps: another zoo! I love zoos, so this being the second this trip really wasn’t a problem for me, plus it was only 15 minutes away from where I was, so hello zoo trip #2!

This zoo was a little smaller, but more efficient; it probably had more animals than Mulhouse, but not as spread out, and the map came with a marked route to take so you didn’t miss anything out. It was a really well themed zoo too: each area was set up to look like the country of origin – Africa, Australia, India etc. This pretty much took up the rest of my afternoon, chilling with the animals. And chilling is the most appropriate word there, it was so cold that I’m afraid my hands were so busy trying to warm up in my pockets that there really weren’t a lot of photos today!

It’s so crazy to think that I’ve only got two full days left before I head home..

October 12, 2015Lottie Leave a comment

Lottie Does Europe: Bavarian Castles

So this morning I watched the sunrise as I crossed the border into Germany at about 8am; it was beautiful and poetic with the morning mist rolling down the hills and over the little towns.

But the skies soon became pure cloud as I drove deeper, and to me this only meant that I was getting closer to my destination; the sole reason my trip brought me to Germany..

Neuschwanstein Castle.

The Bavarian beauty that has been inspiration for so many others, and for Walt Disney classic castle designs, as well as featuring in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang film. Sat on the hillside, it towers over the valley and lake below, way up in the clouds.

So it was a total rookie mistake on my part to plan this trip for a Saturday; I’d arrived at the ticket centre at about 11am, by which time all tickets until after 4pm had gone, and I wasn’t going to wait 5 hours for a tour. The great thing is though, you can still see the castle from the outside free of charge, and that includes walking into the castle and seeing the courtyards – its just the rooms of the castle that are only accessible by guided tour. The walk up to the castle (although you can take a bus or carriage) was a steep winding road, lined with autumnal forest on each side, occasionally broken up by mountain streams. That in itself was beautiful, and then you reach the castle..

I was surrounded by loud tourists with selfie sticks, but I didn’t care because this view took my breath away. I walked all around it, and further up the mountain path to look out over the whole valley, and for the first time this year it really felt like Autumn was upon us; I was in my big coat and still a little chilly, and I could see my breath. After a while of aimless walking and admiring, I headed back down the path to the village, and across to the castle on the other side. Yes, one valley, two castles.

This was the Hohenschwangau Castle. Again, because I didn’t want to queue all day for a ticket, I just walked the outside of this pretty yellow palace, admiring the gardens and fountains. I was glad I hadn’t waited to go up to Neuschwanstein, because by the time I’d made it up the steps to Hohenschwangau, the cloud had dropped so much you could hardly see the top of the castle.

After finishing up with the castles, I headed straight to my hotel in Stuttgart for the rest of the evening.

This morning, at around 5.30am, my family suffered a great loss as my grandad left us. Its never easy, in fact its very hard, but it wasn’t a case of loosing a battle, his mind and soul have simply been freed from the body that was holding him back, and now he can move on to greater things. I’m taking comfort in knowing that now both my grandfathers are together; both free of suffering and both at peace. I love them both very much and they will always be in my heart, but now they are with God.

October 10, 2015Lottie Leave a comment

Lottie Does Europe: Chateau de Chillon

Real quick one tonight guys and gals as today has mainly be spent driving!

Another up and go kind of morning, back into Switzerland to drive to the main reason I wanted to visit Switzerland: Le Chateau de Chillon.

Look familiar? Well that would be because its been re-created in Disney animation magic, as it was the inspiration for Prince Eric’s castle in The Little Mermaid!

The castle itself was built on rocks just off the shore of the lake, a natural stronghold with stunning surroundings, and I spent a good few hours exploring every nook and cranny! Despite looking surprisingly small from the outside, every room/courtyard/tower is packed with history, as well as information about it. You can pay a little extra for an audioguide, but the paper guide they gave me was great; it showed routes for you to take through all the areas, as well as information corresponding with each room.

It was truly stunning from every angle, and the perfect weather only added to the beauty!

And with that I was back on the road for the long drive to Zurich for the night! Because I’m skipping all toll roads, it was just over 5 hours, and I arrived starving hungry, so after finding my hotel, first on the agenda was finding a supermarket to buy some dinner, so I got a little wander of the city in too. Tomorrow I’ll be leaving Switzerland for Germany, and another castle! Good night!

October 9, 2015Lottie Leave a comment

Lottie Does Europe: Sweeties, Monkeys and a Castle in the Clouds

Bonjour!

This morning was another up and get going kind of day; I will let myself have a lie in at some point this holiday, but I wanted to squeeze a lot in this morning as a lot of places around here tend to open for a few hours in the morning, close for an hour or so over lunch, then re-open in the afternoon.

I spent yesterday evening working out the order of events for the day, which started with Le Palais du Pain d’Epices – yes, a gingerbread museum! I didn’t really know what to expect, but was actually pleasantly surprised. It was only €3 for entry, and the museum itself was totally adorable; an animated gingerbread man leads a tour via screens in each of the rooms! Unfortunately he only spoke French, but all the information boards around each of the rooms had translations for both English and German. I learnt about the history of gingerbread, and it’s significance in the region, then walked through the house of the gingerbread man, snapping as many pictures of various recipes as I could, before entering their recently set up Christmas gingerbread grotto, which featured an entire wall of gingerbread bricks, made in the onsite bakery. I also got a glimpse of the production line through windows into the factory, where staff were mixing, baking and decorating gingerbread treats! Finally, it was exit via gift shop, where I was totally overwhelmed by the vast quantities and varieties of biscuits.

Keeping on a foodie theme, next up was Les Secrets du Chocolat Musee! After paying for my ticket (I can just about do that conversation in French now), I was handed a small box of chocolates, and pointed towards the door of a theatre, so without wanting to seem like a English moron, I walked into the auditorium and took a seat, when a film started playing on the big screen; it was a guided tasting of the chocolates I’d just been given! The man spoke French, but with subtitles I could follow along easily as I ate each of the 4 chocolates, as well as seeing a little clip about the production of each one – fab! After that was over, I walked through the museum itself, which covered the history of chocolate, it’s journey to Europe and historical significance, and also a bit more of the production. Another gift shop, which smelt amazing but I resisted, ever conscious of my strict budget!

Next on the list was Montagnes des Singes, a monkey sanctuary. I arrived just as they had closed for lunch, so sat out in the car park for a bit to chill out and munch on some of my car food. This was when the heavens opened and the rain began, but ever over-prepared, it was just coat on and brolly up, and I was back to it. I got in as soon as it re-opened, which meant it was fairly quiet. It was basically just a huge enclosure that you could walk through, with over 200 macaques running around that you could hang out with; as you enter, you’re given a handful of popcorn to feed them as you go round, and the little guys are everywhere, and so interesting to watch. There was a feeding talk shortly after I got in, which is normally in French or German only, but as there was a large group of Americans, they had agreed to do it in English which was a lucky coincidence!

After finishing up with my monkey buddies, I had planned on going to the nearby eagle sanctuary, but due to the poor weather they had closed, so I went off grid a little, following road signs to a ‘nearby’ castle. It was right at the top of what seemed like a small mountain, although I couldn’t tell as everywhere around me was just cloud! It was the Chateau de haut-Koenigsbourg, a 12th century stronghold that had been destroyed and abandoned during the Thirty Years War, and restored at the beginning of the 20th century. Although it boasts spectacular views of the surrounding area, I saw nothing but cloud, which actually made it seem even more impressive and you get a real sense of how high you are. The castle itself was a mixture of its original self, the work of the restoration, and also more recent efforts to maintain it, but was impressive nonetheless.

After descending the mountain, leaving the cloud up there, I really got to appreciate some of the beautiful villages I was driving through, which was really the reason behind my wanting to visit Alsace. The combination of brightly coloured and classic half-timbered buildings, as well as windy streets and villages separated by vast fields really was something to appreciate in itself. I headed towards Colmar, which was a town I had wanted to see, but after driving around for a little while, it became clear that it wasn’t really as tourist-y as I had thought it would be, so I drove around the streets taking in some of the city sights, but didn’t stop, instead making my way straight to Mulhouse, where I’m staying for 2 nights now. A quick stop at the supermarket to pick up some food, and a hotel room picnic for dinner; I’m a happy girl!

October 6, 2015Lottie 2 Comments

Lottie Does Europe – An Afternoon in Alsace

Good evening from Strasbourg! (stupid internet at my hotel won’t allow any photo uploads, so check back for pics later!)

As I mentioned yesterday, I was up bright and early again this morning to finish the drive to Strasbourg, and by finish, I mean another 3+ hours of driving! I’m actually surprised with how well I’m doing with the long drives by myself; I think because driving is something that is often done alone, for me it makes to real difference that I don’t have any company – you know, besides the voices in my head!

I got to Strasbourg just before midday, found an underground car park and began exploring on foot. I was planning on going straight to the tourist information centre to get some ideas and info on what to do with my afternoon, but after taking a wrong turn, I ended up a little lost and decided that I would just let my feet take me wherever. I followed the pretty side streets, and eventually ended up in an area I’d wanted to visit anyway: Petit France.

SONY DSC

Situated by the canal, the area boasts beautiful classic French houses, dating back centuries; they were just stunning! After a little more meandering, and popping into a few local shops, it dawned on me that I had no idea where I was in relation to the carpark, and no idea how to get back, but as luck would have it, I turned onto a street I remembered from driving through the city, and just followed the route I’d driven to get back. It was while I was retracing my steps that I caught a glimpse of the cathedral..

Helpfully also named Notre Dame (as I swear all French cathedrals are), it towers over the surrounding buildings, and as I marvelled over it, I realised I was just round the corner from the carpark – great! – and that just across the square from the cathedral was the tourist centre I had been searching for – bonus! I grabbed as many of the brochures that took my interest, including one for a little train tour of the city, which was just about to leave from across the square, so I jumped on that. It took a route around the city, and had an audio commentary that I could listen to in English on headphones. For €7, it was a really great way to see around the city, and hear a little about the history.

After the tour, I thought I’d hit a few of the museums.. Turns out, most places in the region don’t open on Mondays! So after grabbing a late lunch, I decided to go and find my hotel, which I’d already booked, so I could look properly at some of the leaflets I’d collected and plan my next few days – I love logistical planning. One of the attractions, an aquarium, was only a 25 minute drive from my hotel, so I decided to head straight across there after checking in.

It was fairly small, and I was basically the only person there, but the resident cat kept me company as I went round! I was actually fairly impressed with the range of creatures; I had expected just fish but there were also tortoises, snakes, and even some crocodiles, as well as raccoons and copyu running around in outdoor enclosures.

By the time I was done, I figured there wasn’t really time to do anything else, and walking around the aquarium alone had made me feel a little sorry for myself, so I headed back to the hotel to cheer myself up by finishing planning my next few days of adventure, and spending a bit of time watching cheesy French TV while I got some writing done.

Bon nuit!

October 5, 2015Lottie 2 Comments

My European Roadtrip – What I’m Packing

Guys, I LEAVE FOR EUROPE TOMORROW!!!

Yeah, I’m just a tad excited, and when I’m excited for a holiday, I start packing stupidly early. I’m not even kidding, my clothes have been packed for a week already! So today I’m going to share with you what I’ll be bringing with me – not the entire contents of my suitcase or anything, but the main bits, and my ‘car kit’ etc!

Suitcase essentials

Obviously, my case is primarily full of clothes, and I’ve been planning my outfits for ages (cos I can’t just wing it!), as well as undies and socks and tights etc. I’m also bringing my own towel and a full washbag, because I can’t rely on half the hotels I’ll be staying at to provide some of these bits.

Disneyland Paris

I’m so excited for my birthday weekend in DLP, and therefore necessary Mickey ears have been packed, as well as my lovely new tote bag, and I’m looking forward to revealing my beautiful birthday dress, which I’ll be wearing in the parks on Saturday!

The Tech

I can’t go anywhere without my camera, of course, and I’ll be bringing my laptop so I can regularly back up photos, as well as blogging my adventures. Of course my phone will be coming, and I’ve got a European data sim so that I can keep connected in low wifi areas, and obviously I’ll be bringing all the relevant chargers and travel adaptors!

Car Kit

As its a road trip, I’ve got to make sure I’m stocked up with the necessary items for driving in Europe: breathalyzers, a safety triangle, headlamp diffusers and a high-vis jacket are legal requirements in most countries. I’ve also got a full European atlas – as well as my new satnav – a blanket, first aid kit, torch, and all my necessary paperwork: European breakdown cover documents and car registration. As you can see, I’ve organised it all in this handy car-boot organiser!

Food

I’m not going to be stuffing the car full of food, but in order to save myself a bit of money (I am on a budget after all!), I’ll be bringing a selection of breakfast options – cereals, biscuit bars etc – to save the cost of breakfast each day, or lunch if my hotel provides breakfast, as well as a few snacks and possibly a couple of ‘instant’ meal options, should the facilities be available for me to heat my own meals. I’m also bringing some bottled water for long journeys, as well as those handy little squash bottles!

So tomorrow I’ll be packing all this into my little car, and we’ll hit the road! Do you have any road trip essentials?

xoxo

September 29, 2015Lottie 1 Comment

My Upcoming European Road Trip

As some of you may know, its not too long before I pack up my car and head out on an adventure in the great, wide somewhere. Well, strictly speaking its just Western Europe, but still.. Yes, I’m going on a road trip! And yes, I’m going alone, and I’m really quite excited about that.

The premise behind planning the trip was really my 21st birthday. I’m not a huge fan of my own birthday, but being my 21st I knew I had to commemorate it somehow, and I started thinking about it shortly after my last birthday. Originally I had the wonderful idea of returning to Disney World, until it turned out to be not quite so wonderful; October is inconvenient – I’d have no one to go with. This had me totally disheartened, and I began to accept that an unforgettable birthday wouldn’t be on the cards.

Then one day I was writing my travel bucket list, and it suddenly occured to me how easy it would be to visit quite a lot of these incredible places in one go, and thus the road trip was born! I began planning and playing around with dates, as I already had two weeks booked off work, and then something else kinda amazing happened – my parents approached me with the idea of spending my birthday weekend in Disneyland Paris, and it all fell into place!

So where am I headed?

Well I’ll be hitting the road on the 30th, and catching a ferry across to France before driving down to Mont St Michel. After exploring the beautiful peninsula, I’ll be heading across to Paris to meet my parents and sister when they fly in, and we’ll be spending the weekend in Disneyland Paris!

Once they head home, I’ll be continuing across to the east of France, before spending a few days working my way down through the Alsace region, stopping at the picturesque towns of Strasbourg, Colmar and Mulhouse. From France, I’m ducking into Switzerland for a day or two, spending time in Geneva and visiting Chateau de Chillon before making my way into Germany.

My must-see in Germany is Neuschwanstein, the castle Walt Disney based several of his iconic palaces on. After that, I’ll be driving up through Germany, stopping in Dusseldorf, and on into Amsterdam for my last few days before catching a ferry back to the UK on the 15th.

Yes, I’m a little light on the specifics, but that’s the beauty of this trip. I know where I want to go and what I want to see, but the timescale is totally flexible. I’m officially winging it!

Want to keep up with me?

Don’t worry, I’ll be posting my daily antics every evening, and no doubt blowing up my Instagram and Twitter with photos. I’m also planning to Periscope a bit on my trip, so if you scope, give me a follow!

xoxo

September 22, 2015Lottie 3 Comments

Lottie Does

Creating and sharing magic!

Tag Archives: Europe