Seeing in the New Year||Amsterdam 2016


So as explained in my January round up post (if you missed it check it out below) I have been very ill these past few weeks and haven't had a chance to tell you all about my adventures in the Dam!  Well better late than never here it is the post you (hopefully) have all been waiting for My trip to Amsterdam to see in the New Year. 

I will warn you now before you read on, a lot of what I'm about to say about this trip isn't positive and as you will find out It didn't go as I had hoped. However having said that I am glad I got the chance to visit and tick it off my bucket list... Will I go back? Most probably not.... read on to find out why. 

-Day 1- 

Day 1 started on the 30th of December. We were due to fly out from London, Gatwick Airport to Schipol Airport in Amsterdam. The flight left at half 11 and took approximately 50 minutes. We chose to fly with Easyjet and the flight ran very smoothly on the way there. (The way back was a very different story we were delayed by hours coming home) By lunch time we had arrived the other side and this is where we began our trip. 

We had planned (and paid) to stay in The Sofitel Legend The Grand Hotel which is located on one of the main canal streets, a stones throw away from the cities famous Dam Square. We arrived around 2pm and was swiftly shown to our room, which was a small double. 


Photo Credit: glamtravelguide.co.uk
We paid quite an extensive amount for this double and to be perfectly honest with you we wasn't very satisfied with the results. When we initially booked the room a couple of months before hand we were told we were going to be getting a spacious bedroom and adjoining living room. Well needless to say we didn't get either, it was also very dark and dingy and we later figured out this was because we had no lighting and only 1 stand up lamp in the entire room. We decided to ask for an upgrade and explained to the reception desk what we had been promised prior to arriving. 

The staff were more than happy to help and very friendly and kindly offered to clean a suite for us which did have a lounge. There was a small price to pay for the upgrade but seeing how the new suite compared to the first room we were offered we were more than happy to pay the extra price- we even had our own butler which of course we made sure we got full use out of!! 







Here are some of the photo's of the Double Room vs the Suite. First up we have....


The Double room











Now onto the Double Suite with lounge area
















So as you can see in both sets of photos the rooms were VERY different not only in size but also in facilities. Don't get me wrong the double room would have been Ok had we only spent the night there, but as we paid A LOT of money to be there and celebrate the New Year there we wanted something which was a bit more spacious and well just a bit more WOW! We certainly got that when we upgraded, especially having our own butler who scummed to our every need at whatever hour we chose. 

Some of the extra little touches we had in the suite were: 

A heated toilet and sink room as you walked in

A big walk in wardrobe room for two people

A spacious double room with a TV and on suite bathroom, with a bath a TV on the wall in the bathroom and complementary shower gel and grooming kits. 

A large open plan lounge and dining room  with a 50 inch wide screen TV  and large corner sofa. 


The upgrade to the suite made our stay so much more comfortable and special it meant that if we didn't fancy dinner out one night (which I felt like A LOT) we could come back to our suite order room service from our private butler and eat an amazing meal. So if you are coming to Amsterdam make sure you stay at The Grand and ask for a Junior Suite! I promise you won't regret it. (You also get a much better view outside) 







For our first night out we decided to have a little walk about through the main Red Light District and then we were going to go on to Dam Square. The best thing about where our hotel was located was that it was within walking distance to these places. 

Our first stop was the red light district. If you have never been to Amsterdam before you really must come here in my experience it wasn't half as seedy or dirty as I was expecting, it certainly was a spectacle though, but very much the norm there. I remember walking through and all I could smell was marijuana, the streets were very crowded and to be honest It is not somewhere I would choose to walk alone. Although it is a built up area and it is very touristy I still felt nervous. This feeling eased as I became more used to the area, we went in a few of the bars which were mostly filled with Men (most of whom stoned and drunk) we didn't stay too long before we ventured to Dam Square. 

I really liked Dam Square, I liked the buildings around it and I also liked how it was decorated for Christmas with a big Christmas tree in the centre.  





Statue at the Square- A central meeting point

We found a couple of shops on our travels through Dam Square which included h&m, Zara, Footlocker, and another make up shop.

There's also a Subway, MacDonald's and Burger King all on the same street so grabbing a quick bite to eat wasn't a problem. 

We decided to hit the bars surrounding the Square and stayed out pretty late. We then went back to our Hotel for a little nightcap in the hotel bar. 






-Day 2, New Years Eve- 

We quickly found our feet on our first evening in Amsterdam and by the second was ready to hit Amsterdam town. We grabbed some dinner in the lovely hotel restaurant 'Bridges' and made our way outside for a little wonder. Everywhere was SO busy all the clubs and bars were heaving with New Years Eve revellers we started to loose hope we were going to find somewhere to see in the new year. 

I especially started to loose hope (and get very annoyed very quickly) every where we went there were annoying drunken people (mainly Dutch males) setting off fireworks on the streets and the paths we were walking. They were rude, obnoxious and very very dangerous. It really took the shine off of our so far great trip. I felt very unsafe especially when some inconsiderate person decided to let one go straight at my feet. Had it of blown up in my face I could have been facially disfigured! The worst thing was there wasn't a police officer in sight. Luckily we made an escape to a nice looking restaurant and cocktail bar called 'Mystique bar'. 



You can find the bar on Utrechtsestraat Street. Mystique Bar is a cosy (quite dark) little place which serves up some of the most amazing and innovative cocktails from all around the world. The staff were wonderful and catered to our every need, and they also made us cocktails of our choice which wasn't on the menu, I kept going back for more of their Porn star Martini's they were addictive. The one thing I loved about this little hidden gem is that we managed to get a seat by the bar straight away with no complaints, it seemed we picked the right time to visit as it wasn't too busy, it soon filled up though but it never felt over crowded which is how I felt in some other bars I had been in that night and the previous night. 

Here's a few of the drinks we indulged in that 
night...







Everything about this place was classy and elegant and I finally felt like I was enjoying myself. When the clock struck midnight everyone in the bar got together, friends, family and even complete strangers celebrated with a glass of champagne which was on the house- another lovely gesture I thought. Overall I was thoroughly impressed by the cocktail bar, the menu and the service it really made my New Years Eve night special. I am so glad we stumbled upon Mystique and would definitely come back again, I would love to eat upstairs in their restaurant next time. Their famous ribs looked and smelt amazing. 



-Day 3- 

Our last day in Amsterdam before we flew home, saw us doing a few touristy bits and pieces. We decided to hit up a few of the museums including The Ann Frank House and we also spent some time in the Riijksmuseum both equally as good. We originally wanted to do a couple of boat tours but the weather was so cold I honestly don't think we could have physically sat there for that length of time on the water- this is definitely one for the summer! 








Once we finished in the museums we then grabbed a spot of early dinner at our hotel restaurant 'Bridges' the food was gorgeous much like the rest of the hotel. I urge everyone to check this place out if you are in town, it was definitely one of our highlights of the trip. 

Once we polished down our mains decided to venture outside one last time to get some photos of the canals and lovely buildings. This is one of the best things about Amsterdam, I love the architecture it was all so pretty to look at. I'm glad that on our last day the city was quieting down as most of the tourists were leaving and business was as usual (I just wish it was like this when we first arrived).














Overall I would give Amsterdam very mixed reviews. I enjoyed the hotel we stayed in and our time spent in Mystique Bar and we both had an amazing night on New Years Eve but in my opinion Amsterdam is a hyped up place with too many tourists and is very dangerous at times especially for women. I think the laws on  fireworks being sold and let off in the streets seriously needs reviewing and the laws needs to be stricter, as I did not feel safe walking the streets with them going on and being thrown at me.


My one piece of advice if you decide to visit Amsterdam during the new year would be make sure you go with someone or a big group of people including males, because if you are going to be walking around especially on New Years Eve when the fireworks are going off you need to keep yourself safe never walk around alone!!! (Especially females and younger people).
 ALSO  watch out for the bikes! They are everywhere and come at you from every angle- be careful!!! 



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