Best Western Zaan Inn

Stayed here for a weekend to celebrate my birthday and visit Amsterdam. The location is perfect - five minute walk to the train station and then either three stops to Schiphol or two into Amsterdam Centraal. There is a good range of shops near to the hotel in the centre of Zaandam and some bakeries to have breakfast if you choose not to eat in the hotel. We booked a suite at the hotel which had a big kitchen/living room as well as a generous-sized bedroom and shower room. The staff at the hotel were incredibly helpful and printed off suggested routes to Keukenhof for us and our boarding passes when it was time to leave. They also decorated our room to mark my birthday which was a nice touch. Only minor point was that the duvet on the bed was fairly thin and one of the pillows was lumpy but other than that the hotel was clean and fairly well kept. Would recommend for those willing to stay outside of the centre of Amsterdam and pay a bit less for better accommodation. A good weekend overall. One tip though - do allow plenty of time to visit Keukenhof in peak season. It took us nearly an hour to get on a bus from Schiphol and the traffic was terrible! less

We booked two rooms. It’s just like a two bedroom apartment with microwave and some kitchenette. Our family can stay together and share our story during the stay. House keeping is at high quality. The person keeps the room clean and tidy. Reception staff is friendly and helpful. The only downside that I don’t like is the pillow that is too small. The hotel is less than 5 minutes walk to Zaandam train station. There is a big supermarket between the hotel and the train station. You can get anything to eat or anything that you forgot between 7 am to 9 pm. The hotel also sells some drink and some snacks 24x7. I didn’t try the hotel restaurant. less

I'm sitting in my room at this hotel, unbelievably happy as 2 hours ago , in this very room, I got engaged.. Checked in early with some really good reception staff, helpful and friendly. Came back from a walk to celebrate with a drink in the bar.. And it's all down hill. The girl behind the bar is unsmiling, lacking in knowledge.. Doesnt know what ale is and doesn't know what cider is. Her attitude is that of some one who would rather be some where else. We took a couple of wine glasses, bought a very expensive small bottle of prosecco at reception and went to take it to our room... Miss miserable literally cut us off at the lift like she had stalked us. You can't take those she said snatching them from us.. We went to reception and were given 2 plastic cups... We then went back to the lift where she peered out at us, clearly pointing us out to another staff member.. Apparently you can't take glasses to the room.. However there are ways of talking to people... But it's OK for us to have a meal in the hotel restaurant tonight where there is no ceiling and dust can drop down... I'm too happy to let this upset me but the food and beverage staff are lacking social skills less

Pros The hotel is 5 minutes from the train station, which is convenient. Takes a little less than 15 minutes to get to Amsterdam from Zaandam train station. The hotel is pretty new and most important it is very clean. The staff is friendly and professional. Cons The bed is too soft. It affected me since I have back pain. Our room is above the kitchen and we smelled food when the air condition was turned on. Luckily it was winter so we kept the AC off. We didn't complain about these issues during our stay. Didn't want to make a big deal about it since nothing can be done except maybe change our room which we didn't want to do. Figured it wouldn't help with the bed situation so didn't bother. With that said I probably wouldn't stay at this hotel again because of the soft beds. less

This is nice and calm hotel, easy access to the train station just a couple of foot steps away. It is also close to the Zaandam centrum shopping area. The parking is free at this property which is a savior. We just made use of the trains to go to Amsterdam central which was just one stop away. The room was neat and tidy and room service was good as well. The staff were all very friendly and were in the holiday spirit which we also felt. Probably not a hotel for family just because it’s not spacious and doesn’t have a lot of activities for kids but I’d definitely stop over again if I made a trip with my spouse or friends. We haven’t tried their food so I wouldn’t be able to rate that. Otherwise I’d say it’s very good and would recommend it. less