Anyone heard anything about this place? It's supposed to be a high class place (at least compared with other AC hotels) and opens July 2004.

http://www.hotelroyalamsterdam.com/

I'll be there during that time so if it's open I'll check it out...

Hotel Royal Amsterdam just opened, Saturday night. A single economy room is only $16. I am staying there later this week so I will have a report. It looks really nice outside and inside. Outside looks like those tall thin houses by the canals in Amsterdam. Inside the lobby there is a lot of nice wood paneling. I was very surprised they said just $16 for the room. We'll see what they are like. It is located on Fields street between Cambodia and Dirty Duck, on the other side.

Travelsrr, can you also report definitively on their prices for other larger rooms? I heard they raised their original expected rates.

Supposedly this place will feature some HUGE penthouse suite that runs well over $100 a night.

HOTEL ROYAL AMSTERDAM INFORMATION

684 Fields Ave.
Balibago, Angeles City 2009
(between Cambodia and Dirty Duck on other side of the street next to Champagne)

(0063) 45-892-3392 to 95
(0063) 45-625-6212 to 16
(0063) 45-892-3391 FAX
www.hotelroyalamsterdam.com
info@hotelroyalamsterdam.com

RATES
Economy $16
Economy Deluxe $20
Economy Deluxe plus $25
Superior $30
Superior Deluxe $45
Jacuzzi Suite $55
Panorama Suite $150
I am not staying so I can't report further but the place sure looks classy.

I stayed here for a week over Thanksgiving shortly after they opened. I stayed in a superior room for $30 a night under an introductory rate (this room is now $35 a night). The executive summary is that there is a new sheriff in town and this is real 4* hotel room only bigger! This hotel would be a huge bargain even if it was in Thailand. If you don’t need a pool, want to be in smack dab in the middle of the Fields Ave action, and are willing to pay $35 a night you need to look a further. I am actually amazed at how well the hotel looks, and I dig the wood trim everywhere. Clearly tremendous attention was paid to the details.

The lobby and its reception remind me a lot of the Main Street Station hotel in Las Vegas. The restaurant was a priced a little above market – but for the quality of food and the air conditioned comfort you will never find me again eating Kokomoz swill and drinking mason jars full of mango Kool Aid. However, the hotel staff was a little not up to the Central Park standard.

While the common areas are beautiful, the location great, and the restaurant good what makes this place is the incredible large rooms. Let me list the reasons why I love the room. A real coil spring mattress, A sitting area with overstuffed leather love seat and chair with a coffee table, big wadrobe to put away clothes, 25’ color TV with a bazillion channels, a big window that lets in lots of natural light, an in room safe that is a waist level not ankle level, high speed internet access, all tile bathroom with a big open shower stall (a la DI in Pattaya), enough space to put all your toiletries away, and the chicks dig it! My only bitch would be the crappy light bulbs in the numerous recessed lights, and while the carpet is great now when new we all know what happens to hotel carpet.

Anyway check out the pics of this awesome room

Mx, thanks for the great review. Nice to know there is another quality hotel option. Re: the quality of the rooms, however, other than internet access for laptops, doesn't sounds like the place has huge advantages over Swiss Chalet or Apartelle Royal, both of which feature very nice rooms at same/better prices. The deluxe rooms in particular at AR seem substabtially bigger compared to the pics you've posted here.

I can't really comment because I haven't seen the rooms at SC or AR, but this room was pretty dam big at 42 square meters, Also I do think the coil spring mattress is much better than the typical foam pad you get in other hotels. All I can say is that the room is WAY better than the $30 Deluxe room at Central Park. Also, AR and HRA are sister propoerties.

The deluxe rooms at AR are twice this size and have a kitchen.

I stayed at the Apartelle Royale and visited MX's room on several occassions. It appears the two outfits are owned or maanged by the same people as AR said they had no rooms and referred me to their "other" property at the RA. MX's room was very spacious but I also noticed the lack of good lighting. Appartelle rooms were bigger and better lit, and as Blazers noted, there is a kitchennete. AR feels like you're in your apt whereas the RA is a nice hotel. The RA has limited superior rooms, couldn't get one this trip when I first asked about a month ago. I checked out their standard rooms but it seemed a bit too small with no windows. Like the AR, there is no elevator and I recall we had to walk up 4 flights of stairs, one time lugging a drunk barfine.

AR seems to always be booked these days.

Well, I'm here in one of the back rooms and, sure enough, their's someone strangling a cat out behind the hotel as I write this. I've oftentimes wondered what compels tonedeaf people to take up a microphone and subject the surrounding communities to singing that horrible... must be all that cheap booze...

E

Like I've always said....Filpinos love to do three things more than anything else no matter their class, status or province....the love to sing, dance and BBQ.....and they are horrible at all three.....at least in the PI. I used to have that same problem when I had my second floor rooms at Apartelle Royale but now the Fields Videoke shacks are closed down. Seems like you just cant keep those tbirds and dirtbag boyfriends away from Fields no matter how hard they try....like cockroaches.

Thats one of the things that I dislike about AC is that the locals really do their best to try to interfere with your mongering pleasure whereas the Thai motobike drivers and vendors are pretty much sight unseen. Is there any way we can get the locals to build a 20 foot wall to keep out the trike drivers, local dirtbags, beggars, fake viagra vendors, candy/peanut vendors and tbird predators? Only in my dreams.

Can we throw firecrackers at THEM on Filipino independence day (whenever the hell THAT is?). Lol, I think SOngkran HERE would be a BLAST!!!

I've heard bad things about mosquito problems in first floor rooms at the HRA, and sure enuff, I wasn't in Epi's room for more than 2 minutes yesterday before one had bitten a chunk out of me. Funny, but Epi said they had so far left HIM alone. I won't speculate as to WHY.

I was on the top floor at the back room for a couple nights. Damn vendors in that new row hammering all the time, bad Kareoke and motorcycles. Glad is was the top floor, even tho there is no elevator.

I really like this hotel. I have only stayed at RA and the Apartelle Royal. I like both, but the RA is more of a true hotel. It can be expensive or cheap depending on which room you choose, but it has a great location and friendly staff. It has free internet access in the rooms as well.

I have always ended up on the 4th floor and haven't had any problems with "strangling cats" from the videoke shacks. The only problem I've ever had with this hotel is getting a room there. It is almost always filled to capacity.

I guess they do try to nickel and dime you with extra charges with towels, etc. But the charge is almost insignificant.

I'm staying in one of the larger rooms on the 2nd floor right now. No mosquito problems (and with Dengue fever endemic in the PI, that's a good thing), but then I don't have a window either. And the lighting hasn't gotten any better. About the only place in this room with reasonably bright lighting is the sink area. But the rooms are very spacious. Not quite the apartment feel of a suite at the Omni in BKK, but not like staying in a little prison cell either. And as others have commented, the decor is pretty nice.

Just discovered one downside though - no generator. Shortly after finishing my shower this morning everything went dark. Restaurant couldn't even cook without power, so I walked over to Mo's for breakfast.

I was looking for a place to stay in PI last trip and thats one of the first questions I learned to ask was about the generator and also ask if the generator actually works and also lets hope they have the gas to run it. Epi stayed there last time we were in PI. He got some great pics of the girls in the room.

Oh how things can change in a month or two.

The room I got this last time around stank really badly. The carpet (after only a year) is practically worn out and the bathroom smelled of mildew.

Maybe it was just the room, but this hotel seems to be showing signs of wear after only a year. If I were them I would tear out the carpet and replace it with tile. Then they need to do something about the stink in the room. Covering it up with lysol or whatever the maids were using doesn't work.

I have now changed my recommedation of this place to buyer beware. I am going to cancel my reservations for November and change to either Orange Lion or Natalia.

That being said, the hotel staff is still super friendly and nice. It is a shame if they don't fix the problems with this hotel.

I stayed at the Royal Amsterdam hotel from October 9-15, 2005. Here is a pic of the front facade.


Overall I was quite pleased with the hotel. I stayed in room 204 which is a superior room at $35us per night, This room faced Fields avenue. There was a little bit of street noise but not enough to consider it a problem. This is what the room looks like.

I can certainly understand those who were not pleased with the noise from the karaoke bars along the back alley. There must be at least 20 karaoke bars lining the back alley. Many of these bars are open 24 hours a day. Here is a photo of the back of the Royal Amsterdam.

I guess the noise barriers are not doing the job.

Having stayed at the Orchid Inn on my two previous trips I would say that I preferred the Royal Amsterdam and would stay there again in the future.

I stayed at the Royal Amsterdam on my last trip and really enjoyed the $55 a night Jacuzzi Suite. Have rented same for the next trip. Only drawback at all is no pool and the restaurant food is only ok. However, the Bistro (best in AC IMNSHO) is right across the street including a pretty good wine selection.