We were given a small room with a double bed with its side to the wall - it was too small, we tried a room with two single beds instead and they were a lot better. The staff were easy to talk to and helpful. Even if you are a couple, book a twin room to avoid the cramped double. The view onto the street is superb and reflects traditional Amsterdam archetecture. The breakfast facilities are good and as the area is away from the touristy Dam Square, you can get food nearby at reasonale prices. Van Woustraat contains many cheap places to eat. There is a wonderful market nearby on Albert Cuypstraat.

There is only one other hotel on the same street, the rest is residential. There are very few cars at night. Watch out for the stairs - they are the steepest we ever saw. There is a lift in one part of the hotel but not in the other.

Near Rijks and van Gogh museums. Easy to catch trams from or walk if you are half fit.

We stayed here on a one-night lay-over in Amsterdam. Since we wouldn't be spending much time in the room, we looked for something not too expensive. We also wanted a room close to the museums so we could go to one before checking out in the morning. Our room was relatively large and clean. There were a few chairs, a table, a desk, and storage furniture to put your clothes away. The windows were large, could be opened, and afforded a view of the courtyard. The room was quiet and equipped with a television and telephone. Ours was called a deluxe, twin room. The "twin" refers to the two twin beds pushed together. The "deluxe" part probably referred to the room's large size and the shower (I think some rooms had only a tub.) The room was basic -- nothing fancy or attractive. The walls were cement-like -- reminiscent of those in dorm rooms. The mattresses were not very firm, but O.K. for one night. The sheets were heavy and smelled fresh. The bathroom was immaculate with well-working fixtures and nice tile. There was complimentary soap, shampoo, and shower gel. There was good security. (A card had to be used for the outside door, a door to the area of our floor that the room was in, and the room's door.) The breakfast room was very attractive. The breakfast was typically Dutch -- nothing special (cereals, breads, cheese, and meats), but the coffee was good. The staff was very helpful and friendly. A plus for this hotel was its use of the Connexxion hotel shuttle service, which is very convenient, and though it seems pricey, saves money and/or aggravation when compared to cab/train or tram/train. The person at the desk booked our return ride when we checked in and printed out a confirmation on the computer printer. Our ride to the hotel was the typical hotel shuttle ride with other travelers stopping at other hotels, but the ride to the airport was a private luxury van ride with a friendly, talkative driver. Another plus was proximity to the museums and the canal bus. My main complaint was that we stayed in the annex, which smelled of smoke, as did our room. I am not sure whether there are designated non-smoking rooms (Amsterdam has many smokers.) For anyone looking for something basic, clean, convenient, safe, and inexpensive, I would recommend this hotel.

Paid for a triple room and then hotel staff tried to charge us even more because we used the extra bed. We used the extra bed because the mattress on the double bed was so worn two people couldn't sleep in it without rolling into each other. The breakfast was meagre and the staff stingy. The overall feel of this hotel is cheap with just enough decoration to pass for something like a 1-star hotel. Not recommended.

This was my second stay at the Asterisk. The first was in 2001. It appears that they have updated the rooms since the last stay. We were in a room with a shared bathroom. This means that the toilet and shower are in the hall and shared with one other room. The rooms that share the bathroom still have a sink in the room. The rooms are on the small side, but this is fairly common in Amsterdam. Even with the small size they had ample closet space, and good table/shelf space. If you pay with cash breakfast is included. Breakfast is mainly breads and rolls, butter, cheese, lunch meat, coffee and juice. It wasn't the best breakfast and we started skipping the hotel food and going out into the city after the second or third day.

This hotel has a friendly staff, an elevator which is great for getting your bags up to your room, and is in a great location. The hotel is close to several tram lines, is in a quiet residential neighborhood, and is within a pleasent walking distance of the museum quarter.

I would stay here again.