Hotel Museumzicht

Situated in a 19th-century brick building literally across the street from the Rijksmuseum (and a block from Van Gogh), the Hotel Museumzicht (“Museum View”) is a vintage cheapo pick. Rooms, although clean, look like they haven’t been touched since the 1960s, and rates are often among the cheapest in the neighborhood.

The one-star hotel’s 14 rooms are decorated à la grandmother, with floral wallpaper, vintage oil paintings and a few antiques mixed in with simply “old” pieces. An abundance of windows and high ceilings keep the rooms airy. Beds are smallish and, with the exception of a table, chair, and free (and spotty) Wi-Fi, amenities are few. One room in the back has a balcony, the hotel's only smoking area (ask ahead), and most rooms offer stunning neighborhood views.

Although a handful of doubles are equipped with a private bathroom, most rooms share two toilets and two showers on the third and fourth floor. (The nicest shower, it should be noted, is tiled with varicolored ceramic tiles in a lovely traditional Dutch style.) Rooms with shared facilities are equipped with a sink.

Breakfast, included in the room rate, is served at small wooden tables in the Hotel Museumzicht’s charming breakfast room, which doubles as a TV lounge with a small book-exchange library (and more reliable Wi-Fi). The room features period details (nice crown molding, antique furnishings), along with fresh flowers, old theater posters and Murano-style chandeliers. Best of all, the lounge offers a bird’s-eye view over the busy museum area.

We spent two nights in the hotel during our last stay and enjoyed our small room with shared bath overlooking the back garden. Although we found the walls to be quite thin (hello, neighbors!), we otherwise were satisfied with our room, the low rates, and (sigh!), that view.

One important note: The Museumzicht has a dizzyingly steep staircase and does not have an elevator. To reach our top-floor room, we had to climb 67 steps with our luggage, and there was never an offer for help. The hotel is definitely not recommended for those with any difficulty climbing stairs (or lifting luggage).