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AzLaker had a good topic about renting a Houseboat. It's a great topic, so I thought I'd write a story or two about my houseboat rentals.

I've rented a houseboat 5 times (one of them was twice). I HIGHLY recommend the houseboat rental if you are intrigued, willing, and able. It is a wonderful experience.

1. My first ever Houseboat rental was Jackie's boat. Everyone reading this forum has most likely walked by this boat.

https://www.houseboathotel.nl/accommoda ... boat_bk87/

It was a fantastic boat. Like your first real girlfriend, it was memorable in many, many ways. The location was amazing. The boat gently rocks, and sleeping is a dreamy experience. My absolute favorite aspect of this houseboat was the little terrace facing the Prinsengracht. That little terrace afforded me many, many pleasant memories. I would awaken, make coffee, sit outside and smoke. Then return with about 3 hours of daylight, smoke, and waive at the tourist boats. I knocked out a complete Edward Rutherfurd book in about 4 days while staying here. To this day, it was one of my favorite. My wife, on the other hand, did not care for the small shower. Bah - small shower. Big deal, I say.

2. My second Houseboat was a great boat around the corner from Siberie.

https://www.houseboathotel.nl/houseboat ... rdam-b077/

Great boat. Comfortable bed. Excellent location. Nice little patio. Great kitchen. Did I mention the location? You are steps from Haarlemerstraat, Noordermarkt, and the neat little shops in that area of the Jordaan. We rented twice.

3. My third Houseboat was an interesting boat.

https://www.houseboathotel.nl/accommoda ... boat_b113/

I took my parents on this particular trip. It was a bit of a challenge because that particular week in June, it rained a torrential downpour for the 6 days we were in town. The only good parts of that trip were, of course, the museums and trip to Delft. That was miserable. Also, no patio. You couldn't beat the location though (see boat 2, above). The fellow renting it was the best. My Dad asked him what he does to own a houseboat in AMS. He replied, "I'm a gentleman of leisure." Ha. He didn't work, and he inherited the houseboat. I liked his response, though.

4. My fourth Houseboat was very interesting.

http://www.amsterdamstay.com/apartments ... 7&guests=3

I loved the location! The bed was so comfortable! You can walk out the door and right into Mulligans Irish Bar. You can lounge at Rembrandstplein. But my absolute favorite of this Houseboat was the little patio along the side. It was barely big enough for one small bench. It was a great bench for smoking and watching boats travel down the Amstel. My second favorite of this boat was what we dubbed the 'experimental floating patio'. The owner's girlfriend shows up and explains that a friend of theirs was experimenting with floatation devices. ??? Who experiments with floatation devices that tourists rent? And it is small! It's small. We were among the first to rent this boat, and she was sharing that they planned to put a motor on it and have friends who cut hair putter around the canals advertising for their hair salon. The floating platform is only about 6' x 9', and I laughed and laughed and laughed at her explaining how they will fit a DJ and 2 guys cutting hair to advertise for this hair salon. No way that was going to happen on that 'experimental floatation device'. It was so funny. I think the SSH had a little to do with my laughter, but it was funny nonetheless.

As stated above, I highly recommend the Houseboat. Find one in a great location. They are all fairly close to an Albert Hein so you can purchase cheese and bread and hang out at night. A houseboat rental is always a highlight of my trip. As much as everyone on this forum loves AMS, you should all do yourself a favor and experience AMS on a houseboat.

Have any others rented a houseboat? If so, which boats? I'm always looking for new, great houseboats.

Thanks for this LLMReb, we only went for hotel / hostels and apartments but always wanted to rent a houseboat so hearing specific experiences is great!

How smokers friendly are the boats, one thing is having a nice patio to smoke on when the weather is nice but he it is raining it would suck if that is the only option?

CopenhagenCouple wrote:How smokers friendly are the boats, one thing is having a nice patio to smoke on when the weather is nice but he it is raining it would suck if that is the only option?

Just open a window.

We stayed on the Asoka boat back in 2007 and while it was nice with a good location, be very wary if you don't have sea legs as that bobbing & bouncing around (especially when other boats go by) can be unnerving.

CC - as codejd suggested, you simply open a window. I experienced the torrential downpour with my Mom and Dad on the 3rd boat. Open a window. Museums and churches help get you out of the rain, too.

I cannot express how great it is to find yourself at midnight on the houseboat when you get the munchies. Instead of walk all over town at midnight (fun in its own way), you simply walk into the kitchen area, open the amazing cheese, perhaps a bag of arugula, tomatoes, and great bread. Then open a nice bottle of wine or perhaps a tasty Heineken, and you just cannot beat it. Then, awaken in the morning for a nice little wake and bake while sitting on your terrace with fresh coffee.

Plus, the best part I found is that you interact with locals at the grocery stores.

It is a great experience, and I think fairly economical. The first boat at 100 Euros is a great bargain for 2 people. I'll try to find pics from these boats to enhance this thread.

LLMReb wrote:Museums and churches help get you out of the rain, too.

Never thought about lighting up in a museum or a church, on the list for next time

LLMReb wrote:I cannot express how great it is to find yourself at midnight on the houseboat when you get the munchies.

Love this about an apartment too, great having a stocked fridge for munchies and breccy

Thanks for sharing LLMReb, your links made surfing easy We stayed in a houseboat once , the unlevel floors combined with "sea leg" we prefer hotels, but they are nice looking houseboats

stayed on the same boat for three years in a row....it has been sold and is no longer a rental. : (

stayed in another one this year, but due to the 60 day rental law, the owner has taken it out of the rental loop. : (

both were great experiences..
but i have mixed feelings as more and more houseboats become rentals - there are less and less locals living in them....
don't want this city to turn into Venice (a city filled with tourists and not residents).