One of the most important things when planning a holiday so where you will spend the nights. Me and my family had managed to find a fabulous hotel room at Yotel that was a mere twenty minutes (including a six-minute free ferry) from the centre of Amsterdam. The hotel lobby had absolutely everything you could possibly need with a gym, 24/7 grab-and-go shop, restaurant and luggage storage which made it perfect for a younger generation of travellers. As soon as the door to our hotel room swung open I instantly spotted two things. The first thing was that the bed was at first very short and in fact, my mother commented that it would be way too short to fit anymore. I have to admit that it did take us an embarrassingly long amount of time to realise that the entire bed can be extended using a controller that transforms the bed from more like a sofa to a traditional bed. This helped to create more space in the room so that we could easily move around the room and most importantly for me, get into the fridge on the other side of the room. The second thing is that the entire room was flooded in a red light which instantly made me uneasy due to own for he famous districts in Amsterdam. I quickly noticed that behind the TV was an LED strip that you could easily change the colour or switch off. At the edge of the bed was a massive TV that could easily programmed to Chromecast whatever you could possibly want (which was so useful as all the other channels were dubbed in Dutch) I used this opportunity to watch two episodes of the latest seasons of drag race which was the perfect way to end the very busy days!
One of the experiences I was most excited to have in Amsterdam was Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum. For those who don’t know Robert Ripley who is known for his fascination with unique oddities from all around the world which are showcased in the museum. The first few sections of the experience document the life of Robert and the history of his museums which set up the rest of the sights you will see throughout the trip. This is not like your typical museum however as it has a bigger focus on interactive experiences. One of the sections was entirely dedicated to historic methods of torture used to punish specifically religious heretics. This was particularly gruesome as we learnt about the different ways people were forced into submitting to higher powers. Another section of the tour was dedicated to the red light district which included the procedure of feet binding and an interactive button that informed visitors that every room in the district is fitted with a panic button and once pressed the police response time is around fifteen to twenty seconds which shows how regulated that part of Amsterdam truly is. I do have to admit that there were some of the interactive machines did appear to be broken/unresponsive/faulty which did hinder the experience slightly.
What I thought was absolutely incredible about the This is Holland experience is the fact that from the moment you step into the venue, you are fully immersed into the experience. This production is described as a ‘flight’ over some of the most beautiful views of Holland and every single moment stays in the world of aviation. From the tickets being designed as boarding passes, the shop being labelled as pre-flight refreshments and the route described as gates every moment keeps you in the world of this unique flight experience. The first room you enter during this experience has a recorded host informing you about some of the history of Holland and how it was formed. This includes the countries’ tragic history of flooding, the importance of their royal family and key events. Once this had finished we were instructed to head into the next room where the same host documented the building of dams/windmills on a projected map which provided a good understanding of the whole country. I do have to say that as the map was horizontally flat on the floor it was somewhat difficult to see parts of this section, if the map was raised slightly it would be much easier to see and enjoy! The highlight of the whole experience (rightfully so) was the flight simulation section itself. The experience saw us fly over the iconic sights of Holland which would have been a great thing to do on the first few days of your holiday to gain inspiration for places to visit during the rest of your trip! What was particularly interesting about this experience was the fact that they found an innovative way to not only integrate motion, the use of water and uniquely the use of smells. One of the many things the Netherlands is known for is tulips and as we ‘flew’ over the fields of flowers the room was pumped with the scent of tulips which made for a totally immersive experience. I have experienced many, many, many simulation experiences before but I have never experienced one that uses smells as a part of the overall production which made this a truly unique experience!
I have to be honest that going into the haus of Bols experience, I really only knew the brand due to their blue Curaçao bottles (which we currently have in stock at Nedz) and so I was not aware that it is one of the world first cocktail brands to ever exist! For just under £28 I was able to explore the history of the company and how it grew into the mixologist’s staple it has become today. Included in this price was a mystery cocktail in a glass vial to drink at a very specific point on the tour. Once inside a designated pod, the lights were dimmed and a booming voice instructed you to drink your shot which was such a surreal experience. It is crazy the effect that lights can have on the flavour of a cocktail but this needs to truly be experienced to comprehend the difference it can make! To accompany this tour every person was given an audio guide (in the language of your choice) where you had to scan a button in each room which would explain the artificial on display. Throughout the tour there were perfume bottles filled up with mystery bols flavours at various stages in the distillation process that you could guess and then learn about. Towards the end of the tour, we entered a fully functional bar where we could have a totally free cocktail as we had purchased tour tickets. I really struggled to choose just one of the amazing cocktails (which I could have purchased another for just £7) but me and my mother decided to choose different drinks so we could try a selection. I opted for a strawberry cheesecake which was a much more creamy drink with my mother going for the classic pornstar Martini and both were prepared by fabulous mixologists complete with fantastic flair and expert knowledge sprinkled throughout. Also included in the £28 ticket was a half-hour cocktail-making workshop where we were able to make and taste two iconic cocktails using the Bols products. The first cocktail we made was called the Caipinebra which was made with Jenever 21 (due to the connection with bols) and then we were able to select a flavour which we smelt on the tour earlier to use as flavouring. The second cocktail we made was much more exciting for me as it was a step-by-step demonstration on how to make the perfect pornstar martini. Those who know me in real life will know that there is nothing I love more than hosting a cocktail night at the bar in my garden. I have made a plethora of delicious cocktails but the one that I cannot seem to make work is the iconic pornstar martini so it was fantastic to see exactly how they are made!
Overall, my trip to Amsterdam was extremely tiring and busy but crammed full of unique experiences that you would struggle to get anywhere else. While we could have done some of these experiences in a different order and could have found ways to make the trip more affordable by booking them in a collective pass. I would rate this trip 5 out of 5 stars and want to emphasise to everyone that there is so much more to Amsterdam than just weed and the red-light district!
Rhysreviews 