Question about the Kras apartments.

It looks like they are available, but where exactly are they?
and how do I know I will guaranteed have one when I arrive???

can we smoke, do they have balcony, how many beds and rooms etc.
I'm looking at both the junior and the regular apartment

is there any way to exchange email with the hotel to ask questions etc.??
their website doesn't work for me

could someone who has stayed there please give a example of their experience, what to do and what not?

I am very interested in staying here, but would like to know I am not going to make a mistake.
thank you

Stayed in the Kras Appatements for 8 days. One of the best places I have stayed so far (in my 10+ trips). Booked a junior appartement and had room 7313. Big living room, separate bedroom. After 3 days staying there I saw a separate door leading from the appartement. And what do I find: another huge bedroom small kitchen and toilet. This room had a separate floor built into the roof top and provided nice views of the sky.
Smoking no problem, even had washer dryer combination. Appartements are separated from the Hotel, you get your own key to the house. Absolutely anonymous! 100 m down the gracht the red light starts!
When going again in August, I will certainly book there again.

JBIG-

Take it from me, the Kras apartments are the best value for your money in the Dam. Even the junior apartments are very spacious. Their location is right next to the southern-most Bulldog on OZ Voorburgwal (of the 3 Bulldog's on OZV). If you book the junior apartment, ask for room 7316 as it's the only junior apartment with a canal view. All other junior's have a view of the interior garden so make sure you ask. You will also get access to all the Krasnapolsky facilities such as fitness center, room service, etc. There is a contact at the Krasnapolsky who runs and books all the apartments. I don't want to list her name here, but call the Krasnapolsky on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday and ask for apartment reservations.

Well, they are somewhat hidden. If you were on the street you would walk right past them and never know it. From the Kras lobby I had to exit out the back, go down a corridor, take a turn, go outside, and walk halfway down a block. There, looking exactly like every other doorway on the street, was an exterior entrance. Inside there were doors to several apartments, four I think.

Mine was a junior. I didn't specifically request it. I think the Kras put me their at their convenience. I loved it. I was cold and tired from my trip and the room was warm and cozy. Even though the room had been modernized, I could clearly see evidence of the timberframe construction. I love timberframe. It feels strong and safe to me. I can't recall whether the bed was a double or a queen, but I didn't feel cramped - and sleep was my first priority. The bed and pillows were very comfortable.

When I got up I found a nice little kitchen area and spacious living room in the front. The apartment was almost ground level so, no, there was no balcony. I think that there was a little laundry area just off the kitchen. Since I don't smoke cigarettes I don't know whether smoking is allowed or not. If all you want to do is spark up a fattie, I would think that you could do that easily enough.

In general, I was very, very pleased with the accomodations. I can't recall how much I spent (I try not to think about that part too much anyway), but I don't think that its cost was out of line with other places that I have stayed in AMS, though I tend to stay at higher end places because they seem to be the only ones that have larger sized beds. I have been known to get an escort or two to my room and I like plenty of room to play.

I, too, have found making reservations in AMS to be a pain in the ass. It seems that the only way that you can do it online is through hotels.nl or other booking agencies. I can never seem to find a telephone number for the hotel itself. You can. of course, make a booking through this site and the site gets a small cut when you do that. I have made reservations through ignatzmice.com and everything worked out well.

the dogs

I've done it twice - the last time was two years ago.

I do not know what the internet situation is - that is insanely important to me. But I can tell you that the apartments are WAY better than hotel rooms. You only get weekly housekeeping I think - but the rooms are FAR bigger than the hotel rooms. One apartment I got was MASSIVE - I would guess over 1200 square feet. If given the choice between the apartment and the hotel - GET THE APARTMENT! They may also be cheaper but may require a week's booking. I agree it's the best bargain in the RLD besides the obvious weed/girls/hash bargain.

I've stayed at in a Kras apartment the last three times in Amsterdam over the last ~15 months. If you're going to stay for a week or so (usually the minimum booking period), they're the best option in my opinion.

The Kras has whole blocks of apartments at the rear of the hotel, including on Oudezijds Voorburwal (OZV). Register at the main hotel reception on Dam Square where you will receive a traditional front door key and a credit-card type electronic room key.

Access to the apartments is through to the rear of the hotel. This is not through the kitchens, as you may think, but rather a well-lit and CCTV'd lane leading onto OZV. The Kras appears to own most of this block to the immediate left and many more on OZV itself. The lower the apartment number (I think they are all of the format 73xx), the closer to the hotel itself.

I've stayed in both a regular apartment and a junior apartment, having booked through www.bookings.nl and have had no problems with reservations. The only hitch I had was in late March of this year when the hotel would only accept a credit card on registration and not a debit card.

The junior apartments are better equipped and more spacious than any other hotel I've stayed in Amsterdam city center and the regular apartments bigger still.

Typically, you'll get a 'fridge, microwave, washing machine, dryer, hot pate, sink etc in a kitchen/lounge, and a sparate bed room and shower room. If you've booked for a week, you'll only get one visit from housekeeping. Smoking doesn't seem to be a problem.

In terms of price, the junior apartments usually go for about E99 a night - more at peak holidays and the regular apartments E120 or more.

Now if only you could book for less than a week..............................

awesome help guys
thank you

I got a regular apartment (instead of a junior)
there are 2 of us and we are not a couple so we wanted to have 2 beds if that is possible
(2 rooms would be ideal)

also we wanted a good view from our window
it would be awesome to sit and watch the RLD from our living room window

anyone got any specific room number we should ask for???
I would gladly try and reserve it now if I can
remember it's a regular apartment not a junior

thanks to you all again

I've never been able to get a specific room held for me... I am a regular there, and call in to the reservations dept. I have only booked them for 2-3 days at a time, when they had a slow week, and was able to get a good deal.

AC is not the greatest, if you happen to be there in for a hot spell, but tolerable...

However, each time I was there, I got a nice two room apt, with the living room opening up to the canal... out the front door.. turn left, walk along the canal and in 2 minutes your are turning into the Tromp... good location...