I went to Amsterdam completely by accident. In 2010, some dickhead Icelandic volcano thought it would be a good idea to fill the skies will its own filth, stranding millions of travelers the world over. But most importantly, this included stranding me in Brussels 5 days before I needed to fly from London to Istanbul.
Now don’t get me wrong, Brussels was cool, but it became increasingly difficult to fill a 4th day there so I decided to catch a train to Amsterdam until the sky cleared. As a happy accident I found myself the best accommodation I’ve ever stayed at.
The place is called Lucky Lake Hostel and although it is almost half an hour from the city and difficult to get to from the train station, I rate the experience as an all time highlight.
The best piece of advice I can give you though is that when you are waiting to be picked up you may feel unsure, but the shuttle is on its way.
Lucky Lake Hostel is not your average hostel – it is actually set up with personal caravans and cabins as the rooms. As you may have guessed it is also situated on a lake, which provides a lovely setting to walk around, crossing picturesque little canals on the way.
Generally speaking, a good hostel will have a good vibe, but I’ve never experienced a more relaxed atmosphere than at Lucky Lake. I put this down to the countryside location and the types of people that it attracts. After a pretty stressful few days it was the perfect setting for me.
The cooking area is in an outside shelter, (which you can see in the distance of the below photo), where the off-duty staff will most likely be hanging out as well as fellow travelers. Food is often shared.
On my first day there I just hung around the common area chatting with the people who came and went, mostly other staff who were off duty as they all live on site. They were all smoking weed but hey, it’s Amsterdam, would you expect any less?
The thing I loved about Lucky Lake is it reminds me of home a bit. The cool, brisk air feels like when you wake up camping in spring: the sun is out but it’s a bit cold. But you don’t mind because you know it’s going to be a warm day. I had some leftovers from a chap called Laurie and Irish Rob made me a hot dog because I came ill prepared for a cook-your-own situation. Seriously, how good is the hostel culture of some places!
One aspect of the hostel that I really enjoyed was the abundance of hammocks. For some reason, wherever I’m ever at a place and hammocks are present they are always in short supply. Not here. One day I spent hours on a hammock, reading a book in the brisk morning air. It was a perfect way to ease into the day.
The hostel is a great find for someone like me because it means you see more than just a city centre. Having to go to a reasonable level of effort to get into the city means you consider other options to fill in a day.
One such option is a small town of about 6500 called Abcoude. Lucky Lake has bikes to hire and it is a fairly short, easy pedal for even the least experienced rider. In my eyes this was a must-do and something I would do again in a heartbeat.
So looking back I guess I can thank Eyjafjallajökull Volcano for the money-can-buy experience. If you are on a budget and looking for a place to chill while visiting Amsterdam, do yourself a favour and stay here.
No compensation was received from Lucky Lake Hostel for this review. I just loved it so much I had to share.
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Hello,
This is a really beautiful place. I would want to go there in the near future.
Love the way you write and tell stories. Can`t wait to read many more of your adventures.
Yup, sometimes it’s better to go a bit more off track to find some real gems, and besides around the hotel there’s some beautiful spots to enjoy as well. Check out http://www.netherlands-tourism.com/ for more.