Some links to products and partners on this website will earn an affiliate commission.
It was about time that we went on a mini family vacation again. In this review we would like to share our experience at the Courtyard by Marriott Amsterdam Arena Atlas hotel.
Location of the hotel
The Courtyard by Marriott Amsterdam Arena Atlas hotel is located south of the busy city center only a 15 minutes drive from Schiphol International Airport (AMS).
It is only a 5 minute walk to the Bijlmer Arena train station. This train will take you in about 15 minutes to Amsterdam Central Station, a perfect spot from where you can start your Amsterdam experience.
If you are coming by car, you will find the parking lot conveniently next door. You can park your car at the P9 Antarctica parking for € 25,00 per day standard rate, but the hotel will offer you a parking ticket for just € 19,00 per day.
If you want to go out for a quick bite to eat and don’t feel like making the journey up to the city centre, you can find some restaurants, a movie theather and a small shopping center near the train station as well. Also the hotel offers easy access to venues like the Johan Cruijff ArenA, Ziggo Dome, and AFAS Live.
Located in Amsterdam-Zuidoost, the area is mostly known as a business district. Therefore your view mostly exists out of tall buildings and streets. Maybe not the prettiest area to walk in, but sure enough you won’t be bored easily here.
Reception at Courtyard by Marriott Amsterdam Arena Atlas
After parking the car we headed towards the reception. We noticed right away that there were multiple receptionists working at the same time. This ensured a quick check-in.
Normally you can check-in from 15:00. We arrived before and were pleasantly surprised to find our room already available. After a short briefing about breakfast and the available facilities we headed towards the elevators, which are located just around the corner.
There is also a wooden staircase going up to the first floor and the meeting rooms. From the lounge you can look directly inside the restaurant ‘Ristorante 51’.
The rooms of Courtyard by Marriott Amsterdam Arena Atlas
Courtyard Marriott Amsterdam Arena Atlas has a total of 184 rooms. Counting 100 standard double, 60 superior double, 19 premium double rooms and 5 Suites.
Each room has a private bathroom and provides a desk with an ergonomic chair, coffee/tea making facilities, in-room climate control, a 42 inch LCD HDTV, a laptop-fitting safe, an iron/ironing board and a mini fridge.
The rooms mainly differ in size with the smallest room being the standard King room (22 m²) and the biggest room the suite (31 m²).
In comparison with the standard room we find the suite on the smaller side for a suite. Though it has a better view overlooking the terrace below and the Amsterdam Arena. Also it contains a nice small sitting area as you can see on the picture above.
The room: Standard King Room
In this review of the Courtyard by Marriott Amsterdam Arena Atlas hotel we will cover the Standard King Room. We spent the night here with our family of 3, consisting of my partner and 15 month old child.
For a standard room it had a decent amount of space. The baby crib, which was complimentary, did fit well in the room. If you wanted you could still use the desk or walk around freely.
As modern as the lobby and restaurant felt, the room itself feels a little bit more dated, due to the use of dark wooden furniture.
In the middle of the room you have your King size bed, which was very comfortable. On the bed there are a couple of different pillows to choose from.
What we did notice right away was that the room was quite warm, which we obviously didn’t object to in the middle of the winter.
Inside the room there is a small coffee and tea station. The 42 inch LCD HDTV is hanging above this table.
Next to it you will find a small closet with some storage room, a laptop fitting safe, an iron/ironing board and a mini fridge. We couldn’t find a specific storage place in case you are bringing a big suitcase. For hand luggage there is enough room inside de closet.
A nice detail are the bathrobe and slippers inside.
Like previously mentioned, the surrounding area isn’t that pretty, but we still found the view outside interesting as we looked directly at the Bijlmer Arena train station. Overall the room is clean and comfortable.
The bathroom
The Standard King Room has a standard size bathroom, which you can find directly upon entering the room. Inside you will find the shower and toilet. Just like the room, the bathroom also felt a bit more dated than the rest of the hotel.
Inside they left some towels, a small soap and a soap dispenser. If you are looking for the hair dryer, you will have to look for it in the closet inside the room. Here you will also find a bathrobe and some slippers, which is a nice detail.
Breakfast at Ristorante 51 Restaurant
Upon arrival you will be looking right through the glass windows at the Italian inspired restaurant Ristorante 51. From 07:00-10:30 in the morning a breakfast buffet will be served here. We already booked out hotel room including breakfast, but if you decide to have breakfast on the spot, it will cost you about € 26,- per person.
Given the hotel is not directly positioned as a family hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to find a steady Stokke baby seat in the restaurant.
The price is on the high side, but you do get a lot in return. In the middle of the buffet you have a large table with different kinds of bread, spreads, yoghurt and mueslis.
To the right of this table you have the hot station where you will find scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausages, mushrooms, hashbrowns and waffles.
Also some freshly baked sweets, juices and aparkling wine are included.
The only disappointing thing for me was the coffee. I love my cappuccino in the morning, so I had to have one here as well. But looking in my cup after pressing the button, I only saw some coffee with milk. The foam was definitely missing. Maybe the machine had a bad day or it wasn’t set up the right way, but this was a small hitch at the lovely breakfast we had.
Dinner at Ristorante 51 restaurant
While enjoying our breakfast at Ristorante 51, we got the opportunity to talk to chef Marcello Gigante. Gigante has been the hotel’s head chef for 2 years and he has an ambitious vision of what the restaurant should offer. In a cosy ‘lounge’ corner of the restaurant he explained that Ristorante 51 should offer a ‘fine dining experience, with honest and proper Italian food’. And being the only authentic Italian restaurant in the area, it should also attract guests from the nearby concert venues Ziggo Dome and AFAS Live.
Ristorante 51 is among the top 5 restaurants of Hotel Co 51, a company that manages 40+ Marriott branded hotels in UK, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, France and Italy. And Gigante is clear about his ambitions, he wants to become the flagship restaurant of Hotel Co 51.
On the menu you will find some Napolitan classics like linguine with lobster and clams. For dessert you have options like the well-known Tiramisu and a special homemade cheesecake. The cheesecake recipe is inspire by Gigante’s grandmother from Italy. The menu also caters for vegan and vegetarian diets. The breakfast even offers a nice vegan croissant.
Marriott Bonvoy members get up to 20% discount in the restaurant. Depending the membership level, guest also get a welcome drink with a snack and a welcome amenity in their room.
Hotel facilities
Besides a restaurant the hotel also provides a decent size Fitness Center, which is accessible 24/7. Feeling hungry after hitting the gym late at night? The hotel offers a 24/7 small shop as well, with snacks and drinks right around the corner at the reception.
Located in the business area of Amsterdam, there are 6 meeting rooms with space for up to 140 people total. There are also two computers and a printer at your disposal at the lobby.
Check-out is at 12:00. if you have already paid for your stay and didn’t consume anything else, you can use the check-out box at the reception for a very fast check-out.
Leave a Reply