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Creative Ways to Explore Amsterdam

23. August 2016/in /by David

Amsterdam is one of the greatest cities to explore by bike, which happens to be the most convenient way to get around it. It’s fun, easy and allows you see the hidden corners of the charming place. However, cycling is far from the only way to experience Amsterdam, and this time we encourage you to try all the cool options.

Amsterdam by canal bike

Instead of cycling along the bike paths, we recommend you biking on water! Just rent one of pedalos, explore the canals and enjoy the sunshine! Amsterdam is spectacular when viewed from the water, as you will have a new angle at all the numerous bridges and dancing houses of the town. Most of water bikes are designed for four people, making it a joyful option for a group of friends or a romantic way to see Amsterdam for couples. They are even equipped with a waterproof head in case of rain, so don’t be afraid to use a canal bike at any weather. A canals’ map, routes and a few sailing tips are guaranteed.

Amsterdam by paddling

Continuing the topic of discovering Amsterdam from the water, let us introduce you stand up paddling, which maybe you thought wasn’t even possible around here. We can’t promise that it would be easy, but you will remember it as the craziest way to explore the city, that’s for sure. Peaceful and entertaining option for those who aren’t afraid to attract the attention of tourists and locals.

If paddle boarding is not in your list, then you can always rent a small boat in Amsterdam instead of joining the standard and sometimes primitive boat tours offered by the agencies. Create your own Dutch experience, mingle with local fancy boat owners and see the magnificent canals of Amsterdam. In case you want to explore further and option of renting a boat sounds too costly, then how about canoeing in Amsterdamse Bos, the famous forest in the south part of the city? This scenic area has a couple of routes to offer, which will get you closer to nature and shows you a different side of Amsterdam.

Amsterdam by segway

Riding on a segway can be a brilliant idea for those of you that are not afraid to try something new in the middle of a busy city. Learn the history of Amsterdam by getting into the narrowest streets and alleys while driving your segway. Most likely you would have to take a tour with a guide though, as not too many people can be trusted with a segway in the heart of Amsterdam, riding it for the first time. Even though it’s quite easy to balance and navigate. It’s definitely different from all the transportation you experienced before, but it can bring you far on those 400 km of bike lanes in the city.

Amsterdam by beer bike

Yes, we’ve promised not to mention cycling in this article, but riding a beer bike is not the same. You don’t even have to pedal if you don’t want to! But if you wish to combine cycling and drinking (don’t repeat it again with any other bikes except for a beer bike!), then welcome on board! Your driver is the only sober one on the bike and is making sure you’re safe and sound, while the whole group of drinking buddies are totally having a blast. Hop on this crazy beer bike and start your Amsterdam adventure.

We hope you got excited about discovering new and creative ways to look at Amsterdam, explore its canals, parks, charming streets and impressive architecture. But if you want to stick to the old friend and simply rent a bicycle, then Amsterdam Teleport is there to help you! On top of that you’re entitled for our Free Alternative Bike Tour! Join us every day! First four signups of the day have the bike included for free as well!

What’s Behind the Symbols of Amsterdam?

3. August 2016/in /by David

XXX

No, we’re not starting the story about the symbols of Amsterdam with the sign for x-rated entertainment that associates with the Red Light District. Instead we would be happy to explain you the origin of the three crosses that can be seen all over the city-its buildings, flags, poles, manholes and souvenirs. You might have guessed that the XXX symbol officially serves as a part of the coat of arms of Amsterdam, but what does it stand for? It represents three vertical St. Andrew’s Crosses named after the apostle that was tormented on a cross of the X-shape in the 1^st century AD. There’s no exact explanation what meaning those crosses have for Amsterdam, but one of the thoughts is that they originate from the Persian crusader family who owned lots of land in Amsterdam. Another version has to do with the connection between St. Andrew being a fisherman and Amsterdam stemming from a fishing town with its fishermen going under the flag with XXX. The crosses can also possibly stand for the three threats of the medieval city: floods, fire and the black plague.

The unknown history leads us to known present, where these three white crosses are depicted on a black band in the middle of a red shield. This combination is also known as the flag of Amsterdam and part of the coat of arms. The latter is decorated with the Imperial Crown of Austria and two golden lions carrying the shield. The motto of the city follows below with “Heroic, Resolute and Merciful”, although some people jokingly believe it should be “Stubborn, Defiant and Extremely Tolerant.” Have you already picked a few souvenirs with the XXX symbol of Amsterdam

Why is everything so orange?

It’s easy to notice that the Dutch like orange, or at least that’s what they sell to tourists on the markets-and we’re not talking about the fruit, but rather that super bright color everywhere around the souvenir shops. And if you’ve ever visited Amsterdam on King’s Day or during the football championships, you’ve seen the most of it, and we bet it was orange! On special occasions the whole city turns orange, but why would that happen counting the fact that colors of the Dutch flag (red, blue, white) have nothing to do with it? The secret lies within the Dutch Royal Family that originates from the House of Oranje-Nassau with the ancestry of the current king of the country Willem-Alexander going back to William of Orange (Willem van Oranje). They also call the national football team Oranje and most of the Dutch sporting teams wear orange uniform. This way the color unites the whole nation and becomes the symbol of Amsterdam.

I AMsterdam

Does it even count that you’ve been to Amsterdam, if you don’t have a picture in front of the world famous I AMSTERDAM letters? This symbol has become so present in branding of the city that it can easily be one of the most visited sightseeings in Amsterdam. What started as a marketing campaign, has truly become the catch of the town and everybody wants to bring a piece of it home. The huge letters are located at the back of the majestic Rijksmuseum, and lots of people try to climb them and get the best shot. Here comes just a small tip: if you want to avoid lots of other tourists on your exclusive picture with I AMSTERDAM sign, then come late in the evening- you will be surprised how empty it gets.

When you happen to be at the right place at the right time, you can also spot another set of the magic letters at other locations such as festivals, fairs, fashion shows and important events of the city. Sometimes you can even see it in rainbow colors, especially when Amsterdam celebrates love, freedom and diversity. The city constantly plays around with the location, and this week (until 7 August) you will find the travelling letters close to the Amstel River in front of the Hermitage due to the Canal Parade there. And for those who want to have it all, take a seat on a red handmade I Amsterdam mosaic sofa right outside of the reception of City Hall at Amstel 1. You can also have a moment with the symbol sign at Amsterdam Airport Schipol right before finishing your amazing trip.

Top 7 Music Festivals in Amsterdam July 2016

7. July 2016/in /by David

The summer has finally come to Amsterdam, and it means that the season of awesome music festivals is open! You would never be able to attend them all, but choose the best ones for yourself and let your feet dance till the sunrise or sunset! Experience the joy of music and dance, meet the most interesting crowd, feel the positive vibe and party till you drop!

4O UP ZOMER FESTIVAL

Who said that festivals are only for the youngest? If you prefer the tunes from the past, then this festival is just for you with its soul and disco kings The Trammps and George McCrae, disco queens Sister Sledge, pop star Bananarama and legendary Robin S. Share your love for retro music, enjoy some theater and indulge yourself to good festival food.

Date: 9 July

Place: Arena Park

Tickets: €37,50

THE SOCIAL GARDEN

This festival is more cozy, intimate and has a special family atmosphere, maybe due to its nice location. The music mix is so diverse here and represented by house, reggae, pop, R&B and hip-hop, which will carry you away easily. The lineup is impressive with artists such as Aeroplane, DJ Kon, The Flexican, Super Social, Darius, Donnie, Wantigga, Boehmer and more.

Date: 16 July

Place: Nieuwe Meer

Final tickets: €32,50

A DAY AT THE PARK

Have a great day at the park with lots of entertainment provided by this electronic music festival. Whether you like deep house, techno, progressive house or disco, you can find them all here with such DJs and artists as The Magician, Rudimental, Tachnasia, DJ Real El Canario, The Him, Faze Action and others.

Date: 16 July

Place: Amsterdamse Bos

Tickets: €49

ELECTRONIC FAMILY

The name of this festival talks for itself, so expect lots and lots of trippy trance music. Actually it’s one of largest outdoor trance festivals in Europe with its four stages in the forest of Amsterdam this year. It’s a must attend event this summer for the fans of Cosmic Gate, Ferry Corsten, Andrew Rayel, Markus Schulz, Gouryella and Khomha.

Date: 23 July

Place: Amsterdamse Bos

Tickets: €49

WONDERLAND FESTIVAL OUTDOOR

Prepare yourself for the stunning sound of techno and house and something secret at this festival with 3 music areas. The third one will remain a surprise till the very end with a special lineup. The known exciting names are Ansome Live, UVB, ROD & Tripeo, Dekmantel Soundsystem, Cinnaman, Ferro and Philou Louzolo. Join Alice for her summer adventure in wonderland!

Date: 30 July

Place: Thuishaven Festivalterrein

Tickets: €29,50

CRAFT

This festival is crazy and guarantees you that you won’t remember anything from the day before! Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Add to that the coolest line-up with stars like Activator, Audiotricz, Bass Modulators, Code Black, Demi Kanon, Distractor, Zatox, The Machine, Ran-D, Wars Industry, Sub Zero Project, Digital Punk and tons more.

Date: 30 July

Place: NDSM Werf

Tickets: €29,50

MILKSHAKE FESTIVAL

A fun dance festival that celebrates diversity in all its shapes and colors. It unites all the society representatives by an amazing line-up and curious entertainment. You will have a good time enjoying Cirkus Klauterwerck, Hausbound, F*cking Pop Queers, Now & Wow, Is Burning, Disco Total, Supertoys, Glitterazzi Freakshow and other extravagant names. Get ready for extraordinary designs, amusing crowd, unexpected shows and lots of pink.

Date: 30-31 July

Place: Westerpark

Tickets: 1day- €36, weekend-€64,50

Some festivals might seem somewhat pricey, but you won’t regret spending your money on the tickets- that’s for sure! But as we know, Amsterdam is the city of opportunities and choices, so our next article will tell you all about free festivals and concerts around the city this summer.

Last but not least

Our sister hotel in The Hague will be the proud host of one of the stages during the Submarine festival on the 23rd of July. This alternative music festival is 100% free and has a big line up of alternative music. Grab the opportunity to combine discovering the beautiful city of The Hague and attending this great event.

Amsterdam Teleport Hotel: 1 year anniversary

21. June 2016/in /by David

Amsterdam Teleport Hotel is celebrating its first anniversary on the 26th of June! A year full of hard work, thousands of guests from all over the world and changes passed by in no time. In a year we managed to build up a hotel experience to be proud of. Sometimes it is hard to believe it all started less than a year ago. After a series of weekly blogs about Amsterdam’s most unique places, hidden gems, culture, food and must sees, we decided to dedicate this week’s edition to the hotel itself. Gain insight in how it all started, get to know the team and read all about last year’s highlights!

How it all started

Believe it or not Amsterdam Teleport Hotel building went through multiple transformations over the past few years. From an office building to a long stay studio appartement and eventually into a hotel. Amsterdam is one of the most remarkable cities in the world. The historical city center, world class museums, the tolerant and easy going life attitude of its citizens, the coffeeshops and red light district attract millions of tourists. The existing hotels couldn’t keep up with the ever growing demand and more rooms were needed Amsterdam Teleport Hotel saw a huge opportunity to jump into a new adventure with a constantly changing market full of innovations . To be honest with you, almost none of us had any experience in this business and we had to build it up from scratch. The idea was simple: offer good value for money and make guests feel at home. Bring those two together at a great location and the Teleport hotel concept was born.

The first guest

The last months before the grand opening were beyond crazy. Permits had to be arranged with the municipality, hotel staff had to be hired and of course the building was undergoing major changes. It had to be rebuilt and fully furnished. Maikel, Evgenia ( our hotel managers) and the construction team worked around the clock to make it all happen, get it done and make sure we could open our doors by the end of June last year. The first day was a very exciting one, everything was new, the brand new team was ready to start and waiting for our first guests to arrive. The first weeks are crucial especially for a new hotel business. Do guests like the hotel, the experience and are they willing to recommend it to other people? It is all about reputation and good reviews in our business, and we still had to earn them. Luckily everyone was very happy with their stay, the team’s personal approach, room and location.

Highlights

Last year, undoubtedly was a great year for us full of exciting highlights. None of us could predict the fast growth and constant flow of incoming good reviews. The first highlight was a fully booked hotel for the first time in September . You can only imagine how proud we felt. Then many others followed, such as finishing the second building in Amsterdam in November, our first big team dinner with lots of delicious food during Christmas, the opening of our sister hotel in The Hague (don’t miss it), the first Teleport golden egg hunt during Easter and last but not least decorating all the doors in different Amsterdam themes as a final finishing touch to the hotel.

From Panda suit to young and fresh

Throughout the year many new ideas were born and implemented. Some were more successful than others. While the Teleport concept and identity were slowly developing and shaping we started to realize that the way we were presenting ourselves didn’t really fit the way we felt anymore. The hotel team is young and full of positive energy. A decision had to be made! Our panda suits (once you see them you will understand why we called them that way) had to go. We have replaced them by the nice slim fit t-shirts we are wearing today! We couldn’t be happier!

Teleport Power

From the very beginning the Teleport team has been a very close one. It has a unique mix of different characters with various cultural backgrounds and talents. Our manager has done a great job putting all of us together. We are very different but all share a passion for people, the city of Amsterdam and are willing to work hard. One of Teleport’s greatest strengths is the freedom we get from the management to help building the concept and hotel experience. Everyone is encouraged to step up and contribute more than just the functions of the position they were hired for. This support and responsibility for our hotel is what makes us happy, feel appreciated, important and what gives us the extra motivation to go the extra mile for our guests. That is what we call Teleport Power! :)

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