Dokstroom - our hidden gem

We stayed at Dokstroom for a long weekend and it was just perfect.

It was easy to find from Central station, helpfully Joanne sent me instructions via Whatsapp a couple of days before as there were some construction works nearby. We arrived a little early to drop off our bags and it was all ready for us. Joanne was friendly and helpful, showed us the map and pointed out nearby places to eat as well as the important coffee machine on the boat to use. There was also a little fridge and some snacks laid out. Shower was good and worked well and the bed was comfy. There is a table and 2 chairs outside which was perfect to sit at, sunny spot in late afternoon/early eve.

It's a good location for the very centre, its an easy 10 min walk to central station or there is a tram stop a few minutes away. We walked from the station when we arrived and got the tram back when we left at 6am on Monday. On our arrival Joanne warned us about a couple of heavy trains that pass nearby during the night but we didn't hear them. Joanne lives on the other side of the boat and there are a few other houseboats very close, we never heard any noise or saw anyone from the other boats and I only saw Joanne once when she was out watering the flowers.

It was quiet, warm, cosy and the perfect place to retire to after a long day of walking around. There was a coot bird who had a nest next to the boat which was amusing to watch. We also met the resident cat on our last day, which was a highlight (we love cats and had seen other reviews mentioning the cat before we booked).  

We hope to come back to Amsterdam again one day and definitely would want to stay here again.

The boat is a bit older but it is very clean. Joanne tries incredibly hard. Very uncomplicated. Contact is easy via whatsapp or SMS. She gives tips for breakfast or dinner. The boot is about 10-15 minutes walk from downtown. Not too far, not too close. I was excited. Any time!! Thanks

Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and yet right in the middle. In an exciting little houseboat district. We arrived and felt like we had arrived at home. Joanne is a wonderful hostess! We would like to come back. Thanks!

My partner and I stayed on Joanne and Ramiro's houseboat for 4 days in July and we had a wonderful time. It was our first visit to Amsterdam and the position of the boat could not have been better, being close to several excellent bars and restaurants and easily accessible to the tourist attractions we wanted to visit.

Joanne greeted us on our first day and was able to advise us on how to travel around the city. She was friendly and helpful and always contactable if we had any questions. Although it is basically one room with a shower room attached, it was light and spacious and spotlessly clean and the bed was very comfortable! If you are a light sleeper you might find the light coming through the boat portholes disturbing in the early morning and you can hear the trains on the nearby railway lines very slightly but it did not bother us.

We are open water swimmers. On Joanne's recommendation we enjoyed swimming off the pontoon attached to the boat as that part of the canal is very quiet. We also swam at a nearby public area where locals were swimming and sunbathing. We suffered no ill effects from the water and it was an amazing experience 😊 We also enjoyed sitting outside the boat in the sun. Although the view is not of the canal, only the boats moored close by it was interesting to watch the family of swans roosting on a nearby pontoon We had a fantastic trip and will definitely be back to stay in the houseboat again!

Our stay in Houseboat Dokstrom was a perfect way to recover from 10 days with our grandchildren in Sweden. In spite of the mainline a road away, the noise of the trains was barely noticeable when inside our room. I'm a very light sleeper, but the trains were not a problem. The space was quite adequate, the "kitchen" enabled to have coffee, cereal, and fruit for breakfast. The location was great - a short walk to Tram 26 to get to Central Station, a short walk to restaurants and peace and quiet. And our host, Joanne, were very helpful, buying food for us on her daily bike trips to the supermarket. And to cap off our stay, she drove us to the airport when the taxi failed to show. A wonderful way to visit Amsterdam.