Looking for somewhere special to stay in Almere? Think a hobbit-style cabin in a garden full of rescued animals, a wooden chalet overlooking the meadows, or an Airbnb inside one of the city’s wildest architecture experiments. We spent a week and a half exploring Almere and its most unusual places to sleep, and this is the result: our 8 favourite places to stay in Almere.
- Best hotel in Almere: Hotel Leonardo
- Best for families: Van der Valk Hotel Almere
- Most original place to stay: Pigs & Pillows
- Best apartment near the beach: In Almere, Close to Amsterdam
Where to stay in Almere: the best areas
Before you book, it helps to know that Almere is made up of quite a few separate districts. It’s the youngest city in the Netherlands, built from scratch in the polder to ease the housing shortage around Amsterdam. The first homes went up in Almere Haven in the 1970s, and from there the city kept spreading until it filled the whole tip of Flevoland, wedged between three lakes: the Markermeer, the IJmeer and the Gooimeer.
→ Discover the 8 best things to do in Almere
The original idea was a string of fairly independent town centres. That plan was shelved, and in the 1990s the office of star architect Rem Koolhaas was asked to design a real city centre, which you’ll now find in Almere Stad. The centre seems the obvious place to book, but several of Almere’s best sights are in other districts. Those districts are also where the unusual places to stay are, while the centre mostly has hotels.
The best areas to stay in Almere:
- Almere Centrum for the most hotspots, shops and bold architecture.
- Almere Poort for roomy apartments close to the beach, with quick trains to Amsterdam.
- Oosterwold, the self-build district, for quirky homes and the most original places to stay.
- Noorderplassen, a quiet residential area full of young families, right next to some lovely nature.
Unique places to stay in Almere
Where to stay in Almere Centrum
Stay in Almere Centrum and the city’s best hotels put the shops, restaurants and train station within walking distance.
#1 Hotel Leonardo
Hotel Leonardo is housed in one of Almere’s architectural showpieces: a wood-clad building perched high on stilts. Underneath you’ll find a terrace and a brewery, tucked into a structure full of organic curves. All 117 design rooms are modern, with box-spring beds and roomy bathrooms.
Check prices and availability at Hotel Leonardo.
#2 PLAZA Premium Almere
PLAZA Premium Almere is just a two-minute walk from Almere Centrum station, which is handy if you’re arriving by train. Families will like the four-person family studio with a sofa bed and kitchenette, and breakfast is a buffet.
Check prices and availability at PLAZA Premium Almere.
Where to stay on the edge of Almere Stad
#3 Van der Valk Hotel Almere
Travelling with kids? Then Van der Valk Hotel Almere is a smart pick. The family room comes with a separate children’s room, so no whispering in the dark once the little ones are asleep, and the heated indoor pool saves the day when it rains. The hotel is about 4 kilometres from the centre, so it works best if you have a car.
Check prices and availability at Van der Valk Hotel Almere.
Where to stay in Almere Poort
#4 In Almere, Close to Amsterdam
In the young district of Almere Poort, this ground-floor apartment sleeps four, with two bedrooms, its own kitchen and a terrace. The beach is a short bike ride away, and from Almere Poort station you’re in Amsterdam before you know it.
Check prices and availability for the apartment in Almere Poort.
Where to stay in Oosterwold
For the most unusual places to stay in Almere, head to Oosterwold. Residents here are free to build pretty much whatever they like, and the results are wonderfully creative. Some of them have built something for guests too.
#5 Pigs & Pillows
At Pigs & Pillows (formerly Klein Knorrestein), a family lives among rescued pigs, goats and other animals, with two remarkable tiny houses in the garden. Holy Goat is a hobbit-like cabin with curvy organic shapes, made in Estonia, while Mighty Pig started life as a Wikkelhouse of wrapped cardboard and has since had a sturdy makeover. Both come with a private hot tub, a sauna and a tandem bike for exploring.
Check prices and availability at Pigs & Pillows.
#6 B&B Eemhouses
Also in Oosterwold, the small B&B Eemhouses has four luxury wooden chalets, each with two bedrooms, so there’s plenty of room for a family. They all look out over wide open meadows, and you can add the wellness area as an extra.
Take a look at the chalets of B&B Eemhouses.
Where to stay in Noorderplassen
#7 Airbnb De Zeiltoren
Oosterwold isn’t Almere’s only architecture experiment. In the 1970s, a competition was held for a patch of Noorderplassen now called De Realiteit. Seventeen winners each got a 20 by 20 metre plot to build their dream home on, with no building regulations at all. The houses were supposed to be torn down after five years, but they were such a hit that they’re still standing.
One of them, the striking blue Zeiltoren (Sail Tower), is now on Airbnb and sleeps up to three people.
Check prices and availability for De Zeiltoren.
Where to stay at De Kemphaan
#8 Natuurcamping De Kemphaan
One more spot for something different is Natuurcamping De Kemphaan, a nature campsite on the city estate of the same name. You can sleep in a forest cabin, a pipowagen (a traditional Dutch wooden wagon) or a tiny house, with the city farm and the treetop climbing park close by. Bringing your own tent, caravan or campervan is fine too.
See the accommodation at Natuurcamping De Kemphaan.
