Two of my favorite places to visit in Europe are London and Amsterdam. There’s lot to do in both cities and a fun way to get from one to the other. So this is my tale of two European cities.

London is not known for it’s cuisine. But it has improved over the years and there’s even some good deals to be had in this economy.

Restaurants

If staying in Earls Court, for breakfast, I really enjoy Benjy’s (157 Earls Court Road). It’s not fancy but does claim to have a world famous breakfast. Don’t know who voted but it served its purpose and was very inexpensive.  You can get the same meal here for about $5-6 as you would from your hotel for $16-20. And don’t expect frills. In fact, it’s kind of funny how it works. You sit, you order, they bring your food extremely fast and when you’re done, you go to the counter, tell them what you ordered, they ring it up and you pay. If you stray from the basic menu, the price goes up a bit (for example, jelly costs about 50 cents.)

Earls Court also has Star Kebab House (178 Earls Court Road), a little Indian restaurant that is cheap and pretty good but it stands out as the only place open after 3am in the area. So, if you are like me, you go clubbing one night and then want dinner, this is the only place open. But you can get Somosas or Chicken Tikka for less than $5. In fact, a whole chicken meal with chips and a drink is about $8-10.

For a nicer meal at a cool place, away from all of the tourist traps, is Sabor, a Latin American option in the Islington district, is quick trip from Earls Court by tube.

Sabor, a Latin American Restaurant in the Islington district of London.

While they have many items to choose from, their set menus for 2-to-3 course for about $18-22 is really a bargain for the quality. One might start off with Pinchos de Pollo, which are tender grilled chicken skewers, spiced up with citrus and coriander and accompanied by their mouthwatering papas huancainas, Peruvian-style potatoes. Their prefix menu can be followed by the Moqueca, a classic Brazilian dish, choked full of every seafood imaginable and served over rice in a coconut sauce. The dessert options in the prefix seem to have the best options as well. I strayed from the prefix for dessert, though, thinking I’d prefer the Alfajores, but the biscuits were too dry and not sweet enough for my American palate. Still, I’d strongly recommend Sabor (www.sabor.co.uk). And if you’re on a budget, can’t beat their set menu (which is not available on a Saturday night).

Accommodations

I like to stay in Earls Court as its on the Picadilly Line of the underground, which is important to someone who doesn’t want to transfer trains as the Picadilly Line has a direct connection to the airport.

I couldn’t remember the name of the hotel that I liked in the area, so I let the internet guide me to what seemed like a nice place: Kensington Town House (www.kensingtonhogarthhotel.co.uk). The room did look like the picture and it had the features I like: free internet, elevator and air conditioning.  But the room was smaller than it seemed online. The door hits the glass closet when you open it. The bathroom door bumps into the bed. And the tea service overpowers the desk, which is not near the desk chair because there was no room for it.

Perhaps I could have lived with all of that. But I couldn’t live with the train that runs every 10 seconds to 3 minutes from 5am to 12 midnight every night. While ear plugs helped somewhat, they couldn’t prevent the room from vibrating and shaking me awake.

The front desk also is not well-informed. I asked for directions and no one knew how to guide me. I could live with that. And when I asked for late night restaurants they didn’t know about the little Indian restaurant up the road. I could live with that. But when I asked where I could get a proper fish & chips and was told to go to McDonald’s, I stopped asking the front desk for their assistance.

Walking around Earls Court, I found the hotel I liked but couldn’t remember its name. So if you want an Earls Court hotel with American-sized bathrooms and air conditioning it’s Barkston Gardens (www.barkstongardens.com). It’s not your typical English style hotel, it’s more modern. But it does have a lovely garden across the street, although it’s not accessible by the general public.

When you’re ready to leave London for Amsterdam, do you take a cheap flight? No!  You take a cruise. For about $100 and up, you can take the overnight cruise on the StenaLine (http://www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry/routes/harwich-holland/onboard-experience/cabins). With private cabins great to sleep during your 8 hour journey, but you can also dine, shop, drink cocktails, exchange money, go to a movie or play at the casino. And, my favorite part, if you do the overnight trip, you have one less hotel night to pay for.

Then before you know it, you’re in Amsterdam, my favorite European city.

I usually stay in either a very inexpensive shared-bath hotel like Hotel Clemens (www.clemenshotel.nl) which is a very short walk from Centraal Station or a well-located 3-star property with private bath such as the Golden Bear (www.goldenbear.nl). On my most recent trip, I thought I’d try one of the more upscale hotels from the Golden Tulip chain, thinking I’d get a great value during this down-turned economy.

After several emails pointing out that the rate I was offered as a writer were higher than rates I found on the internet, I finally did strike a nice deal with the Golden Tulip Apollo (www.goldentulipapolloamsterdam.com) and what a beautiful property it was. A nicely appointed room with American style designs and amenities, I was comfortable in my spacious surroundings with a great view of two canals. And with a bad taste still in my mouth from the service from a London hotel’s staff, I was treated like royalty by the Golden Tulip staff, which was more than willing to assist with directions, tickets, shuttles and restaurant tips. In fact, for the several days I was there, Concierge Jacques seemed to be on duty during all shifts, with complete and thorough knowledge on anything I wanted to know.

With the Golden Tulip being so close to Beethovenstraat, a lovely street of restaurants, cheese shops, designer clothing stores and also not far from all of the museums, it would be hard-pressed to find something wrong with the property But I do think they should either make the internet free or list the fee on their website. It seems implied on their website that its free as its listed in the middle of all of their free amenities. So it was a surprise that it costs about $15 per day for the internet.

As for dining in Amsterdam, it used to be one of the best places to find quality food for little money. But since the guilder was converted to the Euro, the money lost value in the translation. The Dutch people I spoke with felt the country got cheated during the exchange of monies. Someone even thought they simply just changed the verbiage from “guider” to “euro” so something that cost 50 cents now costs about $1.10.

An array of tasty small plates at Cilubang Restaurant.

Regardless, having a ristaffel (rice table) is a must in Amsterdam. Ristaffel is a traditional Indonesian dish that consists of about 30-60 small tapas style plates of tasty tidbits from chicken to beef to vegetables. Many restaurants serve this dish as Indonesia used to be a colony in the Netherlands. The best place to try this dish is at  Cilubang Restaurant (www.cilubang.com). Each item is made fresh daily, the prices are quite reasonable and offer you a good range of options, so the amount you pay can vary. And Cilubang also has other entrees should you not want the more elaborate ristaffel.

Another longtime favorite of mine in Amsterdam is the Italian restaurant, Casa di David (www.casadidavid.com). It’s great location off the Singel canal offers built-in romance. Since there are a few other locations (one in Italy) it almost says chain. But sometimes, a restaurant’s success means expanding and doesn’t mean its become an Olive Garden.  From it’s fresh focaccia bread you get as soon as you’re seated to its al dente pasta, Casa di David will not disappoint.

For a quick, long lasting Dutch snack try the fries. (Can they be called French while in Amsterdam?) Available throughout the city, these terrific fries are best at the Manneken Pis stand near Centraal Station, amidst all of the average fare tourist traps. And like all of the other places, a big glob of mayonnaise is poured on top of the fries in their convenient carry cone. This particular mayonnaise is sweeter and creamier than US mayo. It does seem funny that you’re putting a big glob of fat on top of something fried in fat, but this is a treat that cannot be missed and is truly something that must be done in Amsterdam.

But not all dining experiences are good ones. A group went to Rose’s Cantina (www.rosescantina.com) on the spur of the moment. They were so nice to accommodate us since they seemed to have several private parties. But when we miscounted the number of people in our party and moved one more chair to our table, the waiter suggested we just take our business to McDonald’s. And after being told I didn’t understand Dutch humor, I did see the waiter was more bothered that I didn’t get his joke. In a time when you only want to spend your money at places that appreciate your business, I told the waiter that I will not be dining at his restaurant and I left.

One of my dining companions came running after me and told me not to let the waiter ruin our evening, so I didn’t.  I went back. But when the waiter took our orders, he gave me the cold shoulder, so I only ordered a diet Coke, not wanting to financially contribute to this business. And it’s a good thing as, due to the guilder-to-Euro transfer, coupled with the Euro-to-dollar conversion, their burrito would have cost me $28 – and I hear that it had very little chicken and was mostly beans and tortilla.

As a group we had a nice time. But the evening did end with the waiter yelling out the window, after we left, that I should now go to McDonald’s. But I’d rather have a Big Mac over a Big Jackass any day.