Checking In | A Cozy & Sustainable Stay at Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam

If you’ve been following my instagram, you’ll see that life lately has been cozy, pink, and full of gluten free bagels: I have Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam to thank for that! With my spike in traveling recently, and also some reflections after working in the refugee camps, I’ve decided to honestly invest in making more ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible decisions with my money when I travel. (You’ll even see that I’ve added a new category in my blog menu: Ethical Travel). Whereas I previously looked for a low price/high design ratio in travel accommodation, I’m now adding sustainability into the mix.Well, Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam makes it pretty easy! Super low price, instagram worthy design that kept me chilling in the hostel for hours, and it’s eco-friendly and socially conscious. Oh, and like I mentioned, it all comes with coffee and gluten free bagels for breakfast 😉 Was this place designed for me?!

Indoor swing in Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam. The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

The Concept: Green, Quirky Conscious Living

Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is the sister of Cocomama Hostel – probably the most well-known boutique hostel in Amsterdam. Although it’s called a “hotel” it straddles the line between hotel and hostel. You can choose between many different room types, from luxury private rooms, to “cabin” rooms, to the “el cheapo” dorm. It’s in a prime location on a quiet street, with the pinkest and most instagram-extra cafe at its entrance.

Pink velvet sofa at The Fix, the cafe at the entrance to Ecomama. The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

The Fix by Maiden is the cafe at the entrance to Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam. The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

However, what makes Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam special is that it goes above and beyond to make conscious decisions. These decisions span from water-saving systems, to fair trade and recycled vintage interior decor, to natural stone heating, to a €1 donation per guest to Ninos de Guatemala – a Dutch-Guatemalan organization that supports quality education for underprivileged children. Even though “eco” implies a purely environmental stance on sustainability, Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam actually encompasses all aspects of sustainability.

A nice reminder from the soap at ecofriendly Ecomama. The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

The Atmosphere: #StayDifferent

#StayDifferent is the tagline of Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam…and it is pretty obvious once you enter the door that this is a different place to stay. Let’s start with the indoor swings, or the wide open kitchen, the wall of bikes and communal wooden table, or, hello, the giant indoor teepee.

The indoor teepee lights at Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam. The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

I would not describe this as a party hostel. Although I was there on weekdays, I can’t imagine it gets that rowdy on the weekends. It was quiet, but people positioned themselves in the teepee or at the communal table with their laptops or takeaway meals. There are also tours every night such as the Red Lights District or an Alternative Pub Crawl. I was not looking to be in an overwhelmingly social or party-heavy environment, so I really enjoyed the casual, friendly, and calm atmosphere at Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam.

everything happens because everything happens... wise words from the stairs in Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam. The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

My Cozy and Sustainable Stay

I would describe my solo traveling style as “persistent.” I basically just walk across entire cities, seeing and eating everything in my path despite all obstacles. However during my stay in Amsterdam I was faced with equally persistent… rain. It rained the entire time I was in Amsterdam. Luckily Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam couldn’t have been a more perfect escape from the rain. I always feel this vague sense of guilt when I stay in at hotels instead of enjoying the city I traveled all that way to explore, but any guilt quickly faded away at Ecomama.

Enjoying my cozy and sustainable stay in Amsterdam with a good book in my all girls dorm room. The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

The all girls dorm in Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam, with beds overlooking the secluded canal. The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

Each morning I drew out my time with cappuccino and bagel, listening to my audiobook of the Diary of Anne Frank. In the afternoons as my feet grew sore and the sun sank, I returned to the hotel and laid out in the teepee, sipping on green tea and working on my laptop. I made dinner in the open kitchen and ate at the long communal table with a glass of wine. I chatted with my roommates – the most fascinating people who were also solo female travellers. And each night I laid down in my pink, cozy bed overlooking the glittering canal.

The pink ceiling of Amsterdam's floating flower market on a morning of exploration. The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

A pink bike in Amsterdam...pops of pink color line the bridges of Amsterdam's canals! The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

Looking out over the Amsterdam canals on a cold November day. The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

The beautiful houses lining Amsterdam's canals. The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special.

Although my stay at Ecomama was sponsored, I reached out to them because I knew this was my perfect partner in accommodation… so I do highly recommend it, and thank you Anika and Ecomama for hosting me!

The Details

Location: Ecomama Hotel, Valkenburgerstraat 124, 1011 NA Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Price: €24-€109 per night depending on what room you choose. I stayed in the all-girls dorm which was mid-range at €37/night. Compared to other Amsterdam hotels, this is extremely competitive, even for the most expensive rooms!

The Small Print: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is in an old building where you can hear the pipes running. Bring ear plugs if this will bother you. If you choose a dorm room, there is one big, open shared bathroom for both men and women. I found the shower stalls quite spacious and private, though. To preserve water, the showers run for short intervals so you have to keep pressing the button to make the water flow…if you find this too annoying to be worth it, don’t stay at an eco hotel 😉

To check availability and current prices you can book here.

Sarah xx

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The cheapest hotel for an instagram- and eco-friendly stay in Amsterdam: Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam is cozy, sustainable and made my time in Amsterdam special. Indoor swings, indoor teepee, bikes, a retro fridge, this hotel has it all.

**I received a media rate at Ecomama Hotel Amsterdam in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

**I am linking up with Lauren of Lauren on Location, Van of Snow in Tromso, Isabel of The Sunny Side of This, and Marcella of What a Wonderful World for Wanderful Wednesday.

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17 Comments

  1. Since I live ony 20 minutes from Amsterdam, I never stay overnight. But it’s always so much fun to see the funky hotels that I am missing. I know Eco Mama from Istanbul. The one in Amsterdam looks lovely too. I just came back from Belfast where it rained all the time too, a hotel too dry up, get warm and relaxt makes all the difference.
    #WanderfulWednesday

    1. Ooh that must be another brand because Anika only has the two in Amsterdam: Ecomama and Cocomama… I actually quite liked it because it wasn’t some big or impersonal brand, it felt really special. But Istanbul’s Ecomama sounds up my alley as well so maybe I will have to check it out if I ever make my way over there…. 🙂

  2. Looks like a great place. I’m definitely going to start using hostels as my kids get a bit older. We use AirBnB for city breaks at the moment but I like the social side of hostels. #wanderfulwednesday

  3. This hostel!! Wow, it looks just perfect 🙂 I love that it has tonnes of quirky touches to it but the fact that it all stands for something so important. It’s great to start thinking about more ethical travel, i think we can all learn something from that!

  4. I like you have added “sustainability” to your travel equation. I understand what the term and like to see more travelers taking that route. In a way, I have travel with the concept in mind for years. I prefer to use my travel dollars on local businesses and services. #wanderfulwednesday

  5. Amazing!! Oh my gosh, this sounds absolutely PERFECT for my type of travel!! Thank you so much for sharing this review, it really sounds like an amazing find. In some places it can be tough to find hostels with a strong approach to sustainability (after all, budget accommodations need to make their $ somewhere, and eco-friendly measures can have start up costs etc), so I’m glad to have this one locked in for the Netherlands. Thank you again!

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