The Flying Pig News Amsterdam No.3
Winter 2004/2005 |
The First Amsterdam backpacker newspaper!
 Page 5 - Hostels  |
Located in an 18th century building the Downtown hostel puts you right in the middle of all the Amsterdam action. This former three-star hotel has been converted into a fabulous backpackers hostel and is located in the heart of Amsterdam’s oldest district surrounded by historical houses, shops, cosy bars and restaurants. You can find the Downtown hostel at the Nieuwendijk which is only a 2 minutes walk from the Central Station and right in the middle of one of the busiest shopping areas of Amsterdam. But Downtown is mainly famous for its non-stop party vibe and friendly and outgoing atmosphere. |
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This hostel is situated close to cultural spots with the Dam square, the Royal Palace, Anne Frank house and much more within walking dis-tance. The outdoor market at the Waterlooplein is a great place to spend a sunny afternoon doing some bargain shopping. For those wanting to get to know the real Amsterdam atmosphere with a pint in hand, the nearby Rembrandtplein is full of outdoor cafes, pubs and clubs.
Like all our Flying Pig hostels, in addition to things like a continental breakfast and free lockers and luggage storage, the Downtown also offers access to a full equipped kitchen and free internet service. In short, the Downtown Pig hostel is a perfect location if you’re looking for non-stop Amsterdam action with some of the comforts of home .
The Downtown hostel can accommodate up to 174 people. This hostel fills up rather fast, so if you’re looking for a room, please check our web site for availability. |
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Party vibes
The atmosphere of the Downtown hostel is relaxed and the hostel is always packed with backpackers. The bar is rarely lacking in com-pany and conversation and the pillow-covered stage is a great place to relax and have a game of cards with new friends. >> Luckily for those who can find the motivation, the Downtown Pig is situated within minutes of some of Amster-dam’s most popular dance scenes. |
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For those wanting to stay in, not to worry, for lo-cal DJs are invited twice a week to spin beats on the turntable and on Saturday there is an open turntable night.
Popular spots nearby
Downtown is situated within minutes of some of Amsterdam’s most popular spots such as the Red Light District where the girls behind glass and the world-famous grass can be found at every corner. |
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The Flying Pig Beach hostel is a crazy backpackers hostel in the beach resort of Noordwijk, located only 30 kilometres from Amsterdam, just 15 kilometres from Schiphol airport and only 50 metres from the sea. With its beach life, party atmosphere and outdoor focus, The Beach attracts all sorts of backpackers wanting to party, have fun on the beach and do a bit of sight seeing. |
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Of course there’s also another way of hitting the beach. Around Noordwijk there are a lot of sand dunes, woodlands and flower fields. Great to do some off-the-road cycling. You can cycle from Noordwijk up to Zandvoort and create your own Paris-Dakar trip by bike.
Sight seeing
For those who want to see more than just sand, Noordwijk is perfect to explore the rest of the country from. Noordwijk is very centrally located and situated at the coast in between Amsterdam and The Hague and is also close to cities like Haarlem, Leiden and Rotterdam. To catch up with the latest trends in architecture and art you can visit Rotterdam, better known as worlds’ biggest harbour at only 50 minutes driving. Even closer by is Amsterdam of course with its numerous interest-ing sights. And if you want to find out more about the history of the Netherlands then The Hague and Leiden are a must. Both cities are very old and their history brings you back to the 17th century.
Strolling along the beach, cycling through the sand dunes, sight seeing in the area or party at the Beach bar. This is just a selection of what The Flying Pig Beach hostel and Noordwijk has to offer. The Beach hostel is a perfect spot if you want to be close to the city
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The main area in the Beach hostel is ‘the Bar’, this is where it all happens. The relaxed atmosphere cre-ated by our crazy staff is ideal to make new friends. You’re always welcome to join in for a home cooked meal and with the music we play, everything but mainstream, parties are unavoidable. The Flying Pig Beach has a nice ‘chill out’ deck with comfortable rugs and pillows and a significant book collection for everybody to read and swap.
Beach life
The main attraction besides the hostel is of course the beach: the 13 km golden sand beach has a lot to offer, you can just sit on your bum and enjoy the sunset or have a long stroll in the sea-breeze. But the beach is also perfect to practise all kinds of sports, such as swimming, beach volleyball, horseback riding, boarding, wind surfing and of course the latest trend ‘kite surfing’. Kite surfing -is the latest craze to hit the beach. If you’re in for a bit of action, the Flying Pig Beach hostel can offer you an activity programme varying from surfboard rental, private lessons, to advanced courses providing a more in-depth view of kite surfing . |
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but still like to hit the beach to experience the latest sport crazes and to get some sun tan.
Wintertime
No worry about getting bored in wintertime at the beach hostel. If a stroll along the beach, cycling through the sand dunes or party at the Beach bar don’t give you enough excitement, we can always arrange ice skating or snowboarding trips for you.
This is just a selection of what the Flying Pig Beach hostel and Noordwijk have to offer. The Beach hos-tel is a perfect spot if you want to be close to the city but still like to hit the beach to experience the latest sport crazes and to get some sun tan.
In short, the Flying Pig Beach hostel can give you a good price, nice clean rooms and lots of activities.
If you want to book a bed in the Beach hostel, please check our web site www.flyingpig.nl or contact Jos at +31 (0)71 362 25 33 or via e-mail jos@flyingpig.nl for prices and availability.
Jos & the Beach Piggies are lookingforward to see you at the Beach! |
By Shuttle service
The Beach Hostel offers a coveniant shuttle service for guest with hostel reservations between the Flying Pig Downtown / Uptown hostel and the Beach Hostel.
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They explain to me how after a couple of crazy nights, they spray painted the poor animal silly but before we knew it a star was born!” It turns out it was Bosswell´s appearance that convinced many travellers the Flying Pig hostel was the crazicompletely pink, convinced that they had turned her est and best place in town. |
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Garuda & Lufthansa
After having discussed Bosswell´s fame and fury for a couple more minutes Willem suddenly jumps up and says; “Oh, and what about Garuda & Luft-hansa”! The guys both start laughing and as I smile back at them in ignorance, they start recalling; “We never got Bosswell over to Amsterdam, as she changed managers, but with the opening of the Fly-ing Pig Downtown hostel we did receive two little pigs as a present!” After giving them actual ´Flying´ Pig names, they provided a home for them in the basement of the newly opened location. But little Piggies grow up (Dutch pigs are known to become humongous) and so they started to burst out of their establishment. “We tried to find someone interested to take them off our hands, but only the butcher seemed keen to take them on”. “Yeah, and after all that time we spent together we really couldn’t let them be turned into bacon” The guys finally found Garuda & Lufthansa a new home at a kids farm, but not until they had spent fortunes on vets, injections and legal papers! << |
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>> continuation from page 1
How did you guys manage to turn this hostel into a busy backpackers place?
“Well, we have to admit” Ronald starts while sipping from his fresh yellow brew; “even though the first Flying Pig hostel started to flourish when we were there, a lot of the credit has to go to Boswell”. As I have never heard this name before and the grin that follows this remark makes me want to find out more, I present them with my --best puzzled look. Willem smiles and responses; “Yes you’re right, Boswell, did have a great part in our success..” As they go on I start to understand that Boswell was actually an innocent, young New Zealand Sheep! Living on the hostel premises, she became the face of the Flying Pig hostel.
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“However, not everyone was mad about her remember?” Willem grins back at his partner and tells me; “Our next-door neighinto a real pig that way. “She really looked quite bour hated Boswell´s pink guts”. “Every time we lost track of her we would hear this loud screaming voice echo over the field”. “WIIIIIILLLLLEM!! GET YOUR F*CKING SHEEP OUT OF MY GARDEN OR I’LL SHOOT IT”!! |
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It’s party time @ the pig
Picture this: green, beautiful New Zealand, thousands of sheep, an empty kiwi hostel containing 20 just as empty beds and not a single backpacking soul in sight. Exactly, a real adventurous, business minded backpackers dream and surprisingly enough the start of the first original Flying Pig hostel in the world. |
. “A tiny Japanese girl bumped into the door of the jeep which suddenly swung open and the sweet girl made a dive out of the car”. Willem takes over and continues; “yeah, so I hit the brakes, got out of the car and picked her and the remains of her camera up off the ground and carried on”. “The surprising thing was that she kept thanking me for peeling her off the road and did not say anything about the damage to her camera! “ Haha, no than that other girl” Ronald cuts in; “The same thing happened to her, she too fell out of the car but she hurt her leg”. “Again Willem picked up the victim off the ground and drove on”. “But unlike the first girl, she was in the back shouting; I´ll sue you, I´ll sue you”! “Oh that’s right I remember”…“Only until we got to the hostel though, because after many drinks and some soothing words from Ronald she had already forgiven me!
>> read more on page 4 |
| A little more than a decade ago the Flying Pig’s founding fathers, Ronald & Willem, started their trip around the world. At the age of subsequently 19 and 20 they first set foot in New Zealand and during their stay on the island they stumbled upon the above described ´picture´. Being young, reckless and full of dreams, they convinced the owner of the tiny hostel they were the cut out managers for his place. The chief Pigs moved into the hostel, sat out on the porch in the breezy sunny afternoon and made themselves comfortable... |
10 years later I’m sharing a drink with them on a chilly autumn afternoon. Our next beers are just being poured as they start to recall some vivid memories of those young, ambitious and crazy times…
“We always picked up travellers in the hostel’s jeep from a nearby station as an extra service”. “But Willem always had a bit off a formula 1 tendency” begins Ronald and smiles at his friend. As Willem and I await the rest of the story he goes on; “This one time, he had just picked up a couple of backpackers and was cutting the curves like a mad man” |
Wild Wednesdays @ the Beach Hostel
Every thursday in december‘04,
january & february‘05
all accommodation in the
dorm rooms will be free!
FREE ACCOMMODATION ! |
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The Flying Pig News will be published twice a year by The Flying Pig Backpacker Hostels Amsterdam, Holland >> Number 3 >> Winter 2004/2005 >> Circulation ± 50.000 >> Advertising Flying Pig Headoffice +31 (0)20 428 49 34 >> Editor Linda Peperkoorn >> Writers Marike Knaapen, Sander Breggeman, Inge Kuijper and backpackers >> Photgraphy Joyce van Tienen, Marike Knaapen, Sander Breggeman, Jos Groenendijk, Ronald Selter >> Graphic design and lay out AzimDezign&Communication, Haastrecht >> Printed by Drukkerij Verhagen bv
Your opinion, great ideas, travelstories, Amsterdam experience, travel pigtures, etc. >> All interesting material for this newspaper e-mail to >> pignews@flyingpig.nl
Hostel reservation and information: www.flyingpig.nl >> info@flyingpig.nl >> tel. +31 (0)20 428 49 34 >> fax +31 (0)20 421 08 02
Things can only be copied from this newspaper after having received a written confirmation of the Flying Pig editors. This version of the Flying Pig News Amsterdam is strictly informative and no rights can be derived from the content of the articles. |
