KLM Flying Dutchman - 5+ hours layover in AMS

I managed to score a great economy fare with KLM online from Dubai to San Francisco. :D I have flown KLM before and have always found them to be reliable, especially with Schipol a breeze to transfer through (never again CDG!). I was wondering if any of you frequent KLM travelers could help me out... on my outbound leg I will have a 5 hours 15 mins connection time in AMS. My flight arrives at 6am from Dubai. I have been to Amsterdam and the Netherlands many times before so I'm not interested in leaving the airport. What I'm most interested in is finding a lounge where I can shower. I have a few FlyingBlue miles I could spend to gain lounge access but is it worth it? Will I be able to use the showers?

Any help and advice will be much appreciated.

Maybe a ST E+ at AMS the same time as you can comp you in the lounge.

In the past anyone with enough FB miles could buy lounge access vouchers for FB miles but this is now restricted to FB Gold and Plat (15k miles for 5 vouchers) according to the KL website (FB - spending miles - other partners)

Unless you find someone with a Gold or Plat card to bring you as guest your best bet would be the Mercure Hotel across from the KL lounge (upstairs opposite F pier) or the public showers across from the now closed old KL lounge (upstairs opposite E pier).

In the past anyone with enough FB miles could buy lounge access vouchers for FB miles but this is now restricted to FB Gold and Plat (15k miles for 5 vouchers) according to the KL website (FB - spending miles - other partners)

Unless you find someone with a Gold or Plat card to bring you as guest your best bet would be the Mercure Hotel across from the KL lounge (upstairs opposite F pier) or the public showers across from the now closed old KL lounge (upstairs opposite E pier).

That's a shame. I was hoping I could still purchase lounge access with my FB miles. Would I need to book an overnight room with Mercure to gain shower access or do they have day rooms available? And how do you access the public showers? How much is the fee?

Thanks for your help!

Maybe a ST E+ at AMS the same time as you can comp you in the lounge.

That would be great... although I don't mind paying as well. It's just a shame I can't have access to it.

My travel date is on the 8th January.

That's a shame. I was hoping I could still purchase lounge access with my FB miles. Would I need to book an overnight room with Mercure to gain shower access or do they have day rooms available? And how do you access the public showers? How much is the fee?

Thanks for your help!

http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-1730-mercure-schiphol-terminal/index.shtml

You don't need to book a room at the Mercure - they offer shower only for 15 euro.

The public showers are free - which means that there is a decent chance that around 6:30 with all the arrivals from the ME and TATL it might be busy or just not entirely clean - although they try to clean it continuously.

I can highly recommend yotel. www.yotel.com

It's on the second floor above the fragrance shop between the D and E gates. 38 Euros buys you four hours in a comfortable room with bed, TV, and shower. It can be a little noisy, so take ear plugs if you're a light sleeper. It's on the non-Schengen side, too, so you don't ever even have to enter the country.

The public showers are free - which means that there is a decent chance that around 6:30 with all the arrivals from the ME and TATL it might be busy or just not entirely clean - although they try to clean it continuously.I visited the AMS BA Terraces lounge at 6 this morning. The lounge does not have its own restrooms, so one needs to use the closest public ones, which happen to be those with the public showers. I did not check the latter, but the gents toilets were filthy. I don't think they had been cleaned since the previous evening, and with many pax spending the night in the lounge chairs nearby, they had obviously been frequently used.

I can recall noticing the same thing many years ago. Apparently, the morning cleaning shift does not start with the upstairs toilets. Having found them dirty twice in a row, I even fired off an e-mail to Schiphol, and received an apologetic response. Doesn't look like anyting has changed in the 15+ years since, though!

Johan

I visited the AMS BA Terraces lounge at 6 this morning. The lounge does not have its own restrooms
Johan

Great lounge that is.... :rolleyes:

I can highly recommend yotel. www.yotel.com

It's on the second floor above the fragrance shop between the D and E gates. 38 Euros buys you four hours in a comfortable room with bed, TV, and shower. It can be a little noisy, so take ear plugs if you're a light sleeper. It's on the non-Schengen side, too, so you don't ever even have to enter the country.

Why is it noisy...pax walking by the rooms? or interior noise? I would have thought that an airport hotel would have extra soundproofing. Are there showers in the rooms at the Yotel? Im booking a night in a twin room...is it really claustrophobic?

Im hoping to spend some time in the lounge after arriving from my LHR flight before heading to the Yotel before my morning flight the next day to minimize the time in the room.

Why is it noisy...pax walking by the rooms? or interior noise? I would have thought that an airport hotel would have extra soundproofing. Are there showers in the rooms at the Yotel? Im booking a night in a twin room...is it really claustrophobic?

Im hoping to spend some time in the lounge after arriving from my LHR flight before heading to the Yotel before my morning flight the next day to minimize the time in the room.

The noise comes from the other guests walking past; it's a sort of prefabricated building so the walls aren't very thick. They do have showers in the rooms, and I have never felt claustrophobic there, but I'm also not really prone to that.

I hope you guys won't mind I'm slightly hijacking this thread... wife is going to fly alone over AMS (really great fares on KLM, and she is only (F)lying Blue thanks to their lovely 25% miles) and having a 6.5 hours wait there...

She is experienced to AMS airport (having done it already) so the transfer there is easy... just to ask, given that 6.5 hours is a lot of time, would it be possible for her to go for Amsterdam itself? (She speaks German and English, but never went to Amsterdam before)

As she is arriving from Schengen, I assume going out would be very quick, while travelling to non-Schengen means arriving back at the airport probably better 2 hours before the second leg? Or how is AMS handling this? (She would have the boarding pass already I assume)

Is it douable?

Thanks to all experienced FT for your advise :)

It's really easy and quick to get to the city from AMS especially when traveling from Shengen. Getting back, depending on the time i'd give it between 1 and 2 hours to get through passport control. security is a the gate and there can be long line-ups but you're at the gate already.
train to Amsterdam is inexpensive and it's a 20 min journey with trains running every 10-15 minutes.

It's really easy and quick to get to the city from AMS especially when traveling from Shengen. Getting back, depending on the time i'd give it between 1 and 2 hours to get through passport control. security is a the gate and there can be long line-ups but you're at the gate already.
train to Amsterdam is inexpensive and it's a 20 min journey with trains running every 10-15 minutes.

I have done this last month... was amazed how quickly you get into town, lots of possibilities within walking distance from the station or just take the tram anywhere you want to go.

Getting back I really pushed it, but even with the big line and my umbrella causing a security scare, I managed to get to the gate on time. The airport is a bit confusing with the signs taking you on a scenic tour around one terminal... but you should be alright as long as you get your boarding passes in advance.

So I have a 9.5 hour layover in AMS and I want to get some sleep and recover during this time. Which hotel at the airport do you recommend for this?

I will be flying WBC on KL both into AMS and out of AMS.

Which hotel at the airport do you recommend for this?The Mercure Terminal West, directly opposite the non-Schengen Crown Lounge.

Johan