Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [607]
Hotel Village (Map; 480 6490; www.hotel-village.de; Steindamm 4; s without/with bathroom incl breakfast from €52/72, d without/with bathroom incl breakfast from €68/95; ) You can tell this edgy gem was once a bordello: boudoirs feature various kitsch mixes of red velvet, gold flock wallpaper and leopard prints, and several have huge mirrors above the bed. It attracts a mix of gay and straight guests. For night owls, free, freshly brewed coffee is available around the clock.
Hotel Wedina (Map; 280 8900; www.wedina.de; Gurlittstrasse 23; s/d main Bldg incl breakfast from €98/118, other Bldg incl breakfast from €108/138; ) You might find a novel instead of a chocolate on your pillow at this literary hotel. Margaret Atwood, Jonathan Safran Foer, Jonathan Franzen, Michel Houellebecq, Vladimir Nabokov and JK Rowling are just some of the authors who’ve stayed and left behind signed books. The hotel’s 59 rooms are spread over four buildings, offering a choice of traditional decor in the main red building, which opens to a leafy garden, or modern, urban living in its green, blue and yellow houses.
Junges Hotel (Map; 419 230; www.junges-hotel.de; Kurt-Schumacher-Allee 14; s/d incl breakfast €105/118; ) Yellow, pale-pink and orange window panels complement lots of blond wood in this airy, modern hotel less than five minutes’ walk from the Berliner Tor U-Bahn/S-Bahn station. It’s most memorable for the way extra guests can be accommodated in some double rooms, where beds drop down from the wall as in a train sleeper compartment. For adults, these beds costs €28 per person; kids under 12 stay free.
ALSTER LAKES
Hotel-Pension Schwanenwik ( 220 0918; www.hotel-schwanenwik.de; Schwanenwik 29; s/d without bathroom €50/75, s/d with bathroom €85/108; ) Enjoy a luxury location and views for less at this humble but spotless Pension, whose breakfast room overlooks the Aussenalster. Framed pictures, especially by Miró, brighten the historic building. Rooms 19 and 20 also have lake views. Rates include breakfast. Take bus 6 to Mundsburger Brücke.
Hotel Mare ( 5190 0940; www.hotel-mare.de; Armgartstrasse 14; s/d €80/100; ) A few doors from the long-established Hotel Miramar (below), the same mother-and-daughter team recently opened Hotel Mare, with fresh, contemporary styling in its large rooms. Take bus 6 to Mundsburger Brücke.
Hotel Miramar ( 5190 0940; www.hotelmiramar.de; Armgartstrasse 20; s/d incl breakfast €85/110; ) On the same leafy street as Hotel Mare (above), the ‘little taste of England’ promised here means a choice of quintessential English rose or colonial decor (lots of ruffles and cut crystal).
Hotel Alsterblick ( 2294 8989; www.hotel-alsterblick.de; Schwanenwik 30; s €85, d €100-160 incl breakfast; ) Through an elegant stained-glass lobby with a caged wrought-iron lift, accommodation at this historic lakeside hotel blends original herringbone floors with contemporary furnishings and mod cons. Two rooms have balconies – one, amusingly, is off the bathroom. Catch bus 6 to Mundsburger Brücke.
Nippon ( 227 1140; www.nippon-hotel-hh.de; Hofweg 75; s €104-127, d €122-158, breakfast €15; ) White walls, low futon beds, rice-paper screens, tatami flooring and occasional splashes of cherry red create a Zen recipe here, as does its well-regarded Japanese restaurant, Wa-Yo. In addition to dinner (mains €16.50 to €23.30; Tuesday to Sunday), guests have the option of a traditional Japanese breakfast from Wednesday to Monday, and its chef runs regular five-hour cooking classes (€89). Take bus 6 to Zimmerstrasse.
SCHANZENVIERTEL & ST PAULI
Fritz Hotel (Map; 8222 2830; www.fritzhotel.com; Schanzenstrasse 101-103; s/d €60/90) Run by fun, friendly staff, this stylish town-house hotel is as cool as a cucumber in shades of white and grey, and splashes of red. It’s great for ‘urbanistas’ who’ll be happy finding their own breakfast at neighbourhood cafes (fresh fruit and cappuccinos are laid on for free), and who aren’t perturbed by a bit of street noise (some rooms have balconies overlooking the action; ask for one of the quieter rooms