Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [608]
Hotel St Annen (Map; 317 7130; www.stannen.de; Annenstrasse 5; s €78-98, d €88-139; ) Tucked away in one of the few quiet streets between the Reeperbahn and Schanzenviertel, this 36-room hotel is a favourite with business people and middle-class travellers for its whitewashed, glossy-timber-furnished modern rooms and oasislike shaded back garden and terrace. Good-value family rates can be arranged.
Hotel Hafen (Map; 311 1370; www.hotel-hafen-hamburg.de; Seewartenstrasse 9; r from €120, breakfast €16; ) Location, location, location. This privately owned behemoth of a hotel (353 rooms) looms over the heart of Hamburg’s harbour from a small hill. If you’re lucky enough to score a harbour-facing room (no guarantees, but it’s worth asking), the views are extraordinary. In addition to the refurbished, historic main building, a former seamen’s home, there are newer modern wings.
UNIVERSITÄTSVIERTEL
YoHo – The Young Hotel ( 284 1910; www.yoho-hamburg.de; Moorkamp 5; s/d €85/99, under 26yr €62/75, breakfast €12; ; Schlump) Tasteful splashes of orange – the winged retro chairs and walls in reception and the burnt-sienna blankets draped across the beds – don’t detract from the minimalist feel at this urban pad, where personal touches include miniature bags of jelly beans on the pillows. The only outrageous eye candy is found in its ‘Occidental’ breakfast room.
Schlaflounge ( 3868 5387; www.schlaflounge.de, in German; Vereinstrasse 54b; s/d €65/89, breakfast €10; ; Christuskirche) Live like a local in this stylish, streamlined B&B in an appealing residential quarter with relaxed neighbourhood bars and excellent restaurants nearby. Attractive rooms incorporate blond wood and either brown and ochre or dark red and aqua colour schemes. Breakfast includes organic fruit and homemade jam.
Hotel Fresena (Map; 410 4892; www.hotelfresena.de; 3rd fl, Dammtorpalais, Moorweidenstrasse 34; s €75-99, d €88-139, breakfast €9; ) African sculptures and interesting photos greet you at this otherwise old-fashioned hotel, one of five hotels occupying the same historic former apartment building.
Hotel Bellmoor ( 413 3110; www.hotel-bellmoor.de; 4th fl, Dammtorpalais, Moorweidenstrasse 34; s/d/tr incl breakfast from €82/100/140; ) White embossed wallpaper and vintage advertising posters line the halls of this traditional hotel in the same converted apartment building as Hotel Fresena (above). Rooms 14 (single) and 34 (twin) feature art-nouveau bathrooms with stained-glass windows and tiled tubs. Views over Hamburg’s rooftops unfurl from the sunlit breakfast room.
ALTONA
25hours Hotel Hamburg ( 855 870; www.25hours-hotel.de; Paul-Dessau-Strasse 2; r €105-135, breakfast €14; ; Bahrenfeld) Funky decor and an upbeat atmosphere attract models and fashion types to this design hotel. The reception features bright pink chairs and a desk that looks like it’s wearing a studded belt, but the rooms are a little less Barbie meets Barbarella, with white, blues and exposed concrete. The biggest drawback is the location, in a suburban business park, but you can rent bikes for €7 per day. Room rates drop by around 15% if you’re under 26.
Clipper Elb Lodge (Map; 809 010; www.clipper-boardinghouse.de; Carsten-Rehder-Strasse 71; apt €126-225; reception 7am-10pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat, Sun & public holidays; ) Designed for extended stays (when rates drop accordingly), these spacious turn-of-the-millennium apartments are kitted out with cream stone bathrooms, black kitchen cupboards and dishwashers, and TVs that swivel in the wall between the sleeping and living areas. Some have fabulous river views through floor-to-ceiling windows. You can unwind in the free sauna, steam room and solarium; laundry facilities are also free.
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Top End
CITY CENTRE
Hotel SIDE (Map; 309 990; www.side-hamburg.de; Drehbahn 49; r incl breakfast €170-300; ) A stylish alternative to the city centre’s chain hotels, this Matteo Thun–designed stunner is built around a soaring prism-shaped central atrium. Suites feature vividly coloured free-standing