Where to stay in Berlin
Friday, 28 Apr 2006 13:41
Advice on budget, affordable and luxury accommodation in Berlin.
Budget accommodation
Blessed with tolerant and good-natured staff, Mitte's Backpacker Hostel offers something different to everyone who stays. Each room has a theme for its décor, so you could find yourself sleeping in an underwater dorm, complete with a mermaid that would make Neptune fall on his own trident, or in an Arabian Bedouin. The bar seems to be open all hours, where there are regular features such as hip film nights.
Tailor-made for the partying traveller is the Circus, where an all you can eat breakfast is served till 1300 everyday. It also features a restaurant, underground bar where you can meet fellow travellers and locals, and a good, historic location in Mitte.
Affordable accommodation
Value for money penthouse-style suites are available at Arcotel Velvet. Set on Oranienburger Strasse in Berlin's trendy, cosmopolitan district, it is within walking distance of great bars and shopping hotspots. It also features a DVD rental service, so should you wish, you can spend an evening in your room watching a movie, before having it returned by the hotel.
A small hotel located on Fasanenstrasse, the Pension Funk is ideal for couples and romantics looking to sample some arm-sized wursts from street-side vendors and enjoy the nightlife at the surrounding bars and restaurants. The rooms are brimming with character, lending a more personal feel to the stay.
Luxury accommodation
Berlin's Ritz-Carlton carries the trademark class of the franchise, with spacious and excellently-appointed bedrooms, heated floors in the bathrooms, a very well equipped spa and beauty treatment centre and a swimming pool out of a Disney film. Staff are efficient, informed, and willing to do all they can to help.
To taste the truly extravagant in Berlin, try the Adlon Kempinski. Grandly decked out rooms in black marble and tasteful wood panelling, it has fantastic views of landmarks such as Brandenburg Gate and a real sense of history wafting around old public rooms.