Hotels in Berlin September 1, 2005
Berlin is vast. I strongly suggest you find a hotel in one of the eastern districts of Kreuzberg (where DE will be held), Mitte, or Prenzlauer Berg. Although there are lots of tourist hotels on the Ku’damm (Kurfurstendamm), West Berlin’s equivalent of 5th Avenue, it’ll mean you have to take a train or taxi home every night. These suggestions are roughly in order of my confidence in their convenience and cost. Note that some of these hotels list their prices per person, not per room.
(My rough estimates of commuting time between the hotel and Spreeblick are in italics.)
Cheap hotel options
Circus Hostel, despite the name, is more like a hotel, with some very nice private apartments and double rooms. Some of these have fantastic views from their private balconies. Locations at Rosenthaler Platz (a two-block walk into central Mitte) and at Rosa-Luxembourg Platz (right in the heart of Mitte). (15 minutes by foot and U-bahn from either location.)
Pension on Gleimstrasse is well-located and inexpensive. Heather and I briefly lived around the corner from Gleimstrasse; it’s a great neighborhood. (20 minutes by foot and U-bahn.)
Die Fabrik is in Kreuzberg, pretty close to our meeting space at Spreeblick. It’s also a single subway stop or quick cab ride from Freidrichshein. Die Fabrik is also a hostel, but with some singles and double rooms. (15 minutes by foot and U-bahn.)
More expensive options
The stylish Art’Otel Mitte is a healthy walk or quick cab ride to Spreeblick’s office. Reviews suggest it’s not quite up to its swank promise, but the location is great. (20 minutes by foot, 5 minutes by taxi.)
The Hotel Kastanienhof is right up the street from the Circus Hostel and is just a bit more grown-up. It gets consistently good reviews. (25 minutes by foot and U-bahn.)
Riehmers Hofgarten is a lovely place in Kruezberg in a gorgeous building. (10 minutes by taxi.)
Honigmond Hotel is not nearly as awful as the site suggests. It’s an exremely pleasant and quiet place, with a good restaurant attatched, and it’s just a couple of blocks from the center of Mitte. My parents stayed here happily when they visited Berlin. (25 minutes by foot and U-bahn.)
Hotel Q! (Flash site) is the design hotel of the moment in Berlin. No corner is sharper than 120 degrees, and no color palette strays too far from the Constructivist. And there are naked people on its website. Q! is in West Berlin, certainly not walking distance to our meeting place in Kreuzberg. (25 minutes by foot and S-bahn.)
Other suggestions
Hotel 26 is well-located in Friedrichshein, if you want to be slightly closer to guaranteed hipness. Its website makes it look pretty IKEA-standard to me, though. (25 minutes by foot and U-bahn.)
Propeller Island has crazy! design! themed! rooms. I recall seeing this hotel featured on various German popkultur TV shows 3 years ago about trendy Berlin, which you may consider either a good or bad thing.
Apartment rental
You should also be able to easily find private apartments or rooms for rent if you’d like to stay longer than a few days. This option will be much cheaper than a hotel, although of course you’ll have to deal directly with a private owner. Your best bet is Craigslist Berlin.