Berlin Hotel Tips by Turtleshell

Augustiner Hof is a privately held hotel that offers a somewhat Mediterranean flair that goes nicely with the vibrant borough of "Mitte", where the hotel is located in a calm side-road. I'd suggest to ask for a room facing the beautiful backyard nonetheless, since Auguststrasse is a cobblestone road.

The small hotel provides eight barrier-free rooms.
Service is sometimes a bit slow but always friendly.

Friedrichstrasse, Hackesche Höfe, Heckmanns Höfe and countless bars and restaurants as well as some theaters are in close proximity.

Unique Qualities: Rooms have wooden floors and warm colours.
There's a nice backyard to enjoy your breakfast.

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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$80-120  » Currency Converter
Address: Auguststrasse 82, 10117 Berlin
Directions: The hotel is within walking distance from S-Oranienburger Strasse.
Website: http://www.hotel-augustinenhof.de/

Since I live in Berlin, I can not describe a stay at this hotel. Still I would like to recommend Ackselhaus, and more so, Blue Home to (mostly) business travellers and couples who plan on spending their honeymoons in Berlin.

And visit the hotel's website, it is worth it, and be it for the pictures alone.

Unique Qualities: Both hotels, Ackselhaus and Blue Home, first and foremost adress business travelers who are growing weary of always seeing the same interior in chain hotels. Plus, both hotels are small and former apartment houses from the Gründerzeit era with beautifully refurbished courtyards.

They are a five-minute-walk away from Kollwitzplatz with many coffehouses, restaurants and small shops whose owners sometimes are adventurous enough to try something new, although the constantly growing number of tourists have turned most into mainstream, albeit still nice service-oriented shops. Unfortunately, Belforter Str. itself is, speaking in terms of beauty, only so-so.

The main difference between the two hotels is that rooms in Ackselhaus follow different themes i.e. "Movie" or "Rome" and are furnished accordingly. It's a bit like a matured Disneyworld. Even though rooms are stylish, I for one am more attracted to Ackselhaus' sibling the Blue Home.
Here, rooms don't follow themes, they are just nice and welcoming, modern and conservative at the same time. Without the theme oriented bells and whistles, no matter how stylish, I find rooms to be more calming. The subject of water, however, is reflected everywhere in the house - hence it's name, and I like water.

Blue Home is possibly Berlin's most charming hotel - if you can afford to shell out € 90 - 250 per night without breakfast, that is. But you promised to marry only once, right?

Speaking of breakfast, guests of Ackselhaus and Blue Home can have breakfast or dinner at Club del Mar between Oleander and Olive trees, a chilling restaurant, which is part of the Blue Home hotel.

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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$120-180  » Currency Converter
Address: Belforterstrasse 21, 10405 Berlin
Directions: Take the U2 to Pankow and exit at Senefelder Platz. Go down Metzer Str. and turn left into Straßburger Str., then right into Belforter Str. (0.4 miles or 600 meters).
Website: http://www.ackselhaus.de/

Honigmond is the literal German translation for "honeymoon" (with literal translation I mean to say it's not not spoken German; you are not going on a Honigmond), and the two hotels, Honigmond and Honigmond Garden, indeed seem to aim at couples willing to spend their honeymoon in Berlin.

Both hotels are boutique hotels, room rates vary from 89 to 200 Euro and compete with the aforementioned Blue Home. Compared to the latter one, Honigmond is even better located: Most main sights are within walking distance, such as the Island of Museums and Unter den Linden.

Rooms are individually decorated, more "old style" than Blue Home, room size is acceptable, but some (few) only have a shared restroom. I would also suggest to ask for a room with a view of the garden.

Breakfast is said to be fantastic, but there are plenty of restaurants and bars around, which means that you can enjoy a wine later in the evening and then simply walk back to your hotel.

Honigmond and Honigmond Garden are more expensive than chain hotels, but they are not half as soulless, and since they are centrally located getting to and from Tegel airport or central station is quite simple.

Unique Qualities: Nice garden (Garden hotel), individually decorated rooms, ideal location.

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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$120-180  » Currency Converter
Address: 12 Tieckst (Honigmond), 122 Invalidenst. (Honigmond Garden), 10115 Berlin
Directions: Both hotels are located in the a triangle formed by the following subway and S-Bahn stations: Zinnowitzer St. (U6), Nordbahnhof (S1, S2, S25), Oranienburger Tor (U6).
Central Station and Friedrichstrasse aren't too far away as well.
Website: http://www.honigmond-berlin.de/

Located in Prenzlauer Berg/Mitte, not far from Kollwitzplatz and other in-areas as well as Alexanderplatz, East Seven earned some fame as one of the cleanest hostels to stay.
The hostel has a nice garden, where you can enjoy a Latte Macchiato.
Subway station "Senefelder Platz" is a mere stone's throw away.


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Theme: Hostel
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Address: Schwedter Strasse 7, 10119 Berlin
Website: http://www.eastseven.de/

CityStay is a relatively new hostel located between Alexanderplatz and Hackesche Höfe and in the close proximity of a vibrant nightlife scene. Rosenstrasse, however, is a pedestrian area.


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Theme: Hostel
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Address: Rosenstrasse 16, 10178 Berlin
Website: http://www.citystay.de/

A mere five to ten minutes walk away from Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Main Station) is Tentstation, a camping ground on a former public pool ground. You can play Badminton in the former pool or watch movies on their projector.

You can bring your tent or rent one at Tentstation for 4-6 Euro per night. They'll charge one Euro for an iso mat per night if you need one.

Prices:
10 Euro p. p./night
Children 12 to 18 pay 8 Euro.
Children up to 12 spend the night for free.

Unique Qualities: A camping site within walking distance from Berlin's Main Station - if that's not unique ...

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Theme: Campground
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Address: Seydlitzstr 6, 10557 Berlin
Directions: Exit Main Station (if you can see the Reichtag Building and New Chancellory, it's exactly the WRONG side), turn first left, then right and then left again into Seydlitzstrasse.
Website: http://www.tentstation.de

What we have here, are a hostel and a hotel, centrally located and affordable, close to many main sights, restaurants and clubs. Getting from and to the airport (both Schoenefeld and Tegel) or central station is dead easy.

--------- The Hostel: ---------

As a (former) Berliner, I have never stayed here, but when you listen to what Berlin travellers have to say about The Circus Hostel, *all* you hear is praise. It's either "good", "very good" or "fantastic". Against the background that ratings for hostels use to differe more heavily than hotel ratings, i guess it's safe to claim that The Circus is one of the best if not the best hostel in Berlin.
At the same time, while affordable, it's not really cheap for a hostel.

--------- The Hotel: ---------

This is the hostel's new sibling, a surprisingly big hotel right/diagonally across the street. I can't say much about it, because it opened only a couple of months before I left Berlin. I'm a bit afraid, though, that you can not sleep with your window open, as the crossroads is heavily frequented.


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Theme: Hostel
Prices: US$40-80  » Currency Converter
Address: Weinbergsweg 1a (Hostel), Rosenthalerst. 1 (Hotel)
Directions: Hotel and Hostel are located a little north-west of Alexanderplatz, where the Mitte area borders Prenzlauer Berg.
Rosenthaler Platz subway station is right and your doorstep as is a tram stop.
Website: http://www.circus-berlin.de/