PATRICK LOGUEstays at the Michelberger Hotel, in Berlin
THERE’S A DANGER when you book a boutique hotel over the internet that in trusting the nice photographs and effusive descriptions you are walking into a whole pile of misery. A number of years ago we booked a room in what looked like a very chic and cosy hotel in Paris, but its owners turned out to be better at building websites than at running hotels. We took one look at the broken bed, the doorless bathroom and the mouldy shower curtain and headed for a soulless but clean Holiday Inn, much to the disgust of the man at the grotty front desk. (He kept our €100 deposit.)
We vowed not to make the same mistake again, and after much web searching, and with the two kids in tow for a four-night trip to Berlin, we took an informed chance on the Michelberger Hotel, where “all rooms,” according to our confirmation e-mail, “come with private bathroom, Michelberger TV, wireless LAN and sexiness”.
The 119-bedroom hotel is the brainchild of Tom Michelberger, who assembled some artistic friends to turn a factory into somewhere they could both run as a business and live themselves.
The result is hip, relaxed, comfortable and friendly – we were greeted by a hand-shaking black Labrador named Naima; Abbeyglen Castle parrot take note – with a unique interior where no two rooms seem to be the same.
The reception desk is in the centre of the lobby opposite a wall of cuckoo clocks showing times around the world. A stack of ever-decreasing old suitcases calls to mind wedding-cake-style Stalinist architecture.
Beyond the lobby, the lounge is library themed, with lots of books – if you read German – and a piano and guitar for anybody who feels the urge to entertain. At the well-stocked bar you can order from a small but adequate menu during the day, or get snacks around the clock.
According to the owners, the hotel is perfectly suited to “Austrian carpenters, Swedish models, English rock stars, Japanese businessmen, German racing-car drivers and American dudes”. We found it was a perfect fit for families, too.
The accommodation we booked, known as the Band room, accommodated five: two parents (vocalist and lead guitarist) at floor level, with a spare bed by the window, and two children (drummer and bassist) on a mezzanine that is surrounded by goalpost netting, to prevent anybody who has eaten too many Skittles falling overboard during the night.
Like every space in the Michelberger, our room was decorated with quirky knick-knacks – some hunted out in Berlin’s flea markets – and innovations such as a mirror hanging from ropes, or colourful electric wires brightening up the white ceiling, giving a twist to what would otherwise have been a bog-standard bedroom.
Our room was spacious enough for the four of us to spend the night comfortably or to hang out during the day. It was spotlessly clean, and the shower was hot and powerful.
Large windows overlooked a courtyard that was quiet while we were there but might get noisy in the summer – worth bearing in mind if you have small children.
The hotel’s other rooms range from the Cosy, which accommodates a “single or an in-love couple”, to the Big One, which has two showers and two toilets and sleeps up to eight people. But it is the design of the rooms that stands out. In one, the usual magnolia paint or wallpaper has been replaced by scores of books stuck to the walls. Another has a sunken bath beside the window.
You have breakfast across the courtyard, in a big, bright dining room set with rows of tables, banquet style. This means you can befriend the people beside you if you wish. (Our only interruption was from hotel management as they did their rounds to welcome the newly arrived.) Breakfast is a continental affair, with an array of cold meats, croissants, fruit, eggs, cereal, breads, pretzels, coffee, teas and juices.
The Michelberger is in Friedrichshain, an old working-class district in eastern central Berlin. It is more trendy than it used to be, and you’ll find bars and nightclubs within walking distance of the hotel.
The Warschauer Strasse U-Bahn station is across the road from the hotel, and the S-Bahn is a two-minute walk away. The East Side Gallery, the largest remaining section of the Berlin Wall, is a five-minute walk from the front door, and the O2 World venue is around the corner.
This hotel is not for those seeking out five-star luxury or Michelin-star dining. Like Berlin, it is casual, cool and unique. It is also efficiently run with a quirky attention to detail and the kind of personal touch that can be hard to find at larger establishments.
- WhereMichelberger Hotel, 39-40 Warschauer Strasse, Berlin, 00-49-30-29778590, michelbergerhotel.com.
- WhatBoutique hotel in Berlin's east side.
- Rooms119, ranging from singles to rooms large enough for eight.
- Best rates€60 for a single or small double. €120 for the Band room, which sleeps five.
- Restaurant and barFull bar and cafe. Twenty-four- hour room service.
- Child-friendlinessChildren welcome.
- AmenitiesFree Wi-Fi, television.