I need to book 5 nights' accommodation from 1 April to 6 April 2010 - yup, you've guessed it, the Easter weekend which is why I'm starting now - for me, OH and FIL near the Opera House on the Bismarckstrasse, because FIL is an opera buff and we are treating him as he's seen all Wagner's operas except Rienzi.

I'm looking for a comfortable but not luxury hotel 3* or similar with rooms with ensuite facilities, in either easy walking distance or easy U/S bahn distance. I'd hope to pay less than 100� a night for a double and less than 130� for a single, but perhaps I'm being unreasonable for this area of the city. I've heard of the Leonardo nearby, but could anyone comment on it or advise me on other hotels?

Very much appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

www.hrs.de and www.hotel.de are sites you should consider to check. There are also short reviews and pictures.

Thanks! Does anybody who lives in Berlin or nearabouts know which hotels are the easiest to access by public transport from the Opera House on the Bismarckstrasse?

I'm living in Berlin, but never stayed there in a hotel ;-). The opera house is quite easy to reach by underground (It has its own underground station) from one of the most central underground lines.
I just took a look where the leonardo is. You should easily reach the opera by foot with 10 min.
cheers 757DUD

PS: you should consider at least one performance in the "staatsoper" Unter den Linden. It is a nice old prussian building

The Ubahn line 2 runs by the Opera House as well as Bahnhof Zoo and Wittenberg Platz, the commercial centre in the former west Berlin. You�ll be spoiled for hotel choices of all comfort levels in that area. And a 3 star hotel at the price range you name shouldn�t be a problem at all. But read up on them on Tripadvisor, Expedia etc and look out for bargains.
But I�ve allways found www.hrs.de mentioned earlier in this thread the trusted ally when I�m booking hotels in Germany.

Thanks for this! I'm off to research as I type!! Much appreciated.

And you should do so soon (at least visit if not seeing a performance), since the building will close for about three years for extensive renovations beginning in latter 2010.

There are two 3* hotels close to where I live near Adenauerplatz/Kurf�rstendamm. One is called Panoramahotel/Adenauerplatz
and charges about 80 Euro for a double incl. breakfast. It is on top of the
U-Bahn Adenauerplatz which takes you to DOB either to Bismarckstrasse
(2 stops) or changing trains to U 2 (three stops). However, a lot of buses
from the Netherlands park there in front.
The other is called Orion hotel in Dahlmannstrasse which is around 75 Euro
incl. breakfast and where some of my friends stayed and liked it. It is a
typical Berlin residential area with cafes and restaurants.
It is 5-10 min. walk to Adenauerplatz.
Both hotels can be booked via hrs.de.
May I point out that Staatsoper is having 'Festtage' under Barenboim
the week before Easter (Tristan, Eugene Onegin with Villazon and
Simone Boccanegra with Domingo) so you will be hard pressed for
choices.

It' s doubtful that Villazon will sing in the Onegin - he recently cancelled the May 2010 new production of 'Carmen in Vienna (Garanca and Netrebko) (!) to allow himself to fully recover from his recent larynx surgery (removal of a node).

And it's a shame - the Freyer production is brilliant.