Arrival

Very difficult parking situation around the hotel basically nowhere to put the car even for a couple of minutes to offload luggage etc. Quick and very friendly check in in the funny reception (they call it the playground as there are table tennis, kicker table and some modern wall paintings in addition to a small reception desk). The receptionist took us to the room and showed us everything.

Location

Mitte is a fun part of Berlin and good for shopping (not the designer boutiques and big malls, but smaller, independent shops) plus loads of restaurants and cafes. Nothing very very close to the hotel, but walk 10 minutes (or take a taxi) and you are in the middle of it.

Room

We had booked the 2nd largest room available (category large) for two adults and one kid. The room was very spacious with a great design; Huge sofa and a chair in front of the large flat screen TV, dining table for four, large king size bed with loads of good pillows (felt wonderful at first, but was less comfortable to sleep in for some reason), sweet old fashioned make up table, record player (yes, for LPs) but also a IPod docking station, coffee and tea making facilities, half open (sliding door) bathroom with free standing bathtub, double sink, huge rainforest shower with steam bath, separate toilet and the best: full size bottles of lots of the different the Cowshed products for use during the stay (had to pay to take them home, though). All lamps, trays and items in the room were made to fit their special design. Really a hotel room to remember. Air condition OK but a bit difficult to adjust to the right temperature during day and night. Had to search quite a lot to find out how to phone reception and room service. The big information folder sort of made the most relevant information disappear. Some items in the room looked a bit worn.

Common areas

There is a no photography policy at all common areas, so I cannot show pictures (to be seen at the hotels internet site though). Very cozy library, bar/restaurant and pool/terrace areas.

Dining

The first evening we were craving some basic comfort food after a fine dining experience for lunch in the Tim Raue restaurant so we decided to order room service pizzas and drinks. The food arrived and also the bartender came to mix the drinks in our room and tell the story behind our Martinis. Great. Excellent and really very tasty pizzas,the best I have had outside Italy I think. Also the two breakfasts we had in the restaurant were a pleasant experience. Everything very fresh and homemade, a choice between a buffet with mueslis, yoghurts, fruit and berries, bakery items, cheese and ham or eggs and other dishes made to order. Friendly, quick and informal service. Did not get the chance to try the bar at night as they have a no-children policy there. While I think it is very OK to have such a policy, I would have preferred to be noticed about this when booking, we did not know, had something to celebrate (my birthday) and ended up just going back to the room instead. Nice room, though! When talking about food, I can also mention the memorable meal we had at Dos Palillos restaurant which serves Catalan/Asian fusion food at small (tapas size) portions. We had a 16 course meal with wines and cavas which we very much enjoyed.

Spa/gym/library

Nice facilities, but did not get the chance to try.

Service

Informal, friendly and helpful. Not the typical luxury hotel kind of service, but very enjoyable. All staff could speak English, actually many of them could not speak German (!) Room was serviced twice a day. Some minor things were not up to 5 star service, for example toiletries removed from sinks when sink was cleaned, but not put back, when we asked for the empty plates to be picked up after our in room pizza dinner, we were asked to just put everything outside the room door, coffee and water not refilled (was done quickly when we asked, however). We celebrated my birthday during the stay. While the staff said happy birthday, there was nothing offered like a glass of champagne or a small gift which is quite normal at hotels in this price range. Also no kind of welcome card or gift upon arrival.

Overall

All in all I would recommend this hotel as a fun experience in Berlin. It is luxury, but different. In spite of the issues mentioned about, I like this hotel better than Hotel de Rome and Grand Hyatt that we have stayed in before in Berlin. Loved the design, the informal service and felt it was a fun place to be. I gave it an excellent rating at TA (5 points), wondering if 4 would be more appropriate given the small issues. I would give it a try.