East Side Hotel

Berlin with bacon

The hotel has very good travel connections, being close to the Warschauer Strasser S and U stations and just round the corner from a tram line. For drivers it has a large car park at the rear. There is probably no better place to start a visit to Berlin as it is close to the "East Side Gallery", the remaining section of the "Wall" famous for it’s artwork. In fact it is so close you can view it from the front rooms or dining area. Just behind the wall is the river Spree which is now receiving some modernisation and has cafes and ’beach’ areas. The hotel is in the old East sector of Berlin but, is surprisingly modern and well kept. There were minor faults like a cracked sink/tiles in bathroom but, the shower worked, there was plenty of hot water and it was very clean. On the whole you get an awful lot from a 2 star hotel; double glazing, every room en suite, TV for the addicts, free guide books, friendly staff etc. Breakfast is self service and is available from 0700 to 1000 daily. There is just about everything you could ask for including, to my surprise cooked bacon. If there was a shortage the staff were very quick to rectify when informed. There is also a reasonably priced bar in the hotel that will stay open as long as you can lift a drink! All the staff spoke English and were happy to help anytime. This hotel would be my first choice any time, despite the region being a little down market compared to the city centre, it give great value for money.

Close to the Hotel; Warschauer Strasser there are three cheap snack bars that serve good value meals and further along (following the tram tracks) there are several more bars and even an Indian restaurant. Heading into the town there are several good clean value meals to be had around the U-bahn station of Freidrickstrasse. On the whole try to avoid the main tourist areas: Savigny Platz, Unten Den Linden, Kuferstendam etc, where the meals are priced more on location than taste.

Top hotel for the price

Really friendly service, good bar (with typically twisted German art on the wall- excellent)and decent breakfast. Not five star luxury, and a bit down at heel perhaps, but an excellent choice for its price bracket.

Friendly but needing the final touch

The staff was excellent. There is 24h service. The location is excellent, the remains of the Wall across the street and the river Spree just behind it and 1 minute away from Kreuzberg. The beds were good. But A/C would have been a plus, since opening the windows was inviting the noise of all cars in Berlin. The bathroom was too small; the shower doors were hanging on a thread. The breakfast was OK but the scrambled eggs were rather dried eggs and the juice was a bit synthetic. The elevator smelled from chemicals.

It is not expensive. It is definitely not luxury but the service is friendly and accommodating and you are close to a genuine part of Berlin