Hotel Carat

Perfect For Me

My second stay there in two years. Lovely people in reception and service, safe, pleasant, the best value in Berlin. The room was tiny, but offered a nice view through treetops and had a small original oil painting. Near Tegel with access to bus and U, Great supermarket Kaufland and Der Clou shopping center nearby, Pleasant internet cafe, and neighborhood eateries. Probably not the best location if Berlin nightlife is a purpose of your visit. Being 60, I spent the days touring and most evenings enjoying German cable TV in my room. I like a smallish pillow and they are now using these huge down pillows, probably a great luxury to many, but I would have preferred a normal pillow. That’s not a complaint, just my own quirk. This is a charming, clean, hotel,where I felt safe, secure, very much at home. Vielen Dank,

A budgety traveler, I make full use of the great public trasportation system by taking one bus from Tegel to Kurt Schuhmacher Platz and another the additional three blocks to Carat Hotel or Central Hotel, both lovely places. Their conveniece factor might fade in two years, when Berlin centralizes all flight activity into the Berlin Brandenburg Flughaven. It is on the opposite end of the city but for now I just think this area has a lot to offer.

Superb hotel for the price we paid!

Having received a deal through Expedia which meant that this hotel was cheaper than staying in a hostel and as student travellers, it was an offer that couldn’t be resisted. The standard of the hotel is perhaps comparable to a Travelodge without some of the corporate sheen. Rooms are cleaned every day and towels are replaced every day if left on the bathroom floor! The shower was actually quite strong given some of my previous experiences whilst in Europe and the overall standard of the room was very good - it even came with a balcony! It also has satellite TV, but I can’t comment on the channels as the TV wasn’t used at all. The 24-hour reception came in handy when coming in late from Berlin’s nightlife, although the door is locked, meaning that you have to buzz it and wait for a grumbly man to come and open the door for you - presumably any time after 12. The hotel is situated in what could be equated to London suburbs although the fact that the majority of Berlin consists of Flats - the effect is somewhat otherwise. It takes about 30 minutes to get into the city centre. The local area might be deemed to be a bit rough by some travellers, and whilst admittedly it is not Charlottenburg, we encountered no trouble during our stay here. Perhaps the only downside to the hotel is the fact that it is located so close to Tegel Airport - which we were not flying from - and the noise of the aeroplanes can get quite loud!

Neat place

Location is about a 20 minute U-bahn ride from downtown, after a 10 minute walk to the station. Quiet part of the city, so not really a good choice if you’re there for the night life. Very close to Tegel airport. Staff is friendly, room was clean, nice washroom and great service. A bit noisy, but not too bad. Very bright decor. Cable is provided (CNN and BBC are the English channels), internet is offered at 8 Euro an hour. Ouch. Overall, a good choice, but there may be better.

Traveller's tip on saving a few bucks

If you do need internet, there’s a cafe around Kurt Schumacher Platz behind all of the restaurants that lets you go for 30 minutes for 40 cents, and for just checking on things, there’s a convenience store with a computer that offers around the same rate.