Sleeping in Pretty Fields
Written: May 06 '05 (Updated May 09 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Bright, modern and well-equipped
Cons: Might be too far from the city for some
The Bottom Line: Next stop - somewhere else
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| proxam's Full Review: Holiday Inn Berlin-Airp Schoenefeld |
The Holiday Inn Schönefeld Airport, Berlin is situated...wait for it...very close to the the aforementioned airport (1km), and even closer to the rail station of the same name. So, in our own perverse little way, we drove there. Luckily it's also very close to a junction on the ring road as well.
However, it's far enough away from all these different transport nuisances that it's actually quite peaceful and quiet. The immediate area surrounding the hotel is either empty land awaiting development to one side, or low-density residential on the other. The best of both worlds. Not that it would've mattered too much anyway as the hotel is completely soundproofed.
We chose this hotel when visiting Berlin for two reasons:
1/ We took advantage of a deal on the Holiday Inn website and paid only € 55 euros per night.
2/ We didn't want anywhere in the centre of the city, as Berlin is kinda spread out anyway - so which particular area do you pick?
3/ We could walk to the train station from the hotel, jump on one of the frequent trains, and for a few euros, find ourselves deposited either in Alexanderplatz or the Zoo, and in the meantime I could catch up with my arithmetic studies...
The hotel is a shining, 4 and 5 floor edifice in grey granite (it's probably just concrete - I'm being generous) which gently curves, following the road.
Parking was a little inadequate (65 spaces), but the hotel has an underground car park for which you can pay an additional charge (€ 15 daily). Unless, like me, you're a tight git and willing to take a gamble that this is a low-crime area...it was.
Check-in was simple and efficient with English being widely spoken. The reception area was a bit sterile - I was reminded of a hospital (minus the blood and illness...mostly), but it was bright and airy with the whole staircase open and on view, and illuminated by a glass wall behind it. There were lots of tables and chairs and sofas dotted around, and it seemed pretty busy with people arriving for meetings in some of the various conference facilities - there are 6 meeting rooms.
There was also a gift shop and newstand, as well as stacks of tourist info.
We grabbed our key and zoomed straight up to our room in one of the elevators. When I say zoomed, I mean in the way a snail zooms along a garden path. These were the slowest lifts I'd ever nearly ascended/descended in. We were on the third floor but I didn't bother with the elevators again - we were only there for three nights after all.
Since the room was so cheap, we took advantage of an upgrade to a superior room for an extra € 10. I don't know what the standard room was like, but the superior was no more than a decent-size. Now that I think about it, the only difference was that the superior room had a sofa.
Our room had a comfortable, queen-size bed (although the sofa also converted into a double bed). The bed was equipped with two quilts, which is handy if you sleep next to a kleptomaniac (quilt-wise). The room was decorated in a cream colour, with a few pictures to give a more homely touch. We had a deep pile, turquoise carpet which, although there were a couple of marks on it, was generally in great condition.
The headboard was of beech, as were the bedside cabinets, although they were topped in marble and had the usual clock/radio and lamps. There was a free-standing wardrobe (also in beech), a good-sized, well-stocked fridge, and lots of shelves and drawers, again in beech-wood. Can you see a pattern emerging here?
A large desk was topped in black marble, but it doesn't take much imagination to surmise the wood used to construct the rest of it. It had modem access and a solid work-light, not to mention a large TV with around 25, multi-lingual channels and the option to pay for movies etc.
We also had a coffee-maker, ironing facilities and AC which, although efficient, was just a little noisy.
There was an easy chair and a further desk in a ghastly, blue and white striped pattern, a standard lamp, and an occasional table in the ubiquitous beech. The sofa was yellow, as was the quilt, and the curtains were turquoise and green stripes.
I know, I know - it sounds like it was designed by a colour-blind parrot on acid, but it wasn't quite as horrible as it sounds...it couldn't be, could it?
The curtains hid a massive, floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall window which kept the room wonderfully bright. There were three layers of curtains, so keeping the light out in the morning wasn't a problem either. The windows opened almost completely, which was nice, and as there was open space between the hotel and the nearest houses, and they were lower, the room wasn't overlooked which meant we could wander around naked and get up to all sorts of adult pursuits...which we didn't.
The bathroom was completely tiled in beautiful marble, but there was no tub. The shower was OK, although it could've done with a little more pressure. We had a huge, well-lit mirror and a hair-drier next to the adequate vanity area, but the toiletries were of the very basic kind - shower-gel and shampoo dispensers. The towels were OK too, nothing special. The bathroom was spotless though - as it should be.
Speaking of cleanliness, the whole hotel was very tidy, and very clean. Of course, it's only been open a very short time so it would be a bad show if it wasn't in good condition.
As for amenities, the hotel had a fitness room (which I managed to avoid), a sauna and a steam-bath. No pool though. They also had a kids club, but it didn't strike me as the sort of hotel that attracts families particularly.
There was a large restaurant which opened out onto the terrace, but we didn't use it. 24 hour room service was also available. I had a beer or two in the bar though, and availed myself of the free snacks - the beer wasn't too bad either. The second night we were there, hordes of football fans were staying over to attend a match between Germany and Brazil so there was quite an atmosphere in the bar, although it wasn't too raucous.
The hotel also had a roof garden with some nice views over the surrounding area.
In conclusion, this was a good choice for us. The hotel was comfortable, clean and well-equipped. We had relative peace and quiet, but were only 20 minutes from all the attractions of the city. It was also very competitively priced.
Recommended.
More reviews from the proxy goes Deutsch (2004) tour:
BW L'Amandier - Libramont
Comfort Hotel - Eisenach
Eisenach
Buchenwald
BW Dresdner Tor Hotel
Bautzen
Görlitz
©proxam2005
Recommended:
Yes
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proxam
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Location: De Leving's Toun
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About Me:
Alcohol & calculus don't mix. Don't drink & derive
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