The best Berlin apartments and aparthotels
An insider's guide to the best apartments and aparthotels in Berlin, including the top places to stay for chic interiors, rooftop terraces, quirky features, large bedrooms and well-equipped kitchens, in locations including Kurfürstendamm, Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg.
As the name suggests, the apartments are within easy striking distance of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof (a nine-minute walk to be precise). Though the immediate vicinity might feel a bit like a no-man’s land, the Museum of Natural History is right across the road, the Hamburger Bahnhof modern art museum is a seven-minute walk, and you can also stroll to the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate in 20 minutes. It offers one, two and three-bedroom apartments which are generously proportioned and stylish without being over the top. They come with kitchenettes and mod-cons such as iPod docking stations, Senseo Pad coffee machines and work desks.
? The best hotels in Berlin city centre
Tucked discreetly inside a beautifully-refurbished 19th-century residential building in Prenzlauer Berg, Linnen's interiors emphasise original features like large windows and decorative stucco, but have modernised the interiors with a mix up modern and vintage touches. The hotel offers five apartments and studios, the largest sleeping up to six people. Each one is decked out with high quality parquet flooring, and peppered with vintage and modern furnishings, many of them one-offs, such as retro lamps, antique tables and funky pictures — and purposefully no TVs.
? The best luxury hotels in Berlin
This intimate boutique hotel near Ku'damm offers apartment-style suites that come with generous amounts of space, high-quality furnishings and fitted kitchens. Named after Queen Louise of Prussia, the hotel occupies a Prussian-era mansion that has been immaculately restored, complete with handmade, multicoloured stained glass windows, trompe l'oeil in the library and antique furnishings, all matched to tasteful, modern décor installed by local interior designer Etchika Werner. Many of the apartments come with balconies or conservatories and views over the courtyard garden.
Located in one of the buzziest downtown areas, these swanky serviced apartments are surrounded by cool bars, indie shops and great restaurants. Set inside a 19th-century residential building in Mitte and accessed by a street-facing door that passes through a beautifully renovated hallway, they have an immediately homely feel that is enhanced by the fictive names bestowed upon each, an associated doorbell and mailbox and the lovely Gru?nderzeit (wealthy 19th-century) visual styling inside the rooms. Each unit comes with a swish and comfortable bedroom, a bathroom and a dining area, all peppered with classic design pieces as well as flea market finds, arty photos and a range of chic lamps.
? The most romantic Berlin hotels
The Amano lies right in the heart of Mitte’s trendy shopping and entertainment district, with many more of Berlin's main sights within walking distance. Interiors have a contemporary and fairly luxuriant feel, especially in the lounge and bistro area, which features brushed copper, velvet upholstery and contemporary artworks by photographer Oliver Rath. The generously-sized apartments are located in an adjacent building, and come with large living areas, well-equipped kitchens, contemporary artwork on the walls and chic furnishings.
? The best boutique hotels in Berlin
Encompassing a hostel, a hotel and serviced apartments, The Circus in Berlin's Mitte district has something for everybody. The welcoming, upbeat interior is down to designer Sandra Ernst, who has created a chic and fairly luxurious atmosphere that still manages to fall in line with the establishment’s quite stringent eco standards. Rooms and public spaces are minimal but warm with funky colour palettes and considered, high-quality furnishings throughout. The apartments come with terrace or balconies,
Both a hotel and a private members' club, Soho House also offers several self-contained two- and three-bedroom Lofts, each featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, DJ decks and speakers, table football and a 70-inch television. One also comes with a grand piano. In keeping with Berlin’s penchant for earthy chic, many of Soho House's dilapidated concrete walls have been left unfinished, interleaved with expensive original artworks and modernist sculptures. Downstairs you’ll find a library and private cinema (for up to 36 people) as well as a gym and very cosy spa.
? The best design hotels in Berlin
It's one of the city’s biggest hostels, but Generator Berlin Mitte also has six one- and two-bedroom apartments available to guests looking for a little more personal space. Crowning all is the Carlsberg Rooftop 'Apartyment', complete with iPod dock, minibar with complimentary Carlsberg sixpack, a terrace with views of the Berlin TV tower... and disco balls. All the apartments come in the same industrial-chic design that features throughout the rest of the hostel, which also has a solid location in Mitte, and a swathe of amenities that span an on-site gallery, a lovely courtyard and lots of arty touches.
This sister property of the Mandala Hotel offers 80 luxury apartments right in the centre of the city, just a stone’s throw from Checkpoint Charlie. Facilities include a sixth-floor gym and spa as well as a delicious breakfast with sweeping views over Potsdamer Platz and beyond. The apartments are discreetly located within a modern office-block complex that has a secured main entrance and a separate side door accessed via a key card. In contrast to the business-like aesthetic of the main building, the apartments are elegantly decorated and peaceful, with earth-toned colours, old drawings on the wall, rattan chairs and high-quality wooden furnishings.
AMANO Home offers apartment suites. Services are limited to a reception desk but the location is conveniently central and the slickly-designed apartments come with fully-equipped kitchens. The apartments are located inside an eye-catching six-storey building on the edge of Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. In contrast to the austere, all-black exterior, the apartments enjoy bright, mainly white schemes and are full of light thanks to large windows. Decoration throughout is chic, modern and high quality. The only public areas are a roof terrace and a small courtyard that’s open in summer.
This hotel occupies a beautiful listed bathhouse that dates back to the 19th century. As well as the 20-metre pool, open to the public as well as to hotel guests, it offers 70 lovely rooms and two apartments, a decent restaurant and a great location in Berlin’s laid-back Prenzlauer Berg district. Apartments, suitable for up to eight people, are located in the attic and have floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies offering the best views of all. Guests will find original staircase banisters, inner walls and even old doors protected in glass, as well as tasteful contemporary art (paintings, photos) that create a savvy fusion of new and old.
