Travellers to Germany could almost be forgiven for thinking that Berlin is the only city worth their time. Almost, but not quite. While it’s no secret that we love the German capital, we are also big fans of the country’s second-largest city, Hamburg. It’s waterfront location is spectacular and it has enough bars and good restaurants to keep you occupied for a long weekend or more. We visited just before Xmas last month and did all our gift shopping in one go at the superb Christmas markets but realised that we’d have to come back again before too long to explore further.
Not enough time to do the Reeperbahn?
It wasn’t really that kind of holiday, to be honest. We were in town for a concert too – the 02 Arena is a great venue so keep an eye on your favourite band’s tour schedule if you need another excuse to visit.
Isn’t Hamburg the German city with the largest concentration of millionaires? Finding a cheap hotel could be a challenge…
I’ve certainly heard that in the past but I’m not guaranteeing it’s true – let’s just say there is more wealth on show here than in Berlin. Yet there are plenty of good hotel deals out there and prices are reasonable. On this occasion I was offered a reduced rate by the Adina Apartment Hotel and having been so impressed by their properties in Copenhagen and Berlin I was very keen to see if they managed to meet my expectations here too…
Quite a hard act to follow then. So how did they do?
You’ll find out soon enough if you read on…
Adina Apartment Hotel Hamburg Michel
Neuer Steinweg 26, 20459 Hamburg, GERMANY +49 (0)40 2263 500
Website: http://www.adina.eu/adina-apartment-hotel-hamburg-michel/home
Email: aham@adina.eu
When?
Mid-December 2012
Vital stats:
Four stars. Built in 2010. 128 rooms over 7 floors
Location, location, location?
One of the major advantages of this hotel is that it is located within a ten minute walk of both the city centre and the Reeperbahn. St. Pauli U-Bahn station is a few hundred metres from the front door and the nearest bus stop is even closer.
What about parking?
The Adina has its own parking garage and you can also park on the streets around the hotel. Both options will cost you, obviously – you can add parking in Adina’s garage to your online reservation for EUR 22 per day – this rate may be different if buying on the day. Since it is so central you’ll not be needing the car in any case – but contact the hotel for rates or alternative solutions.
Why choose this place?
As I mentioned in the introduction we’ve stayed at two Adina properties before and they have become our hotel of choice when travelling as a family (two adults and an 11-year old) due to the high standard and excellent facilities. An apartment hotel really comes into its own if you are on a longer trip as you can wash clothes (although not in the studios) yet the room rate is often lower than a regular hotel where it can be difficult to get a room big enough for a family. Having a pool is the icing on the cake too. I was offered a reduced rate in Hamburg in return for reviewing the property, so that sealed the deal.
Room
As with their other hotels the Adina Hamburg has three different types of room – or ‘suite’ as they call them – studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom. Studios do not have full kitchen facilities (but do have a fridge, kettle and microwave) or washing machine/dryer. The one-bedroom we stayed in was perfect for the three of us but we needed to pay for an extra bed which was set up in the lounge area. The suites are modern, stylish and have everything you need. They are also seemingly identical to the ones in Berlin and Copenhagen. Washing powder can be purchased in single-use packs. There is a supermarket right up the street and you can even request that your fridge be filled for your arrival.
LCD TV in both bedroom and lounge, work desk, CD player, hair-dryer, mini-bar, safe. All rooms are non-smoking.
Carpets?
Well yes, but they were spotless. As regular readers know I do prefer wooden/laminate floors in hotels but when they are kept in perfect condition I have no real issue with carpets. However they may potentially be a problem for those with allergies but I highly doubt it – and of course the hotel is non-smoking.
Bathroom
Modern bathrooms with underfloor heating and complimentary toiletries. Washing machine and tumble dryer (with powder and instructions). Combined bath and shower. One thing I found odd was the lack of a drain in the floor, meaning that there is nowhere for water to run if you spill any, but this may just be me.
Free internet I hope?
No. This is a problem but is unfortunately often the case in German hotels. There is a terminal in the lobby but unlike in Berlin even this costs money – I believe the charge is EUR 3.50 per hour or thereabouts. For wireless internet the price is EUR 14.50 for 24 hours if ordered with your room online – I’m not sure whether this costs more if buying from reception once arrived. On the plus side the signal is excellent. This is really the only negative aspect of the Adina Hamburg (and the only one which regularly receives complaints from visitors) and I really hope they introduce free internet over the entire property – surely it can’t be that expensive? It would be a worthwhile investment in customer satisfaction too…
Bar and restaurant?
Both. Good selection of food and drinks, although the bar has rather limited opening hours (i.e. only in the evenings, which is a shame).
Pool, sauna?
Yes, an excellent pool with jacuzzi and sauna. The pool is beautifully lit and probably the best of the Adina hotels we have stayed in.
Now you probably wouldn’t expect it to be Olympic sized; and you’d be right. However at about 13m long it is big enough to swim properly and feel like you’re making up for all those beers you had the night before. With long opening hours which enable a swim before breakfast or a some post-sightseeing relaxation (or both) and a jacuzzi with jets you can actually feel these are facilities you’d be a fool to miss out on. The excellent sauna is ‘German-style’, so prudish Brits may find themselves joined by naked members of the opposite sex to sweat it out together. It’s just the way they do it – consider yourself warned.
The breakfast was included, right?
It depends on the rate you pay; it’s always cheaper to have it included rather than added to your bill though. We were lucky enough to have it included and it was excellent; yes you could eat more cheaply elsewhere – or even make it, given the kitchen facilities – but if you do take the lazy option you won’t regret it given the wide range of hot and cold food. Being an Australian chain they even have something weird called ‘Vegemite’, not to be confused with God’s own Marmite.
Service
Very friendly reception staff who know Hamburg well. They can order taxis for you which arrive so quickly you suspect they were waiting round the corner. Both check-in and check-out were smooth and quick.
Any points/miles to earn?
No, as a small chain (at least in Europe) Adina has no loyalty programme, but we were offered a 10% discount on our next Adina booking if made within the next few months. It is definitely worth joining their mailing list as they have frequent special offers – a recent case in point being suites for just 50 Euros…
Can they look after your bags after you check out?
They can indeed and are happy to help out.
Green or mean?
There was no specific environmental information provided but given the young age of the building I would assume that it meets or exceeds the strict green standards in force in Germany. This entry will be updated if we receive further details.
The Damage
The one-bedroom suite with extra bed costs around EUR 170 per night excluding breakfast – rates vary and book early for the best deals; some include breakfast and other goodies.
The verdict please your honour…
The Good
Excellent facilities, especially in the one and two bedroom suites. Clean room, comfortable beds, modern and bright bathrooms, plenty of power sockets. Relaxed atmosphere, friendly service. Great pool and jacuzzi. Central location.
The Bad
Not a lot to complain about but it would be good if the bar was open during the day – although I understand that there probably isn’t the demand to justify this.
The Ugly
Only big issue is paying for the internet. C’mon Adina, do the decent thing here! This is a very popular place for business folk to stay – and they need the ‘net too.
Closing comments:
I highly doubt you’ll find a better place to stay for the money in this great city. Given the facilities and space you are getting serious bang for your buck here; add the central location and friendly staff and I see no reason to look elsewhere – unless you’re unlucky and it’s full. Like its sister hotels, the Adina Apartment Hotel Hamburg Michel gives guests the best of both worlds by mixing the best aspects of a hotel with an apartment and will be particularly of interest to families or longer-term visitors. Rather spectacularly, this Adina also gets a top rating and thus the company has scored a perfect hat-trick on Grown-up Travel Guide!
Final score: 6/6
Images (c) Adina Apartment Hotels
