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…

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