Editor Pick
Three Star Hotel Close to Berlin's Famous Boulevard
- May 19, 2009
- Rated 3 of 5 by
Praskipark from Warsaw, Poland
The Berlin Plaza Hotel is situated on a side street leading to Kurfurstendamm which is one of the most popular boulevards in Berlin where Berliners like to stroll and be seen.
Knesebeckstrasse is a very different sort of street - you could say a litlle jaded and what I will always remember are the bright pink pipes which are quite wide and dominant and run up and down most buildings on the street. I never did find out what they were actually for - heating I think.
This 3 star hotel sits very nearly on the end of Knesebeckstrasse and it is well situated for many attractions such as the Zoo and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The nearest underground station, Uhlandstrasse U Bahn, is close by.
Booking
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We booked on line which was a simple procedure. You just fill in the on-line form, say how many nights you wish to stay and what sort of room - single/double, and then pay a 10% deposit with a credit card. The balance is paid on departure.
Foyer
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Having walked through the entrance you will be greeted by someone on reception wearing a stylish uniform. The reception area is quite small, in many different shades of brown. There is a semi circular desk with information leaflets and newspapers on the top of the desk. After checking in, you can then take the lift up to your room which is right next to reception. If you have to wait for the lift then turn around and you will see a 1930's style glass cabinet filled with souveniers of the area. The lighting in this area is very bright and I remember the lift being quite small and only having the capacity to take 3 or 4 people at a time.
Rooms
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As soon as I walked inside the room I was amazed at how white everything was; walls, lamps, bedding and lace curtains. The only other colour was a maroon/plum sort of colour. I thought the room looked very clinical but extremely clean.
There were two single beds without headboards which I am not keen on. I like a headboard to lean on. Two small white lamps were mounted on the wall above the beds for reading. The duvet covers were sparkling white as were the pillows. The duvets were very warm and comfortable. At the side of one of the beds was a small table to put your books and glasses on and there was a separate table at the end of the room with a Bauhaus type armchair. The carpet was a maroon colour with a pattern that wasn't too outlandish. The swishing curtains matched the colour of the carpet and were full length and reached the floor.
The view from our window was facing the opposite side of the street. Here we could see a couple of cafes and an Internet cafe and some more of the bright pink pipes.
Bathroom
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Another clinical affair. Stainless steel and blinding white tiles. Spotlessly clean. So clean - you could perform operations in the room. Towels were also white and were soft, fluffy and of various sizes. There was also a small towel for placing on the tiled floor so you didn't slip when coming out of the shower or bath. Although I can't fault the cleanliness I did think the bathroom and the room were a little too austere for me.
Breakfast Room
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Now, I really did like this room. It had a sort of 1920's feel to it and the spread was amazing. As you entered the breakfast room you were met by four large oak dressers which on top, a fantastic buffet was laid out. Tables were placed down either sides of the buffet and at the back of the room more tables were laid out but raised up on a seperate platform. Beautiful, glass chandelier lamps hung from the ceiling giving the room a pleasant and mellow ambience.
The buffet was one of the best I have come across in this part of Europe. Baskets filled to the top with different types of bread; white bread, poppy seeded rolls, brown bread with caraway seeds, black bread, pumpernickel. Cold meats ranging from various hams, garlic sausage, salami, cold sliced sausage. Boiled, poached fried, scrambled eggs. Edam, Gouda, creamed cheeses, Brie, German cheeses - all displayed on huge platters and decorated with salad. Every type of cereal I can think of with dried fruit, fresh fruit, yogurt, cream, hot or cold milk to accompany each cereal. A feast fit for any traveller. Coffee - freshly percolated and as many cups as you could possibly drink. Black tea, green tea and so many types of fruit teas. The list of goodies is endless and everything I ate was absolutely delicious. Top marks for the breakfast.
Evening Meal
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To the left of the reception desk is a glass door that leads you to the adjoining restaurant called The Plaza Knese, which is part of the hotel. We found on our first night that this restaurant was very busy and had a jolly, bustling, noisy atmosphere. First we sat at the bar and had a couple of beers and soaked up the atmosphere. I remember feeling quite exhilarated with the atmosphere and suddenly I felt my face get overheated due to the warmth of the restaurant and the fact that I was wearing an Arran jumper as we had been out in the cold air for a stroll before entering the restaurant.
To eat our food we moved away from the bar and found a cosy table in a corner. Most of the meals served where bar type meals but traditional Berlin dishes. We both chose the same dish which was stuffed cabbage leaves in a tomato sauce with fried potatoes.. The servings were quite large and very filling. Both my husband and I enjoyed our food and to accompany the meal we tested a couple of glasses of the house wine which was a Burgundy, very smooth and went down a treat. The lady who served us seemed very nice and friendly or at least we thought so.......until........
After our plates had been cleared away we decided to have another couple of glasses of the very same wine. My husband went up to order and spoke in German to the same lady. As we were having glasses of wine the contents had to be poured from a bottle but in the bottle that was already open there were only a few dregs which she secretly poured into both our glasses, hoping that my husband hadn't noticed and off she went to open a new bottle. She then added the new wine to the old wine in our glasses. Suddenly, my husband's blood pressure rose and I could see he was annoyed. I thought, Oh no, here we go. He asked nicely if she would mind changing the wine and starting again - pouring the new wine into two new glasses. She refused and then a kerfuffle kicked off. The manager then stepped in and said that this was the normal procedure. My husband said that he didn't want the glasses of mixed wine and refused to pay for them. Words were spoken and in the end the manager gave in and gave us both a glass of fresh wine from the new bottle.
That small incident was unfortunate because it put us offf eating in the restaurant the next evening and put a bit of a damper on our first night there. It was also a shame because the restaurant had a great atmosphere but the customer care wasn't up too much.
To summarise - the hotel is in a good location - very handy for shopping, theatre, restaurants and travelling on the underground to the Brandenburg Gate and Alexanderplatz Square. The rooms are spotlessly clean, simply furnished if a little utilitarian. Free wireless internet is available and there is also an Internet Cafe across the road. The breakfast room is delightful with a vast array of foods and drinks to choose from. The adjoining restaurant has a lively atmosphere and serves good food and wine but the customer care is second rate.
The price of a twin room with breakfast was 50 euros per night which isn't a bad price to stay in one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Europe.
From journal Four Days In Berlin