Berlin Hotel: Near running/tiergarten?
 

Hi,

My husband and I will be traveling to Berlin with his family in April for 5 days. This will be mid-training for a marathon he is planning to run. As such, we thought we should look for a hotel within walking distance of the Tiergarten--and not stay at the same hotel as his parents (Louisa's Place) as I believe this is a little farther away.

So far I've identified Hotel Tiergarten, Palace Hotel Berlin, and Novotel am Tiergarten as possible candidates. I lean more to Hotel Tiergarten due to better price/value and more personal service (based on tripadvisor). That being said, we could swing the Palace and the Novotel if necessary.

Any thoughts on these hotels or other options that fit our criteria? I've been reading through trip reports pretty faithfully, but haven't found an answer to this question: Good hotel near tiergarten so husband can continue training for marathon?

Novotel: It is rather new (been around for 1.5 years, I think). Other than that, it has an S-train stop (Tiergarten) in front of it, but apart from FU Berlin University not much of interest around it (apart from a beergarden, but preparing for a marathon that is probably a no-go :-) - and the Western Berlin University is not exactly a pleasing eye catcher either, being located on busy Strasse des 17 Juni).

The Palace is actually across the Zoo near Gedaechtniskirche on Budapester Str. While rather in the center around Ku'damm, this is a bit of a bland area and I'd not necesarily recommend it.

The location of Hotel am Tiergarten on Alt-Moabit St. is rather unattractive IMHO - and also a bit of a hike.

I have found reasonable rates at the Berlin Marriott on Potsdamer Platz, which is quite pleasant, frequently. It also is only steps from Tiergarten. If you can swing that one, it'd be my first choice for your purposes.
The second one from the ones mentioned here would be the Novotel.

Another option could be the Mandala Hotel on Potsdamer Platz, an all-suite hotel, which is also pretty close to Tiergarten and the running possibilities there.

Thank you for your quick response! We will look into the Mariott and Mandala hotels. This is the kind of information that is hard to get elsewhere and I truly appreciate it!

No problem. When I stay at the Marriott, I usually go for a run in Tiergarten myself. It's a breeze to get there (just across the street). The Marriott is also quite new and has the Revive Beds, which are quite good. There is a small pool and saunas in the basement (no view) for relaxation, which could come in convenient after practice and/or the race.

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt, also in Potsdamer Platz, and really loved it. It will be more expensive than the Marriott, but you may be able to get a deal; we definitely did not pay the rack rate that was posted in our room!

The staff could not have been more welcoming and eager to help, the pool / spa complex is fantastic, and the breakfast buffet is unbelievable.

My husband went running in the Tiergarten from there. Much shorter jogs than a marathon trainer, though! :)

Totally agree about the Grand Hyatt and Club Olympus Spa on its rooftop. This is likely Hyatt International's best property worldwide (and is in a completely different league from most U.S. Hyatts).

However, the Grand Hyatt usually comes at EUR 80.00 more than the Marriott (i.e. over a weekend in the ranges of EUR 230 vs. EUR 150).
The Hyatt, the Marriott, the Mandala and the Ritz Carlton are all just around the corner from each other. But the cheapest prices are likely to be found at the Mandala and the Marriott. Both of them are very good hotels for their level, too.

Thanks all for your help. We just booked the Mandala--will keep an eye out for better rates, but we found that they are running a special right now and decided to book.

I walked past the Mandala just last week on my way to the Gemaldegalerie. It is just a short walk to the Tiergarten. There is a shopping mall and lots of restaurants in the area.

The Great and Powerful Thingorjus

We were very happy with the Mandala. Which suite did you book? Since the price difference is not that drastic, I would recommend at least the manager suite but of course the grand suite is super. They have very different suite configurations for each category (of larger categories) and some can be very contrasting. I would ask to see which configurations are available to choose from.

It's not a grand hotel but more like staying in your private pied a terre. The concierge is very good, they take care of everything for you even before you arrive if you tell them what your needs are.

Just make sure it's the right Mandala. You want the one on Potsdamer Platz, not the one on Friedrichstr., for access to Tiergarten running.

Thank you all again for your input; didn't realize that there were different configurations--I am pretty sure we booked at the correct location, but will doublecheck the confirmation tonight. We are supposed to be in a management suite (the studios weren't available anyway). Looking forward to the shopping mall!

There is one configuration of the management suite that is much better/more spacious than the other configs. hsv brought up a good point, the Friedrichstr Mandala is nothing like the Potsdamerplatz one.

The Arkade mall is just a 2 story american style mall with a basement, don't expect too much. There is only a WHORL dept store, H&M and a Saturn electronics. It does have the best Gelato shop with a long line, I tried to control and limit myself to just 2 gelato visits a day whenever I stay in Potsdamerplatz. There is more shopping along Friedrichstr in the Mitte, but the major shopping is on Tauenzienstrasse(Kadewe) & along Ku'damm in West Berlin.

Sorry, but I was just in the mall at Potsdamer Platz last week. And whilst it certainly is no King of Prussia Mall (5 minutes from my home)or Short Hills Mall, it had more than three stores. There was a Zara, a Falke, a paper/stationary store, a housewares shop, and a few other clothing stores.

KeDeWe was a huge disappointment. It can't hold a Farmacia Santa Maria Novella candle to Harrods or Bergdorf's. The Food Halls on the top floor did have Hediard coffee and Fauchon jam, however.

You must go to Galleries Lafayette/Quartier 206 on Friedrichstrasse or find a boutique in Prenzlauer Berg if you really want to keep up with Ivana Trump, sweetie darling.

The Great and Powerful Thingorjus

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that it only has 3 shops. My wife also mentioned that the Arkaden is not so bad because there is Zara and... even better if you like chain stores like H&M, Mango, WE, Springfield, Biba, Swarovski. Additionally it has a lot of non descript shops and even a cheap small supermarket in the basement which may come handy for basic food supply if you don't ask the Mandala concierge to shop for your fridge. The mall is also good place for ATM machines if you run out of euros.

I go to the Kadewe only for the food hall, books, CD & DVD so I never really muddled through the clothing dept. This last April however, I needed a suitcase lock but couldn't find it in many stores/dept stores. After 2 hours of hunting, I finally found it in Kadewe! I still think Kadewe has the best & largest gourmet store food hall in Germany including something like 35 various different food bars to sit and eat at.

Thin: I'm really surprised you like the Galleries Lafayette, I heard nothing but disappointment from the ladies whenever they went there, they usually complained about how terrible & small it is compared to the one in Paris. I do remember that the ladies were stuck in Quartier 206 because there was a couple of high end stores throwing a major sale in early April last year.

Yes, Galleries Lafayette Berlin was smaller than its Parisian counterpart, but the merchandise was all top drawer and very unique, especially in the men's dept. I bought a really great Falke wool scarf with a black/white chevron weave. A lady in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Berlin came right up to me and said, "That's a terrific scarf."

Of course, working for a top American clothing designer for years, I do have great fashion sense and styling ability.

Cheers, sweetie darling

Thingorjus

Not sure if you're aware, but the restaurant FACIL inside the Mandala is a gourmet restaurant with a Michelin star and terrific service.