Dresden: Four Points v Dorint
 

We would like to visit Dresden in the spring. For our hotel, we need to decide between the Dorint and the Four Points Sheraton. Both are about the same price, in the 100 euro range. We don't need to be right in the very heart of town--would prefer someplace a little quieter at night.
Thoughts? We lean toward the Dorint however the Four Points is slightly cheaper. We will arrive by train, so parking is not a factor but would like to be close to a tram or bus stop.
Many thanks for your insights!

Hi Passerine. I haven't stayed in either one, and imagine they are pretty comparable. Like you, I would lean slightly towards the Dorint. Have you looked at the Hotel Elbflorenz Dresden?

If you prefer quiet at night make sure to get a room to the back in either hotel. They are both on busy streets with tram stops right in front.

The Dorint is in walking distance to the sights in the old town, the Four Points is a 15 minutes tram or bus ride away, but the latter is in walking distance from the Grand Garden (our sort of Central Park) and in a nice 19th century residential area (lots of Art Nouveau villas) and it has a Neo-Renaissance ballroom where they serve brunch on some weekends and have chamber concerts etc. More charming IMO (the rooms are modern, though).

The Dorint has a spa if I recall correctly and is closer to the sights. It's a tie IMO.

Thanks! Something to think about. My traveling partner is partly disabled so we will probably take public transportation to the old town even if it is in walking distance.
It would be nice to be near a big park in the spring.
I'll wait til the dates are finalized, see who offers the best rates for the nice rooms and if necessary flip a euro to make a decision.
I have to say, they both offer good value. Nice rooms and four star amenities for under 100 euros per night!

I stayed at the Dorint a couple years ago. I loved it, it is a great hotel. There is a tram stop right in front of it, literally, but it is also near the main bus lines. YOu could walk to the main Old Town area, also, if you wanted. Besides, it is a wonderful hotel, the rooms were beautiful, large, and had huge bathrooms. Also, it is very quiet as there isn't anything noisy around it, and the street out in front is a main street (the one with the tram stop), but it's not that busy at night or noisy like small streets in main city centers. It also has a nice bar and restaurant, where I ate one night for convenience. The food was pretty good.

oh, BTW, the Dorint has very large bathrooms that are adapted for the disabled.

oh, re the noise -- it seemed very quiet to me, but I did actually have a room on the back.

My traveling companion has changed her arrival dates and when I rechecked the hotel rates, we could get a double at the Four Points for 77 euros a night (excluding breakfast). The Dorint was 105 (also no breakfast). We'd rather have a light breakfast in a cafe anyway. Are there nice little cafes near the Four Points?

Not 100 percent decided, but the near 30 euro per night difference might tip us toward the Four Points.

Although I think we'll be happy with either hotel. The 5-star Kempinski (sp) is reasonable at 200 euros per night and the Radisson about the same (both with no breakfast), but if we can get a very comfortable 4 stars for under 100 euros, we'll stick with that.

If I recall correctly there is a place with sort of bakery, a butcher shop and some tables right in the same building (ground floor) like the Four Points and right at the tram/bus stop. You can grab a sandwich, rolls, cake etc. and get a coffee/tea there, but I wouldn't call it 'nice'. It has no charm at all. However, it's 'real life' where you'll meet locals. Across the street is a good bakery.

Why not having breakfast right in the old town? There are good places next to the Frauenkirche. Like Café Reimann or Café An der Frauenkirche.

If you can afford it somehow, do splurge and stay in either the Kempinski or the Radisson! Wow! It's a whole different world.

Thanks for the reminder. I did another check on our dates for the Radisson and got a rate of 137€ a night for a nonsmoking double (no breakfast). That's a great rate and worth the extra euros, so I think we'll book there.

I liked the Radisson a lot. We just went to a shop around the corner for breakfast.

The Radisson for this rate is definitely the best choice! Congrats on that deal :-)

Good choice. You'll love Dresden.

All locked in! We have six nights in Dresden, time to see the city and daytrip around.

It will be a leisurely trip, no rushing and no worries about seeing "everything"--we'll relax and enjoy what we do see.

FYI, just an update...our dates changed again (to June) and we had to cut one night off the trip (to five nights instead of six), but the Radisson rate had dropped to 109 a night for a non smoking double. Perfect!

That's great! You'll wish you had six nights :-)