ha! we live in South Beach, so we'll fit right in. My concern was based on hsv's comment that, compared to my other selections, for example in Lehel, that area "is a bit more coloured and varied than other areas in Munich" - was not sure what that meant. Does anyone else think the Cosmopolitan rooms look kind of drab?

has anyone suggested the Acanthus? Is that out of budegt for you?

hsv, are you still there? am I annoying you? Let's assume the most important feature (after cleanliness) is location for nighttime-- we usually nap in the early evening after a full day of sightseeing (my hubby is of German descent, so up early!) and then walk to restaurants near the hotel and maybe a bar or two afterwards. Getting on the subway for the day outing is fine-- by the end of the day, we usually want to stay put in a nice neighborhood. Schwabing is sounding better, but I do not know of a hotel in the area (would Lehel fit the bill too?). I am obsessing, I know... I am a Virgo, can't help myself! ;)

penny,

as I said, I am not familiar with the Admiral - and while I have been to the Gaertnerplatz area, I am nowhere near capable to state an expert opinion on it. When describing the Gaertnerplatz area I tried to hint that it leaves room for different lifestyles (which I personally find quite refreshing), but may that it may not resemble what people travelling to Munich usually are looking for.
I think it is conveniently located for seeing the city sights.

To further confuse you, I'll add another hotel to the list, where friends of mine stayed and which they liked a lot. It is located in the Haidhausen district, which is a city neighbourhood that used to be workman's quarters, but has become quite fashionable over the years. There are a few nice cafés there, it is just across the River Isar and an easy tram ride from the center of town.

http://www.hotel-ritzi.de/

The webpage is in German only, unfortunately. FYI: "Die Preise" on the left hand side means "Prices".

The second sentence should read:

"When describing the Gaertnerplatz area I tried to hint that it leaves room for different lifestyles (which I personally find quite refreshing), but it may not resemble what people travelling to Munich usually are looking for."

We stayed in Munich for 5 nights and stayed in the neighborhood just south of the Nymphenberg castle. We enjoyed staying away from the center of town - gave us a more "lived in" feel, if that makes sense. We didn't mind the tram ride between our neighborhood and the city center area - trams are very convinient, as are the S-Bahn and U-Bahn. Even on days that we went back to the hotel for a nap in the afternoon and went back out at night (it was pretty hot during our trip) it was no problem to ride the tram back and forth. If we had been in Munich for only 2-3 nights, I probably would have chosen to stay right in the center of things though.

JC, what was the name of the hotel where you stayed?
-PC

pennycharlotte,
We just got back from a great weekend in Munich. We stayed at the Torbraeu and it was fantastic. I think we had a Deluxe Double - lovely room with a small separate sitting room and a beautiful bathroom, right next to the Isartor and within walking distance of all the major Altstadt sights. Many restaurants within walking distance - we really enjoyed our dinner outside at the Weisses Brauhaus. The hotel had excellent service - the staff all let us speak our pathetic German and spoke back to us in German (unless we didn't understand of course). It's the kind of place where the manager comes to talk to you at breakfast. I would definitely recommend it, and for a first trip to Munich would also recommend staying in the Altstadt. It was very lively at night, contrary to another post I saw.

We stayed at the Hotel Laimer Hof - here is the website:

http://www.laimerhof.de/english/welcome.htm

We really liked its location and the owners are really nice people. Our hotel room was small, which was the only drawback, but I understand that is pretty standard. It would have been nice to have a little more room on those hot afternoons to just relax in the room with a cool drink and read a book - or a shady patio or something like that to go to.

There is a terrific beer garden about a 10 minute walk from the hotel - wonderfully shady place with plenty of tables, lots of people hanging out, so great people watching opportunities, and of course - good beer and sausages :)

I have stayed in Schwabing with my family for a week - we rented an apartment, but I noticed there was what appeared to be a nice hotel about 1-2 blocks away - Koenig Ludwig, on Hohenzollernstrasse, right at Ludwigstrasse. It's a Best Western, which is a much nicer chain in Europe than in the US, and its about a block from the UBahn station at Franz Joseph Strasse. We thought that being in Schwabing was great, because late in the day/evening/night when you are returning, there are lots of restaurants, etc. still open if you want to sit out and have a beer, glass of wine, or bite to eat. It was also a very easy walk to the Altstadt if you did not want to take the Ubahn.

I don't know the Torbräu from the inside but stayed practically next to it in a little apartment (till this morning, in fact, I just returned from Munich a few hours ago) and found the location great. The little street itself is quiet, but there is more than enough nightlife within 5-10 mins walking distance. It's more or less in the heart of the city, 5 mins from Marienplatz. The S-Bahn and U-Bahn is just round the corner, so it's easy to get around if you want to visit places further away. The main sights in the city centre can all be reached on foot. The hotel looked quite nice from the outside.