I am working on the last hotel for my trip planning - yeah! Only with the help of Fodorites, we have determined our itinerary, booked 4 airlines, outlined 2 train trips, booked 4 hotels, reserved 1 car rental, arranged 3 transfers, and some great siteseeing possibilities! I swear, we could not manage independent travel without this site & all of the wonderful folks who provide their help!

So, now we 'are' in Hamburg, Germany. We wil arrive on May 12, 2010 & sail on the QM2 on the following day. We plan to arrive via train around 9am from Berlin. I would very much appreciate some hotel suggestions. We are trying to stay $225 & under, in the city center (walk to dining/food area), an elevator for hauling luggage to our room, a no fee cancellation policy if cancelled 30 days or so before arrival, & with good reviews from fellow travelers. I've checked other travel sites, but so far I have not been able to find a hotel with the above criteria. Does it exist? Or do we need to go out of the city center? We do not like to use the hotel discounter sites because we like the flexibility of being able to cancel if we find something better and/or prices go down, and we like to deal directly with the hotel staff & not have to go thru a middle person. (We don't mind accepting a no cancel policy from about 30 days before arrival, but not this far in advance.)

Will also appreciate suggestions for transferring from such hotels from the train station & to the cruise terminal. We will have one wheelie bag & one backpack each, so we can walk on level ground for 15-20 minutes, but then it could be bad weather, so we would need a backup plan. We also would not want to take the walking option if the path is not clearly marked - don't want to wander around with luggage. We can't take transportation that requires a lot of lifting of the bags up & down stairs (hubby broke his back last summer, so I am the sole 'lifter'!). We usually prefer to/from our door transport, such as, hiring a private car transport company. But if taxis are reliable, not fraudulant (like in some countries), & don't cost as much or more as private transport, we do use them also.

Thanks in advance, Julie

http://www.hrs.com/web3/changeCurren...5FWFQ-&cid=2-2

Using www.hrs.com is a great tool for finding hotels quickly, in whatever neighborhood you like. It doesn't mean you have to use their booking, though I find it easy and you don't pay them, you pay the hotel. I like using them to find our hotels when we travel. You can of course go to the hotel website directly, once you find something you like.

Taxis in Germany are great, and very reliable.

Hi Again-Julie,

I stayed at the Renaissance in Hamburg. Nice rooms, friendly staff, comfortable bed, in a good location. They upgraded my room when I showed them my Marriott Rewards card. It was a 5 Euro taxi ride from the train station and easy walking distance to many sights. Make sure you visit the Town Hall.

I enjoyed Hamburg. It is really a contrast to Munich.

For some reason prices for hotels that are normally quite reasonable in Hamburg during your dates are extremely high. Maybe because a few days earlier Hamburg celebrates its port's birthday, a big annual celebration.
Thus, quite a few hotels I'd normally recommend are not within your budget.

That said, I checked a few hotels and they either don't have availability or are extremely expensive. But your in my opinion definitely best bet (and a very good one even under normal circumstances) would be the Sofitel Alter Wall, right behind City Hall. It offers modern design, a great spa, and all modern conveniences at a fairly decent EUR 155 room rate (translates roughly into USD 225 - and the price includes tax).
http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-5395...ll/index.shtml

If that's not up your alley, take a look at the Madison. It's a modern apartment hotel close to the port, just a few steps from the Portuguese quarter close to Landungsbruecken and within walking disctance (15 min) from the city center (city hall). It should be more than reasonable and has comeptent management from what I hear.
http://madisonhotel.de/en/index.html...qjgoc8hai03mo7

Both hotels are close to train stations (Metro and local trains and cab fare from main station should not be more than EUR 8.00). A cab to the cruise terminal should also not set you back more than EUR 8.00.

And I still believe you should dedicate one day more to Hamburg.

Best hotels in the city centre regardless of price in my opinion (in case you are lucky to find a good rate):

1. Park Hyatt
2. Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten
3. Sofitel
4. Royal Meridien / Grand Elysee
6. Side / The George
8. Marriott / Steigenberger (not Steigenberger Treudelberg)
9. Renaissance / Madison
11. Interconti / Crowne Plaza

Hello Julie:

Further to HSV's always sage advice, I can report personal experience with the Madison. We found the accomodations to be excellent, the staff helpful, and the location most convenient. I think it may be above your range but it looks like other events are driving prices. Good luck. Gradyghost

thanks to everyone.

Mainhattengirl, I have browsed hrs.com & will continue to do so until we make a decision - thanks for the link.

Dutch, the Renaissance sounds great, but notice the price below - too high for us. We are staying at the Radisson Blu in Berlin, but Hamburg seems to be a different story!

gradyghost, thanks for the thumbs up on the Madison - it is on my short list below!

hsv, very kind of you to put that list together for me. I researched them all -
1. Park Hyatt is E860 ($1,238-wow!) for the one nite
2. Fairmont - not available
3. Sofitel - not available
4. Royal Meridien - not available
5. Grand Elysee - 270 euros ($389)
6. Side - could not find the English button! I think I found E207 $300).
7. The George - could not find the English site; I think it was telling me it is unavailable
8. Marriott - at marriott.com, entered Hamburg = no Marriott, but a Renaissance for E219; Courtyard at the airport.
9. Renaissance - E219 ($315)
10. Madison - E149 ($215) for studio with queen, king; no place to eat nearby except hotel? Not many recent reviews; mostly 2008, (except for gradyghost);
11. Intercontinental - not available
12. Crowne Plaza - E164 ($236) no brkfst; E174 brkfst;

So, on the short list are
1. Madison - some of the reviews indicated that there are no food places close by & walk to city center is quite a ways - do you agree?

2. Crowne Plaza - reviews indicated that city center is about 10-15 minute walk (which is ok) & lots of restaurants on the way - do you agree?

Which one do you feel is more convenient for food (counters, cafes, groceries, not costly sit-down dining), transfer from the train station, & transfer to the cruise terminal? Can we walk-while-pulling-luggage to/from either one?

Anyone know if the breakfast at the Crowne Plaza is good? If it is sparse or not to our American tastes, surely we can find a pastry shop somewhere, can't we?

Thanks again - this Hamburg hotel task has driven me crazy!

Julie

hsv, why not the Steigenberger Treudelberg? It's E139 & gets good reviews. Is it in an inconvient location? I forgot to include above what I found for the Steigenberger = E207.

Here are 2 hotels I found that are not on any of the above posts. Any thoughts on these to offer me? I realize they are out of the city center, but I'm wondering if that really matters if the subway is fast & convenient? For instance, when we are in London we stay in the South Kensington area & use the tube & we like that location & don't find using the tube as inconvenient. Are these two options an easy commute, especially since we are only in Hamburg for one nite? The second one indicates food is nearby, anyone know about the first one?

1. Holiday Inn Express City Center - LUEBECKER STRASSE 109, 22087 - E80 ($115) no brkfst; E94 w/brkfst; 2 U stops very close to the hotel about 5 - 8 mins walk away; provide quick & direct link; new hotel; rooms are clean & modern with LCD TV; bathroom is a little bit small; bed is confortable; very clean

2. Boston Hotel (also as Boston HH); Missundestr 2, 22769; E130-E220 (emailed hotel for price); #11 ranking on tripadvisor; middle of the Schanzenviertel; Holstenstrasse SBahn staion only 2 minutes away; 10 minutes in the other direction is a street lined with restaurants and bars for at least 3 blocks; only three stops to Hauptbahnhof, which csots €1.65.

Thanks again, Julie

Found the Marriott - not available; guess that is why it didn't show up on the corp list.

Looked up the locations on the 3 hotels above. The Madison appears to be the closest to the waterfront and the city center, but then maybe I don't know what I am looking at! The HIEx seems to be closer to the city center than the Crowne Plaza?

If we stay at the Madison, is walking to the cruise terminal doable while pulling luggage, or is it a bad route to walk, or more than say an easy 20 minutes?

I'm very curious about the Madison's location; looks so good on the map - but then I wonder if there is food conveniently around?

Julie

To me it looks as though the Madison is the best bet in the cicumstances.
1. I don't know the Holiday Inn Express as it is indeed brand new, but I know the location as I looked it up on a map. The road it's located on is one of the major arteries in and out of Hamburg. The district it is located in is neither bad nor good, it's a bit non-decript. If you care about neighbourhood restaurants, this would not be the obvious choice.

2. The Boston gets good reviews on tripadvisor. It is conveniently located for visitors to the Neue Flora Musical theatre, but it is not in what I'd describe as the city centre. As such that would not be have to be bad as in the evenings life in Hamburg migrates away from the city centre anyway into the districts where people live. However, it is not in the middle of the "Schanzenviertel" at all. The "Schanze" is a gentrifying, but still in parts alternative and slightly quirky area that offers a gazillion of bars and small restaurants and is great for a night out. I really like it an find it very typical for the city as it is very liberal and all kinds of people meet and mix. That area, though, would rather be around Schanzenstrasse, Schulterblatt and slightly South of Stresemanstr. around Wohlwillstr. and Bernstorffstr., slowly merging into the red-light district. The area where the Boston is (Missundestr on the corner of ugly Stresemannstr, the latter again being a major traffic arterie) is still quite a walk from there.

3. The Steigenberger Treudelberg is quite a nice golf resort in the leafy district of Lemsahl, one of the outermost Hamburg districts. The nearest (and last) stop of local trains (S-Bahn) is Poppenbuettel, which is about 3 miles away. While in an idyllic location, trust me on this, you don't want to be there for your purposes.

4. The Madison is in a quiet part of the inner city. Immediately bordering it are mostly some offices, but only a 5 min. walk brings you into the area around Ditmar-Koel-Str., the so called Portuguese quarter where there are quite a lot of Portuguese neighbourhood restaurants. Definitely not Michelin-star quality, but a few good places: D.Jose and Sagres dish up decent food to my recollection. Also Fischmarkt restaurant is there. I have always considered this one of Hamburg's best seafood restaurants with outstanding service in my experience. For full disclosure I have to mention though, that its service received one not so glowing review here recently, which surprised me. Maybe a bad day, but I haven't been there in the past 4 months (no change of management, though).
You could also walk over in the other direction to Fischkueche, which is also a great seafood place on a busy street opposite the old warehouses in the port, or up to Rialto Bistro opposite the Steigenberger with a bit of artsy scene. Multiple options really.

As to walking to the cruise centre: It is indeed a very interesting route as it leads you through the old warehouse district of the port (Speicherstadt), which is currently one of Europe's biggest urbanisation projects. Lots of renowned architects have contributed modern additions to the old red brick buildings filling that part of the city with life. Apartment buildings lining the port mix with offices and the old warehouses. You get views of the port (I find it highly atttractive), ships, modern and old architecture. Stop by the Kesselhaus to get an overview of the development. The Hamburg Maritime Museum is interesting for all things naval, there is a spice museum and, of course, one of the biggest model railways around offering a fascinating experience for everyone young at heart. Would be enough to fill more than half a day, but even if you just want to walk over transferring to the ship it would be a pleasant walk (weather permitting). However, it is about 1.5 miles from the Madison and I am not certain if I'd want to do it with luggage in tow.

Restaurants:

Seafood:

Fischmarkt (confusingly not on Fischmarkt Sq., the fish market, but on Ditmar-Koel-Str.)
http://www.restaurant-fischmarkt.de/

Fischkueche:
http://www.die-fischkueche.de/

Bistro:
http://www.rialto-hamburg.de/
(switch on your sound)

Portuguese neighbourhood places:

Sagres:
http://www.sagres.org/SAGRES/en/index.html

D Jose:
http://www.d-jose.de/

To complete this:

The Crowne Plaza's location close to the Outer Alster Lake is much preferable over the Holiday Inn Express' and it's closer to the centre than the HI Express.

It should be a decent hotel and there are some nice walks along the shore of Outer Alster from there, mostly through some of Hamburg's poshest residential neighbourhoods (to the North).
For a restaurant in the immediate vicinity there is Literaturhaus Cafe, one of the city's best breakfast haunts (but they also serve dinner). Other than that, you'd have to walk (or take a cab) up to St Georg's multi-cultural Lange Reihe St. (in the nicer part of St. Georg, everything South East of Lange Reihe, Steindamm in particular, can be very seedy), where there are some options or to Winterhude, a nice inner-city residential neighbourhood, where you's find multiple dining options along Hofweg, Muehlenkamp and Sierichstr.
Especially with regards to your departure the following day from the cruise centre, I would think the Madison would be more convenient.

Literaturhaus Cafe:
http://www.literaturhauscafe.de/

Restaurants Winterhude:

1. Gallo Nero:
http://www.gallo-nero.net/

2. Kuechenwerkstatt:
http://www.kuechenwerkstatt-hamburg.de/

Restaurants Lange Reihe:

1. Cox
http://www.restaurant-cox.de/

2. Sgroi (sometimes eye-wateringly expensive, at least for Hamburg)
http://www.sgroi.de/

And some links to the sights mentioned in my previous post along your walk to the cruise centre:

Miniatur Wunderland (miniature railway model):
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/

Maritime Museum (brand new):
http://www.internationales-maritimes-museum.de/

Info on the urbanisation project (Info Centre in Kesselhaus), quite worthwhile website:
http://en.hafencity.com/

Thank you so much, hsv. Very kind of you to spend so much of your time to give us all of that valuable info. You are such an asset to this forum. Fodors needs to give you a permanent, upfront post area so you won't have to repeat so much to all of us Hamburg newbies!

But, before I book the Madison, I respectfully request something else, if you have time - sorry! Hubby wants to know about the Renaissance location - go figure! He says since it is only 1 night, the $100 extra dollars will not "break us up" compared to the cost of the entire trip! And he says, if there are more food choices within walking distance, & if it is in a good location for transportation - well, it's an option also.

Thanks, Julie
ps - he is thrilled with the Maritime Museum info!

The Renaissance is housed in a fairly historic and attractive red brick building right at the end of one of the most upscale inner-city shopping streets.
The property was renovated in 2007 and sports quite attractive public areas. The halls to the rooms were still quite dire and in need of renovation when I stayed there last year. Rooms have been redone, have very comfy Marriott beds, but are on the small side with small bathrooms.
The area is very lively during the day, but in the evening it gets quite empty (as most of the inner city centre comprises offices). This is also why I think you'd have just as many dining options within walking distance from the Madison as you'd have from the Renaissance as closer to the port there are more apartments etc. and people go out there in the evenings. Also, the Madison and the Renaissance are a mere 10 min. walk apart, which leads to overlapping dining options -e.g. Rialto (see above) would be reachable from both within 5 minutes.

From the Madison you could even walk over into the Hafen City for dinner. Carl's Brasserie adjacent to the landmark concert hall currently under construction at the tip of one of the port peninsulas and run by the highly regarded Hotel Louis C. Jacob in the Blankenese suburb and gets good reviews, too.

I think you could do worse than the Madison (although I have never stayed there). It has very reputable management as it is owned by a relative of Eugen Block, who in turn owns the Grand Elysee Hotel and a business empire including the reputable national steak house chain Block House. It should not be fancy, but provide fair value. I think the Berlin Radisson would rank above it, but it should not be worse than the Courtyard in Munich, maybe even better.

You have put it all together for me, hsv. Thank you, and I'll do my part & get the Madison booked right now! Might as well spend the extra $100 on dining.

Sounds like we will take a taxi from the Hamburg train station (we arrive at Hamburg Hbf) to the Madison, and from the Madison to the cruise terminal. So don't need to arrange transfers.

Happy New Year, Julie

Julie, since prices are so high, you may consider using American Express Travel Service (google it & use their 800 number). They have exclusive lowest rates with lots of hotels and they guarantee it. All bookings are cancellable according to each hotel policy ( clearly spelled out). Like hsv, my favorite hotel is the Park hyatt in terms of location and service/quality, the Amex rate is $748 instead of $1200. The Fairmont 4 Jahreszeiten is $500 (374eur cancellable), while the Renaissance is $214 (prepurchase non ref). There are other less expensive hotel choices on their website and I just called them to confirm that you can book using Visa/ MC, though I always use my regular Amex(not platinum or gold). In my experience as a visitor, the area around the Renaissance is very nice and comfortable at night. There is a Moevenpick restaurant and inexpensive Vapiano right nextdoor to the hotel at night. The immediate area is more refined/upscale than most areas toward the port. To me a night stroll around the Renaissance is actually more scenic than around the Hyatt.

The Moevenpick that used to be next to the Renaissance is no longer as far as I am aware.
And I don't think the area around the Madison is less refined than around the Renaissance. If it is, it compensates by being closer to other dining options (and it's closer to the more and more popular and crowd drawing Hafen City).
I still think for staying within the original budget, the Madison is a pretty good bet (while the Renaissance would be alright, too.).

Hello hsv! That's a very convincing recommendation for the Madison, I had no idea the location is that good. It makes me want to stay there the next time I come to Hamburg if I can ignore my Hyatt & Marriott loyalty cards. Are the rooms & beds pretty decent? Is it similar/related to the old Madison in Berlin?

No relation to the old Madisons in Berlin (now Mandala) as far as I am aware.
I haven't stayed at the Madison as I outlined before, so cannot comment on quality of lodging. The Madison's location is not the ultimate, but tends to have improved as the Hafen City develops and it's pretty close to that. Area-wise I find it hard to find the perfect place to stay in Hamburg
I recommend it for Julie as she happens to be in Hamburg at a time when apparently some major event is going on (it could well be that hotels try to take advantage of the QM2 mooring in port) and prices are extremely high. The Madison is pretty convenient for access to the Hafen City and the port, it offers convenient access to a few neighbourhood restaurants and hasn't upped its rates during the dates in question beyond anything reasonable. Basically it looks like it's about the only 3.5* hotel that fulfills the criteria - and it has a more than decent reputation and credibility as far as I am aware.
If just going by hotel appeal, I might be tempted to go for the Hyatt (EUR 700 - 800 is stupid, though) or the Sofitel (no vacancy), maybe The George or the Royal Meridien. But not at the rates in question with a reasonable alternative (Madison) available.

Thanks hsv for your further elaboration the Madison. I see that it's not bad choice for Julie under the unusual circumstances. I personally look forward to revisiting the Hafen City once there is some significant progress, so far it appears to be slow and I wonder how far they would continue to build under the worsening economic conjunctures.

HafenCity progress is going very well actually and I would consider it fast.
They have just started to install the first glass elements into the facade of the new spectacular concert hall ontop of one of the old warehouses and this looks like it could be completed within 1 - 1.5 years.
Unilever, Kuehne & Nagel, Chinese shipping companies and others have moved into new (European) headquarters, apartment buildings on Sandtorkai have been finished and are occupied.
Apartments in the area sell before completion at pretty high prices for German standards (EUR 8,000 per sqm is not out of the range), no economic impact to be felt.
Small shops and a few restaurants have opened and along with the museums draw some crowds even on the weekends (in contrast to many parts of the office and shop dominated inner city that gets quite empty on Sundays when everything is closed). The area is vast and is still work in progress, but the concept seems to work extremely well.