Fodor's Expert Review Hotel München Palace

A sleek, elegant hotel that manages to combine a feeling of refinement and top-notch facilities with a sense of personality, from the rubber frog mascots in the bathrooms to the free bikes available for guests. In the Bogenhausen district just over the Isar from the Old Town, it's also wonderfully quiet. The staff are brilliantly helpful, too, and the garden courtyard is a very relaxing spot.

room

Rooms are comfortable, in muted grey and beige tones, and have a very home-like feel. Some overlook the street, and others the winter courtyard - all are quiet but the courtyard rooms are exceptionally so, making for a very calm night's sleep. There are sensible modern design elements, too; for example, there are light switches by the bed.

Some of the executive rooms have balconies.

bathroom

Bathrooms are in grey marble, with Molton Brown toiletries and showers or baths. They have the same blend of classic styling meets modern amenities that informs much of the hotel's ethos.

lobby

Helpful staff man the old-school reception desk with key boxes, overlooked by slightly disconcerting old-school portraits of children.

spa

The hotel's wellness area contains a sauna, steam bath and shower, as well as a relaxation area. It's on the 4th floor, so there is also access to a pleasant rooftop terrace.

gym

The small fitness room is on the 4th floor too, which makes it a bright, inviting place to exercise.

dining

The Kuffler family, who own the hotel, are actually more restaurant people than hotel people - the 5* Palace is their only hotel. As you would expect, then, the Palace Restaurant within the hotel offers lovely international and local food in a calm, cream-colored room.

YOU SHOULD KNOW Breakfast is good too, with the standard buffet as well as Bavarian sausage and some a la carte options - but it is expensive. Check when booking if is included in your room rate.

drinking

The Palace bar is a lovely place, all traditional dark wood panelling and bottles glinting in the soft light. It also overlooks the Palace garden courtyard, which is a great spot to relax in at any time of day in the summer. For winter, the hotel's Palace Wintergarten is a conservatory-style extension that has views out onto the garden and a light lunch menu in the week.