We love Berlin! It's a great, hip city with a fascinating history. Although we have been here a few times, it’s the first time that we are accompanied by our children. And while we love city trips, you do want to offer the kids a marvelous time as well. So, we found Louisa’s Place and we can’t be more pleased. It is a beautiful hotel right at the quieter (Western) end of the famous Kurfürstendamm and it’s excellent for families. This very broad, long street can be considered the Champs-Élysées of Berlin—lined with shops, houses, hotels and restaurants. Many fashion designers have their shops here, as well as several car manufacturers' show rooms.
Streetview of Louisa's Place
This is one of those rare finds – an upscale and classy yet very friendly place. The light and airy suites have an excellent size and are simply elegant with lofty ceilings and beautiful wood floors. Everything is about comfort -- the kitchen has Bosch and Krupps appliances, our bedding is luxurious and the shower has great power. It’s autumn but still warm and sunny here; to be prepared we still took all kind of clothes, so we appreciate the large hallway space, the large room and even larger bathroom. Enough space to store all our luggage. Also, our suite has a decent size lounge area for the extra bed for our girls. The fully fitted kitchen is also a great bonus. Everything was well cleaned and spot on. We could easy live here for a few weeks. In total there are 47 suites all with their own distinctive character. Different floor plans allow a range of personal preferences to be catered for in 5 various categories of stylish and comfortable suites ranging in size from 41 sqm to 102 sqm.
Somehow our bed often turns out to be excellent for playing as well
Besides the very comfortable and almost homely suites, we really like to mention the hotels’ pool/spa area which is gorgeous. The kids enjoy the warm water and we relax on the sofa’s just next to the pool. The spa area is adults only, and we can certainly use this after a long and exhausting day in the city. The employees at Louisa’s Place are all top-notch, too. The desk in the lobby appeared to be staffed at all hours, and we have interactions with several staff members. Everyone is warm, friendly and responsive to our queries. Nothing is of too much trouble and all are friendly greeting when we come and go. Breakfast is just perfect with plenty of choices. If you prefer hot food, you may order this.
Of course, you can cook in the well-equipped kitchen. And Louisa’s Place has its very own restaurant: The Savu. A fine dining place, but with a very welcoming relaxed atmosphere. Menu wise it leans towards an interesting combination of Scandinavia, Spain and Italy cuisine. If you consider eating elsewhere: there are numerous restaurants within a 5-minute walk, if you don't want to venture further afield any night. For a nightcap we certainly recommend the Vesper Bar adjoining the hotel. This elegant and a little opulent bar is called after the famous Bond Girl character Vesper Lynd from the James Bond movie “Casino Royale”. The combination of an historical 110 years old parquet floor as well as three 24 carat gold filled lamps that hang over the bar result in an illustrious style fit for a rendezvous with your own inner spy. So, put the children to bed, fire up the baby monitor and indulge in some of the bar keepers proudly tailored cocktails and finely blended whiskeys.
If you like to extent the spy theme, you’re in the right city. Although Berlin is developing in a breathtaking pace, new buildings are popping up all over the time, it is not that long ago that it was, literary and figuratively in the heart of the Cold War. For decades the city was divided by the infamous Berlin wall. Consequently, it was a major hub for both Allied and Soviet spies and several museum focus on this era. Our first visit was to the German Spy Museum, which gives a unique insight into the gloom of espionage right where the Wall once divided the city. We have great fun with the very up to date multimedia-based technology to learn all about the bizarre and sneaky methods of agents and secret services. Decipher a range of secret codes, negotiate the laser maze, see how secure your favorite password is and hack in to your favorite websites. You with have a blast at this innovative museum.
On the other hand, the Stasi museum located in House 1 on the former grounds of the headquarters of the GDR (German Democratic Republic or East Germany) Ministry for State Security (MfS) is somewhat of another order. The building was erected in 1960-61 as the offices of Erich Mielke, who served as Minister for State Security from 1957 until the end of the GDR. The museum shows different exhibitions, providing information about the State Security and how its activities affected the GDR population. All is very informative but also quite confronting as so many people really suffered during these years of stiff suppression. Still we highly recommend it.
If you are not so much into the whole spy history there are numerous other museums and sights to enjoy. For sure we recommend a visit to the museum island in the heart of the city. It comprises of maybe five of the best exhibitions in all of Germany: The Pergamon, with the Greek altar that gives it its name, houses an amazing collection of ancient architecture. The Neues Museum presents archaeological objects as well as Egyptian and Etruscan sculptures, including the renowned bust of Queen Nefertiti. The Altes Museum, the oldest on the island, displays Greek and Roman art objects on its first floor and hold exhibitions on its second floor. The Bode Museum's paintings range from Late Byzantine to 1800. And the Alte Nationalgalerie covers the 19th century.
Although a delight for the history and art buffs, we imagine this might be a cultural overkill for the average child. Fortunately, Berlin also offers an entire range of other activities that for sure well delight your offspring. For sure children, and adults, of all ages will enjoy a day at Berlin Zoo located near Tiergarten park. Opened in 1844, it is now home to over 1,200 varied species from all over the world. Tiergarten itself has lots of other attractions for children, including play areas and family-friendly cafes. It has no less than six large playgrounds, with swings, rope bridges, sand pits and many more exciting features. Younger children may prefer to visit one of Berlin's many petting zoos where they can get close to farm animals and pets. Two of the best, Görlitzer Park and Mauerplatz, are in the city's Kreuzberg district. And ofcourse a tour to the Reichstag and surroundings should be on your list.
For all these and many more attractions Louisa’s Place is ideally situated. The Adenauerplatz U-bahn station is less than a block away, giving easy access to all the points of interest. And the Tegel airport is just about a 15-minute cab ride away.
During out stay at the end of October we had the opportunity to enjoy the Festival of Lights. Each year in October, Berlin turns into a city full of light art. The artful displays on the famous landmarks, monuments, buildings and places turn everything into one of the best-known light art festivals in the world. National as well as international artists are presenting their brilliant light installations and thus, transform the city into a huge stage. They tell stories, draw attention to the special and present their cultures, arts, crafts and messages. Berlin landmarks, historical places, streets, squares, trendy neighborhoods and hotspots of recent history are staged with light. It is an amazing sight and could easy be the one and only reason to travel to this beautiful city.
WOW
# Louisa’s Place is well recommended for anyone wanting plenty of room and needing an extra bed for the kids.
# Finding a quality hotel in Berlin with a pool, sounds like a mission impossible. So, you may be happy to report that Louisa’s Place has it all.
# This hotel is an incredible value for the money, especially for families. We will certainly consider this hotel again for further trips to Berlin. With a but older children you might use one of the bikes on offer right before the hotel. Just about everything at Louisa’s Place was great.
