Location, location, location. As Phil and Kirsty know, it’s the name of the game – especially when you’re travelling. How many times have you been seduced by a competitively priced hotel or chic little Airbnb, only to discover that reaching the centre of town requires commandeering a small wagon train and some sherpas? That money you saved? That’s going straight onto Ubers, with interest.
Radisson Collection Hotel, Berlin does not have this problem.
We can discuss the hotel in a moment – but first, the view from my room. I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy some pretty cool views from hotel rooms in my time – the Eiffel Tower, Table Mountain, the Las Vegas Strip – but the Radisson’s view is right up there.
It was the magnificent green dome of Berlin Cathedral, situated right across the river, a quite literal stone’s throw away. (Don’t test that theory, you’ll get in trouble.) The cathedral’s dome was so close and vast it filled the entire horizon. I could see people walking round its perimeter, birds flying into its eaves. At night it glowed like something out of a fairytale. You could stay for a year and you’d never tire of it.
Worse places for a morning coffee
A premium bedroom with a cathedral view
The room attached to this view wasn’t too shabby either. Marble bathroom, extremely comfortable bed, coffee machine and various other little treats. It's serviceable rather than spectacular, a place to rest and recharge not while away the entire holiday. When you're staying in the centre of town, you want to be out on it as much as possible.
Onto the atrium, which is also quite something, a sprawling, futuristic space, gleaming and golden like a billionaire’s spaceship. There’s a vertical garden of nearly 2,000 plants. It’s 24 metres high and up to 20 metres wide in places – presumably they enlist ninjas to water it. The whole thing gives strong James Bond vibes, especially the glass elevators that allow you to survey your domain on your way up (or down).
Along with a lot of plants, you will also find the Atrium Bar – not the most imaginative of names but a very cool spot for a cocktail or two. If you’re feeling hungry, the hotel’s restaurant San Ena serves upmarket Greek food such as roasted seabass, pork souvla and a wide selection of mezze.
The vertical garden
The Atrium Bar
There’s also a really quite stonking breakfast buffet, one of those jobs that require careful tactical planning to ensure maximum consumption. (Bacon then pancakes or bacon with pancakes? Yogurt pot before or after the main feed?) I visited in February but I’m told the outdoor terrace overlooking the river is delightful come the warmer months.
The spa has two saunas and a swimming pool, which at 11 metres isn’t exactly Olympian but you’ll really be able to boost your number of lengths. There’s a gym and a relaxation space as well. It isn’t the most exciting spa you’ll ever visit but hey, it does the job and frankly you should be spending your time exploring anyway.
Because as I might have mentioned, you’re bang in the centre of the city – barely a minute from the cathedral whose dome you can walk around. (Not recommended for those sceptical of heights.) Humboldt Forum, Berlin’s most popular museum, is just across the bridge and any number of museums, restaurants and bars can be accessed on foot. Ditto the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag.
A kebab is a must – a Berlin kebab is basically a different food group from its British counterpart. Ditto sampling the local nightlife, which offers far more than Berghain and the Kit Kat Club. Whatever you do, boredom is an impossibility. Berlin is one of the coolest cities on the planet and the Radisson thrusts you right in its beating heart.
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Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 3, 10178 Berlin, Germany; Radisson Collection Hotel
