We had a great stay at Goethe 87, but be careful when you book: The “Elfchen” is NOT the type of apartment they show in the photo on the website above the description of Studio Elfchen. The Elfchen is simply a very nice hotel room with a little kitchenette in the entrance to the room. There is no sofa and no dining table, but there is a little desk and a small square table in a little nook in the corner, suitable for one. We raised this point when we arrived and were immediately upgraded to the “Ballade” (I have added photos of both).

The Ballade has a good size dining table, armchair, and a big walk in wardrobe plus a good size kitchenette with microwave, hob, fridge, toaster, coffee maker & kettle. We also had big French windows which added to the feeling of luxury and space. Some tea & coffee, sugar, salt & pepper is provided. Umbrellas are also provided for guests so no need to take up space in your case!

The décor is great – modern with a boutique hotel feel. It was also spotlessly clean. The bed, which is 2 twin mattresses, is not particularly luxurious, rather hard and with very thin duvets, but the hotel was warm so this wasn’t too much of a problem. You only get one thin pillow too, so perhaps bring your own! Along these lines we felt the towels were a bit thin and worn, which didn’t match the luxurious décor and boutique style bathroom (a ‘wellness’ shower with massage jets – fabulous!). However, this didn’t detract from the quality of our stay, which we felt to be extremely good value for money.

The gentleman on reception was very helpful, albeit he pops out for a cigarette break quite frequently leaving a “back shortly” notice on the door! But he is only gone for a few minutes, which was handy as he was no where to be seen when we arrived!

Breakfast is about 14 euros, but we chose to use the supermarket (about a ten minute walk away) and cater for ourselves, although the breakfast room looked very trendy!

The total journey from Berlin Schoenefeld airport to the hotel is approx 1 and half hours. From platform 13 take the S9, (direction Pankow), change at Ostkreuz and from platform 4 take the S3 (direction Spandau). It is then an easy 10 min walk from Zoologische garten station.

The hotel is situated on a quiet street in the lovely area of Charlottenburg, full of old bookshops, and traditional crafts such as shoemakers, framers, tailors and a beautiful old fashioned perfumerie. There are plenty of cosy or modern cafes and restaurants on the doorstep, we only wish we’d had longer to try them all out!