I have recently returned from a 5-night stay in Berlin at the Hotel-Pension Cortina.

I found the hotel using the internet, and although a little apprehensive (due to some of the reviews I had read on this website) the price and the location were a deciding factor on making a booking.

The hotel is very close to S-Bahn SavignyPlatz, in fact, if you are planning to use the S-Bahn network (which I thoroughly recommend) this hotel is definitely one for the shortlist if location is a factor.

We were flying into Shonefeld airport from Bristol which arrives quite late, so I had already asked if they could accommodate this - they said they would - and they were true to their word.... even though, it transpired, the hotel staff don't live in. Make sure you tell them if you are likely to be delayed.

Initial impressions were - Oh my god, look at the stairs. You have to climb two flights of stairs to get to reception. Not great for the elderly, but otherwise okay.

The staff were friendly and welcoming, although as mentioned in other reviews, their english is quite poor. Its rare to find people who appreciate my school German - but they did and they were quite happy rephrasing things and taking their time with me. Probably a good job, as we would have struggled otherwise !

I had a single room on the first floor and it was superb. The IKEA single bed (yes it was Ikea, the label said so) was a little softer than I am used to in German hotels, but none the less the room was clean, in good decor, and had a reasonably sized (remote controlled) TV with about 24 channels programmed in. I had also opted for a single room with en-suite WC/Shower. The WC/Shower facilities were excellent and very modern (probably very recently installed too).

A lot of people commented on the towels not being changed. I've learnt this trick in the past. YOU NEED TO THROW THEM ON THE FLOOR. If you hang them on a rail, they will assume you are happy to keep using them ! It certainly worked for me, because the first day I forgot.

Another guest told me that he found the hotel very cold, (he was in a different part to me). I did point out that there were extra blankets in the wardrobe, but he didn't like that idea at all. Personally, I found the hotel a little too warm, and regularly had to open the window for 10 minutes before retiring to bed, just to cool the room down. It is true, the heating wasn't on in the hotel at all (but personally, i didn't feel it warranted it anyway).

The floor boards did squeak a little in some of the corridors, but to me, the rooms seemed (mine at least) very noise proof. I was not disturbed by the other guests at all.

There is NO phone in the rooms, which does make communicating with other rooms a challenge if you need to as the hotel is partitioned into sections - however, take a mobile phone and use text messaging.

The inclusive Breakfast Buffet was superb and hot/cold drinks were included, which is not always the case in Berlin pensions.

This hotel does not have kettles or drink making facilities in the rooms, and there were no provisions for getting drinks other than tap water (that I could find). Luckily, as this also has been my experience, I went prepared with a small travel kettle and tea bags (how sad and British is that!)

They do have some form of WiFi access at the hotel, but it requires you using one of their USB dongles in your laptop. i didn't take advantage of this during my stay, so can comment no further.

They do not serve any meals other than the Breakfast buffet but there are tons of places to eat including a restaurant next door. Personally, I would recommend the Zille Markt restaurant around the corner, which I will also review shortly.

Overall, I would certainly stay at Hotel Pension Cortina again and would recommend it to friends visiting Berlin.

The only good thing about this hotel is the location, just a couple of minutes walk from Savigny Platz S-bahn station. For the rest: no change of towels, dirty and smelly rooms and toilet, unfriendly staff (and they only speak german, absolutely no english), for that price you can find much better accomodation.

My family of four stayed at this hotel for 4 days in June of 2008. I've traveled a fair amount and while I like a nice hotel, I am not the 5-star resort type. Mostly I want a clean room in a safe area that I can use to sleep in while I do tourist stuff. This hotel fit the bill perfectly.

We had a room with 4 single beds, a balcony and a typical European bathroom with sink, shower and toilet. Our room was right on the street and was a bit noisy until 11 or so. Other than that it was great. A good location and a wonderful German breakfast.
I would stay here again and I would recommend it.

I am a teacher and stayed here with a school group on our 3 day trip to Berlin. The hotel is in a superb safe location for exploring Berlin. It is basically quite clean, not all the rooms have their own toilet but they all have showers that are so powerful they would out-do most police water canons. Loads of hot water, staff friendly, breakfast buffet superb. Get stuck in and set yourself up for a day yomping round Berlin! Some of the rooms sleep 4-5, so ideal for school groups. We went out on foot in the evenings to the nearby restaurants and felt comfortable and at ease. A good hotel for the budget traveller.