Lowenbruch Vacations from $1,338

I especially want to highlight the care and dedication of the staff—one night after walking all over Berlin during a heatwave my daughter managed to lock herself out of our room and we were so exhausted we didn’t hear her knocking. The staff found her wandering in her pjs, gave her a popsicle to calm her down and got her back to our room safely, and we didn’t even know it had happened until the next morning. The hotel itself is beautiful, and in a lovely quiet area surrounded by beautiful green parks while still being in the heart of Berlin. We were there for a family vacation and being able to slip into the back door of the zoo was magical.

Book this hotel if you don't want comfort. Book this hotel if you enjoy overpaying. Book this hotel if having your expectations met sounds overrated. We arrived after a full day of travel, hoping for a cool, clean room to recover in. Instead, no air conditioning — just a fan, which management offered as the "solution." Whether the AC is broken or simply not provided isn't clear, but either way, in the middle of summer, that's a problem they didn't seem in a rush to fix. The room itself had a tired, worn look — not dirty exactly, but not what we'd call clean either. A little elbow grease and some basic upkeep would go a long way here. For the price we paid, we expected a lot more. If you're looking for comfort, cleanliness, or value, keep looking.