Le Meridien Hamburg*****
Location & Check-In
Although GI is not a great fan of chain hotels, we recently gave this property of the Starwood Group a try – and were positively surprised. The reception was warm and personable; the motivation to offer the best possible room option was there as well. Design and architecture equally appealing, as is the location right on the Alster.
Rooms
The rooms facing the street and water offer spectacular views over this most beautiful part of Hamburg. The rooms are spacious and light, as is the bathroom, topped off with a walk-in shower room – greatly appreciated by GI and his companians. All this enriched by a beautiful, lovely old-style tub (see photo). Nice!
Food
The room service menu is very standard with the usual burger, cesar, club sandwich and chili picks. What came in surprising was a delicious soup of the day showing creativity and skills of the kitchen. The champagne selection has all the big brands, with a 2000 Pol Roger Brut Rose as the only surprise choice.
Facilities
The Spa also offers no great surprises; it has all you need. Positive is the whirlpool almost integrated into the swimming pool, alllowing for an impromptu Japanese sauna session. The blue bath towels by Floringo are fabulous. Not being a regular user of spa treatments, the price levels seem quite extravagant. A 15 min solarium session (this dangerously long duration the only one available) was set at EUR 10!
Overall Value & Rating
The Meridien is a good choice on the Aussenalster. It is about 30% – 40% less pricey than the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten and in far better shape than the Atlantic. In addition, food seems promising (without having tested the actual restaurant) and the bathrooms thrill.
/MM
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