City Apartments Am Regierungsviertel

Even though there was a trade fair, I paid a comparatively low price for an apartment. The hotel is very central, with good public transport connections, and I had a lovely stay in Berlin. The receptionist welcomed me very warmly. Reception is only staffed until 6:00 pm, but arriving later wasn’t a problem. I’d gladly stay again.

Even with the windows facing the courtyard, the place felt unusually quiet for Berlin, and I slept well. The welcome was friendly and the location is central. The furniture was new, with big pictures on the walls giving it a modern look. The bathroom seemed recently renovated, so the sticky shower drain was surprising. Still, the apartment felt a bit dingy and smelled like cigarette smoke, which made me uncomfortable. Parking is possible in the Mall of Berlin or on the street, but both options are quite expensive.

The welcome was very friendly, and the apartment is central and completely quiet. But in our 35 years of many visits to Berlin, we've never stayed somewhere this uncomfortable. The double bed is only 140 centimeters wide, so we had to use the sofa as a second bed. There was no other seating in the living room, and eating meant hunching over a barely knee-high table. In the bedroom, the only storage was one tiny bedside table. The wardrobe had a broken shelf and a used tissue. Getting out of the shower was awkward, with no grab bar or anything to hold onto. The bathroom had just one glass for brushing teeth and no space at the sink. Its only shelf was behind the toilet, and the toilet seat was loose and wobbly. A drawer front came away when we tried to open it. Self-catering needs basic dishes, appliances, and furniture. We would have preferred a toaster to a washing machine. There was a cooktop and oven but only one tiny saucepan, plus a corkscrew and no wine glasses, or anything remotely suitable for wine. We could have used a tea towel too, especially since the sparse dishes needed washing before use. Every single piece had only been superficially rinsed, and some were quite sticky. Neither the kettle nor the Nespresso machine's water tank had been emptied. A friendly welcome note on the sideboard gave a number to call anytime if we needed anything. But when we asked for two breakfast plates, two wine glasses, and a tea towel, we were told they weren't provided and nobody was there on weekends.

The location is great, with the subway right next door, but that didn't make up for the room. It was dirty, and I was given a “room” in the neighboring building instead of the one I had booked. The staff member could barely speak German.