Strandhotel Blankenese

The staff are genuinely friendly and helpful, and this lovingly restored Jugendstil house is beautiful, with stylish interiors and wonderful views over the River Elbe. They’re also happy to help with suitcases, which is useful in a listed building with no lift to the upper floors. It’s a stunning setting, but the stay still feels like a soft opening, and the price isn’t matched by the services yet. After 5 p.m. there’s no staff service, so guests rely on a QR code to get in. If your phone dies, you can be locked out. A couple had exactly that happen, and even the emergency code failed. Once staff have left, the house feels empty and unoccupied, which doesn’t give the comfort and security I’d expect at this level. Breakfast doesn’t start until 8 a.m. It was fine, but repetitive and far from fantastic. Fruit or yoghurt would help, and eggs and specialty coffees like cappuccino cost extra. There’s no restaurant or bar at the moment. You can get drinks from a small fridge by the entrance under an honesty box system, with a camera watching it. Room cleaning is every other day for sustainability, but our “Do Not Disturb” sign was ignored twice. During a call, the cleaner unplugged the router to use his vacuum and cut off the Wi-Fi. I’m sure some of the basics will be fixed, including a better breakfast with comfortable seating and a restaurant. Until then, nearby hotels such as Jacob’s offer serious competition at a similar price and, it must be said, a consistently high quality experience.