Design Apartments - "Villa Arnim"

Villa Arnim is beautiful and the rooms are clean, spacious and thoughtfully designed. We had a great dinner event in the Garden, and I’m looking forward to coming back. The location is one of the best in Potsdam.

A great summer wedding venue. All my guests were really happy with their stay, too.

The price feels a bit high for what you get, and the floor was dusty and crumbly, so cleaning needs more attention. The bathtub is nice, but the plug doesn’t seal, meaning you can only shower, and even that has to be quick because the hot water runs out fast. The amenities are limited, especially if you plan to cook. I wouldn’t recommend it for families with small children. Fine for one night while passing through, but we wouldn’t stay several days.

We stayed in the ground-floor apartment at “Villa Arnim.” It’s been renovated, but it feels like little has been invested in its upkeep since. The layout is good, the furniture is attractive, the stone tile floor is lovely, and the shower is nice. That’s about where the good points end. We collected the key elsewhere, and on arrival it was obvious that just one sink had been cleaned and the bed made. Everything else was dusty or dirty. We had to scrub skid marks out of the toilet. Dust, grease and stains were all over, and the coffee machine still had half-dried residue from previous guests, though there were a few capsules. The kitchen has enough equipment to boil a few eggs, but making dinner is a challenge. There were two potty chairs and a doll’s pan, but no can opener or spaghetti pot. The kitchen itself is high quality, yet the black cabinets were empty and dusty. There was one kitchen towel and no dishwasher tablets. We found ant-barrier spray, which explained the ants marching along the wall at the heating pipe inlet. They hadn’t reached the kitchen or bedroom, so it didn’t bother us much, though there was plenty of activity inside the garden doors. The villa also hosts weddings and other events. Event staff walking around the garden in the morning wasn’t an issue, but they seemed unaware the apartment was occupied. While we were having breakfast in our pajamas, three of them stood by our garden gate with clipboards for at least half an hour, talking as if it wasn’t part of our private space. The garden looks inviting at first, but we had to clear bird droppings and tidy the chairs before sitting down in the evening. There’s also constant traffic noise from the motorway access road beside the property. It felt like sitting by a main road, though we didn’t mind too much. Close the windows and patio doors and the apartment is quiet, as the doors are well insulated. The employee who gave us the keys at the office was genuinely friendly and explained the directions and process clearly. And the location is a dream: step outside and you’re in Sanssouci Park. We visited the park and grounds every day and could spend a long time there, knowing home was just a ten-minute walk away. It’s a shame they cut corners instead of putting care into making this a good place to stay. The promised internet isn’t there, and neither is the promised smart TV. Streaming services aren’t much use without an internet connection anyway. With a bit of time and attention, this could be an unbeatable offer, especially given the location. As it is, it’s a nice-looking shell of an apartment, okay for sleeping but with little to offer for cooking or relaxing.