MAXX Hotel Sanssouci Potsdam

MAXX hotel is right in central Potsdam, by the entrance to Sanssouci Park, and I really liked staying there. From the number of guests, plenty of other people seem to feel the same. The staff were welcoming, courteous and quick, and the hotel was clean, modern and cozy. Breakfast was plentiful. I recommend the place, but bear in mind that the car park may be full. There wasn't a space for us, so we had to park elsewhere and pay extra.

The room smelled off, the smart TV had no internet connection, and one side of the bed had no charger. Those were the main downsides for me. The location is perfect, and breakfast was very good. I’d recommend it in general.

I was there for two nights, and the breakfast mix-up made checkout a mess. At check-in, the receptionist wrote that I could have breakfast one morning, and it was marked on my key card holder. Then at checkout they said I had to pay because I hadn’t paid for it originally. They said they weren’t sure if they could refund me, even though they acknowledged it was their mistake. It took a while to charge me, and meanwhile my reserved Uber canceled. A ride that would have cost 27 euros ended up costing me over 100 euros. If you need to get to the airport reliably, I wouldn’t stay here. I also had to ask for new pillows because there was mold on the ones I was given.

The breakfast had plenty of hot and cold options, bread, pastries and fruit, plus an excellent coffee machine. Fresh vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes or peppers were the one thing I missed. From Luisenplatz Süd, the nearest bus stop is a five-minute walk, then it’s another five minutes to the train station; a direct train gets you to central Berlin in about 30 minutes. We found it ideal for visiting Berlin while staying somewhere peaceful. The hotel is on a quiet side street by a gate into Sanssouci Park, and close to the main road running from the mini version of the Brandenburget Tor. It’s also a good base for Potsdam and easy to reach by car, with parking on site. The underground garage ramp is narrow and tricky, and the spaces are hard to maneuver into. The rooms are nice, and the windows do a great job keeping street noise out. Just be sure to book a room with AC, or it can get really hot in summer.