Swimming with enough gilt to qualify for one of Saddam Hussein's palaces, this somewhat OTT hotel is not everyone's cup of tea, but if you get beyond the camp entrance, its great location and spacious rooms will silence any doubts.
Telephone: +49 (0)30 284 900
Url: www.great-hotel.com
Price: from 50 EUR to 490 EUR
Meeting hotel owner Uwe Buttgereit explains a lot about this quirky riverside enterprise. The amount of gold in the lobby alone could dazzle in the dead of night. At best vaudeville, at worst Pat Butcher’s jewellery box, this wonderfully tasteless building is too ridiculous to resist.
Uwe attracts a crowd of actors and artists whom he hopes (and so do we) will usher in an air of creativity: a piano can be found downstairs in the bar/café, and guests are invited to tickle the ivories.
The rooms are actually extremely spacious, with fantastic views over the Spree; few other hotels offer such intimacy and comfort. Free-standing baths are especially romantic and can be filled with essential oils and rose petals at the guest’s request. One suite boasts a particularly dramatic cinema projector. There are also plans to open a sauna, with views (again) to the river.
