Budget boutique bliss at Circus Hotel in Berlin

Circus Hotel where we stayed in Berlin was a real find for me and I’d recommend it to anyone. It’s full of contemporary charm, with warm and friendly staff, plenty of personal little touches and best of all it won’t break the bank.

I was looking for an apartment within a hostel or hotel for the five of us and contacted the sister Circus Hostel just across the road, but as their apartment was already booked they referred me to the newly opened Circus Hotel. In the end I booked a 4 person apartment for the teen princesses and a twin room for myself and second mum, Wendy.

After an easy train journey direct from Schonefeld airport, we took 45 minutes to arrive at the hotel, following the directions on their website. It’s situated on the busy intersection of Rosenthalerplatz and first sight is of the takeaway bar on the ground floor, but just around the corner is the hotel entrance and fabulous Fabish restaurant. We were warmly greeted by one of the staff who walked us through the internal courtyard to our rooms, explaining that the hotel had originally been a group of shops and warehouses before it was renovated to make the hotel which opened in October 2008.

The teen princesses couldn’t believe their luck with their apartment – with well equiped kitchen (for making hot chocolate with marshmallows of course) with i-pod home to create the musical ambiance. Then there were two well-sized bedrooms which they quickly converted to a sleep-over den and not one but two stylish shower rooms between the three of them. The decor was upmarket Ikea with some quirky pictures and accessories to give it a slightly kitch feel. Best of all the mums were banished to the other side of the interior courtyard with no-one to nag them to turn off the lights and stop talking.

Our room was a little more sophisticated in neutral shades of taupe and marine blue with accents of turquoise, leather and bamboo furniture and some slightly strange but not displeasing picures with a Polish Olympic theme. The room was on the small side and if I went again, I might ask if they had one overlooking the courtyard rather than the street, but the double glazing kept the street-noise to a minimum. Anyhow, there’s something atmospheric about hearing a tram rattle beneath your window in the morning. 

The shower room was the same modern neutral style with a walk-in shower big enough for two and large, powerful shower jet. The hotel operates an eco-friendly policy of not putting toiletries in the room, but a selection of Weleda miniatures is freely available on reception as you need them, and very nice they were too. There was also a handy safe in the room which was big enough for a laptop and if you’re having withdrawal syptoms at the lack of a minibar, then stock up on miniatures of local liqueurs at the shop across the road.

The first night we were too tired to explore the surrounding area so we ate in the Fabisch restaurant which serves German favourites with a modern twist, sourcing ingredients as locally as possible. Wendy and I both had the 2 course daily special for €11 which was a delicious stuffed chicken leg followed by Tiramasu, washed down by the local wheat beer.

The breakfasts were also delicious with either the ‘Berlin’ platter of cold meats and cheeses with crusty brown bread, croissants with jam, or the ‘Vitality’ breakfast of fruit salad, yoghurt and meusli. I tried a different one each day and enjoyed them all. Only one morning when the hotel was full did we have to remind the staff several times before our coffee arrived. The restaurant had a relaxed feel, with a colourful bar where we could have sat and sipped Mojito cocktails all night had we not been slumped in the squashy leather chairs after a hard day’s sightseeing.

What particularly impressed me were the little personal touches that the hotel had thought of to enhance our visit to Berlin such as the DVDs of Berlin films you could borrow, the i-pods charged with Berlin music or the yoga equipment to borow. The staff were all particularly charming and falling over themselves to give help and recommendations in flawless English.

I was puzzled by the fact that I rarely saw the same face twice, and when I quizzed them I found out that many are students, who were selected for their customer care skills and informal but professional attitude. I found them all so helpful that the little devil in me was tempted to test their patience by asking several of them in turn for restaurant recommendations in the area, and they all came up with plenty of excellent suggestions. The hotel has Wifi throughout, although unfortunately their whole internet connection went down while I was there, so I had to sit in the restaurant using the Wifi of the cafe across the road.

If you can get an apartment, I thoroughly recommend them as excellent value - they have two for four people and two for two people. The price of the 4 person apartment at €160 was cheaper than the price of two double rooms which cost from €88, and with the extra living space. If you’re travelling alone on a tight budget then they also have cheaper single rooms, but if you’re not in the not really in the market for hotel prices, then I’d go to the sister Circus Hostel across the road where they also have apartments and en suite rooms as well as dorms.

After three nights in Berlin I felt that we’d hardly scratched the surface of things to see and do and If I return some time in the future, you can be sure that I’ll be checking into the Circus Hotel again. I left feeling that I’d come from the cosy home of a most stylish new best friend who’d welcome me back warmly any time.

Circus Hotel, Rosenthaler Strasse 1, 10119,  Berlin

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Blue glass reflections at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church in Berlin

The Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church must easily be the most photogenic church in Berlin with it’s fabulous blue glass walls and colourful mosaics. It’s a chance for a quiet retreat from the in-your-face retail overload on busy Kurfürstendamm with the street-performers and fast-food stalls outside.

The church was built in the 1890s and in the war was all but destroyed in Allied bombing raids leaving only the ‘hollow tooth’ of the spire and entrance standing. Out of the ruins a new church and bell-tower were completed in 1963 using blue glass panels. In the octagonal hall of worship the giant golden figure of Jesus created by Karl Hemmester floats enigmatically above the altar.

What is not obvious from the photos, but can be appreciated when seated in the church is that each of the blue glass squares is a little stained glass picture in itself. Different shades of blue, green and gold are incorporated in the design making subtle patches of glowing colour in the midnight blue which you start to appreciate as your eyes get used to the dark interior.

Opposite the main church, the surviving vestibule is covered with beautiful mosaics depicting monarchs of the past from German history including Emperor Wilhelm 1 after whom the church was named. The vestibule is now a visitor’s centre where you can find out more about the history of the church, buy postcards and also see the famous Coventry Crucifix. This metal cross, which I nearly missed because it is only about a foot tall, is made from nails taken from the rubble of Coventry Cathedral which was also destroyed by bombing in the second world war. It’s a powerful symbol of reconciliation, and like the church itself shows that hope and beauty can spring from terrible destruction. But better not to have the war in the first place, I think.

For the price of a single bus ticket you can take a tour of the major Berlin sites on the public No 100 double decker bus, starting at Alexanderplatz, along the historic boulevard of Unter den Linden, past the Brandenburg gate and the Reichstag, through the Tiergarten park, past the Berlin Zoo and stopping right outside the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche.

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Eat on the street in Berlin

In Berlin there is street-food to be found at all the major tourist hot-spots. When you’re about town sightseeing, the best thing is to refuel en route, then collapse in a cafe when you run out of energy.

We found that the underpasses of the larger stations such as Alexanderplatz were also a good place to find inexpensive sandwiches and ethnic food to go. But the Berlin fast-food classic is the currywurst – a spicy sausage bathed in curry-flavoured ketchup sauce served with fries with mayo. You’ll find curry wurst stands all over the city and every local has their favourite.

We fueled up at Kurfurstendamm just outside the Kaiser Wlihelm Memorial Church where there were a range of food stands to choose from and places to sit and watch the street artists and break-dancers. The teen princesses settled for crepes, their food of choice when they weren’t snacking on Haagen Dazs Ice cream or sneaking into Burger King. My friend Wendy queued for the Curry wurst which was cut into chunks and smothered in the hot curry ketchup. I am a little more wary of processed meat products and decided to try the Thai curry and noodles which I enjoyed.

Then the grownups and teens went our separate ways for a couple of hours. Wendy and I reflected on the beautiful blue glass in the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church then visited the gourmet food floor at nearby department store, KaDeWe to buy a few foodie gifts and sip a fresh fruit smoothie. The teen princesses , meanwhile, hit the shops to see what how many high street bargains they could get for the euros we’d given them as pocket money.

I did try a bit of that curry wurst and it wasn’t at all bad – definitely worth tasting at least one when you’re out and about in Berlin.

If you’ve 20 minutes to spare, take a look at this engaging film called Best of the Wurst, about a girl from LA who decided to discover Berlin through the medium of the humble curry wurst.

If you’re short of time then this shorter video clip will also give you the idea about curry wurst.

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