Designhotel am Stadtgarden – Freiburg, Germany

Hotel Review –  Designhotel am Stadtgarten, Freiburg, Germany

 

I was visiting Freiburg for one night and needed an affordable and clean hotel property within walking distance, or a short tram ride, from the historic Münsterplatz (Cathedral Square) and the University of Freiburg. There are lots of nice hotels throughout the city, but I was happy to find the Designhotel Am Stadtgarten, a four-star property in a quiet residential neighborhood within walking distance to my city destinations.

The hotel was redesigned, renovated, and reopened under new ownership in 2007 and its colorful design features, friendly staff and lovely outdoor café suited me perfectly. My single-bed, attic-style room on the top floor of the three-story building was clean and spare, with a slanted wall and window overlooking the street. Guest room features included summer season light-weight bed comforters, new carpeting, flat-screen TV, and a good flexible reading light attached to one side of the head-board. Bathroom amenities included a glass shower stall, and a heated towel rack.

There are 35 guest rooms and those on the lower floors are larger, many with two-beds and more expansive bathrooms. Although the evening was warm, and my room did not have air-conditioning, it did not seem hot in the room.  Air-conditioning is available, however, in many, but not all, of the larger rooms.

One of the great benefits of the property is the Vis-à-Vis café-bar-lounge on the ground floor. This comfortable space off the lobby offers a beautifully designed bar, a complimentary breakfast buffet with a good selection of hot and cold items, and, in good weather, a lovely outdoor patio is outfitted with tables and large umbrellas where young and friendly staff serve beer, wine and soft drinks and small plates of antipasti, various salads, soups and fresh baguettes. The menu also offer six types of grilled panini, and several nights a week during the summer a barbecue grill is set up on the patio with grilled chicken and steaks.

The hotel is only ten minutes’ walking distance from Münsterplatz, where the Freiburg Cathedral, opened in 1513, still holds services, and the nearby daily farmer’s market is a popular attraction for both visitors and locals. The University of Freiburg, established in 1457, is just eight minutes’ walk from the Cathedral. The Designhotel am Stadtgarten is named after the Stadtgarten, a five acre city park located a block from the hotel, with large trees, fountains, a rose garden, sculptures, a pond, and a small bandstand for summer concerts.

Reviewer:   Ron Bernthal

Designhotel am Stadtgarten

Karlstrasse 12, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

http://www.hotelamstadtgarten.de/

 

 

 

Hotel am Stadtgarden, Freiburg, Germany

Review: Ron Bernthal