Arte Luise Kunsthotel, Berlin, Germany - Explore & Book
"Berlin has long been at the cutting edge of wacky art, but this place takes the biscuit. You can drink spritzers under a giant horse's head, or chill beside a psychedelic rainbow of wall. Clamber into an oversized bed designed to make you feel like Alice in Wonderland after "drinking me" (room 107); or sleep in a pseudo aircraft cabin in room 309, whose tilting mattress makes you think you're coming in to land. Artists of every ilk have left their mark - provocative female nudes, neon glows, comic graffiti, even shoes - on the walls, and a portion of your stay goes to their royalties. There are playful references to artists and writers: we liked 'Tribute to Edward Hopper' (room 208) and Camus-inspired 'Light and shadow' (510). But all have German bathroom technology and triple-glazed windows (several look onto a railway).Built around a typical Berlin interior courtyard, the 4-storey neoclassical palais housed the legendary actors' club Die Möwe in GDR days, then a bohemian Künstlerheim (artists' retreat) post-Wall, before being gutted and rebuilt in the 1990s. Nowadays expect friendly young staff, stairwells inscribed with philosophical quotations, and cost-price drinks from the vending machine. A vaulted restaurant next door serves breakfast (and other meals). Turn right - across the Spree - and you're at the Reichstag in 5 minutes, or the Brandenburg Gate in 10. Highs A prime location: you can walk to all the main sites, you're near the river Spree to catch a boat to Museum Island if you preferWe loved the rooms, which are quirky and humorous without being uncomfortable (all have excellent mattresses)There are rates to suit all pockets, from shared-bathroom singles to 2-room suitesYou can reach the hotel in 30 minutes by train from Brandenburg airport, so if you're coming for a weekend you can minimise travel time Lows The arty rooms vary hugely, and are very much a matter of tasteThe rear wing rooms look directly - and I mean directly - onto the Friedrichstrasse station railway line; the windows do their Teutonic best, but some rumbling is inevitableNo food is served on-site, but there's a restaurant next door and more close byNot all rooms have an ensuite bathroom, some share a shower room down the hall" - Michael Cullen
