Berlin's Organic, Low-Budget Hotel
Hotel 26 in Friedrichshain Has Free Internet and Organic Food
For tourists and business travelers to Berlin on a budget with organic sensibilities, this little hotel tucked away from the traffic is truly a home away from home.
Vegetarians and organic foodies don't always eat the way they'd like when away from home, but Hotel 26 is an inviting change for folks with special needs. This budget hotel in Berlin, Germany, offers filtered water, free Internet, truly non-smoking rooms, organic breakfast, eco-friendly soap, non-allergen bedding, and a personal service standard that has countless travelers calling Hotel 26 home again and again.
The History of Hotel 26
A hotel in Berlin that caters to the eco-conscious small businessperson and over-30 tourist crowd? Whose idea was this?
Vasili Tsakos, one of the four owners of Hotel 26, has a twinkle in his eye and a quick smile. He's the kind of guy you always wanted as your big brother -- gregarious and worldly -- with a hint of trickster. Vasili prides himself on personal service and he's good at it. He says the eco- and health-conscious focus of the hotel is "important in this time, and it's very important to the owners."
According to Vasili, the former factory (built 1907), was renovated by architect Lorenzen (whose offices share the building with the hotel) and opened in May 2003. This is the only hotel Vasili and his partners own, and he says it is enough, as the "personal experience" is very important to him. "Good breakfast, clean rooms," says Vasili, "I want this to be like home for my guests." And like home it is.
The Accommodations
With the hotel set back off Grünberger Strasse, guests enjoy a peaceful night's sleep away from the roar of urban Berlin and awaken to birds singing just outside their window. The hotel's 20 rooms are simple and sparsely furnished in wicker and wood å la Ikea, bathrooms tile and chrome. All is clean and soft and devoid of frills, colors are white and citrus. Thoughtful details:
- Heating by in-room radiators
- Showers with eco-friendly soap dispensers
- Double-paned windows open from the side or from the top
- Movement sensors control hallway lights to conserve electricity
- Bathroom fans automatically shut on and off
Café 26
Everyone on staff makes fabulous espresso drinks, (and soy can be had upon request.) The café is open all day and into the night, offering light fare beyond breakfast.
The breakfast buffet is a sight: Various types of muesli, yogurts, juices, breads and croissants, jams, butters, cheeses, meats -- all organic -- and the hotel also offers free range eggs, tea, coffee and espresso drinks. When breakfasting on the patio in the sunny, sheltered courtyard, indeed, some mornings it's hard to leave.
Location and Surroundings
Hotel 26 is located at 26 Grünberger Strasse in Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany. 030-29-77-78-7-0. Staff speaks German, English, Greek and Turkish. Some neighborhood highlights within walking distance:
- Cafés, restaurants, shops and nightclubs abound -- 5-minutes.
- The East Side Gallery, the largest remaining piece of the Berlin Wall -- 10-minutes.
- Frankfurter Tor U-Bahn station and the Warschauer Strasse U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations -- 2-minutes.
- Kaiser's grocery store, which sells organic foods as well as conventional products and transit tickets, has a photo booth and a bakery -- 5-minutes.
Room Rates
Single rooms start at 59 Euros. The price includes breakfast and free Internet. (Connection is not wireless; an Internet cable may be borrowed from the front desk if needed.)
Double rooms (from 79 Euros) and an apartment are available, as is a ground floor room for the physically disabled. Hotel 26 also offers conference room services for up to 35 people. (Rates may have changed since time of writing so travelers are advised to check rates directly with Hotel 26.)
The only problem with Hotel 26 is that its customers keep coming back. This can make it hard to get in without some advance notice, so travelers are advised to book early. More information for travellers in Germany may be found in What To Do on Ruegen Island.
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