In the beer-drinking heart of south-east Germany, the Mandarin Oriental Munich is proving popular with travelers since its renovations finished recently (although personally we're a bit puzzled by the new furniture in this picture).
Right now it's rating as #3 out of some 350 hotels on the TripAdvisor ratings so are hunch that it's a good spot to stay is definitely shared; on top of that, their website boasts that a Travel + Leisure poll put them in the Top 10 of the world's best hotels.
The location is great, right near the Marienplatz which is where Munich ticks. The hotel has everything, even a Michelin-starred restaurant, and the rest of Munich is right at your feet anyway.
What we like is all the different packages available--sounds like there would be something to suit most people.
[Ed. Note: This is the Bad Rate in our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature. This rate was valid on September 26, 2006 and is subject to change. Enjoy.]
Our Munich Good Rate this week, the Hofbräu Haus Package from K&K Hotel am Harras, would make us want to joyously clink giant steins of beer. The rate at the nearby Platzl Hotel would make us want to drown our sorrows.
This is an historic hotel that is apparently just getting around to knocking out a few walls. Although Platzl Hotel is rated as a 3.5 star hotel, they still sell single rooms that can only sleep one--for $121 to $145 a night (including breakfast). Perhaps they actually are appealing to people who want to drown their sorrows, since they sell their own Hofbräu Haus Package on Expedia--but only with the singles!
The oddities don't stop there though. The hotel proudly advertises "dial-up Internet access" from the rooms and one of their most expensive room classes, at over $200 per night, is listed through booking services as "Double/Twin Quiet." We suppose this means the cheaper ones should be "Double/Twin Better Bring Earplugs."
Rooms do have minibars, there's a bar and restaurant on site, bike rental are available, and small pets are allowed. Plus there's hope for the future: "The second half of all the guestrooms will be renovated between January and April 2007. Work will be carried out floor by floor and will use soundproofed walls as well as dust protection." So pardon the construction crews, but it looks like rooms will match 21st century expectations come next Oktoberfest.
[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which is better worth your hard-earned benjamins. The screenshot here was taken on September 26, 2006 and rates are subject to change.]
If you thought Oktoberfest was in October and you're thinking about heading to Munich for the festivities, well, you're too late. It actually started on September 16 and is over next week--October 3. The hotels that aren't already booked up are charging double the normal rates for the remaining scarce rooms.
But the beer drinking doesn't stop when the tents come down and Munich can be a lot more fun when you're not sharing the city with hordes of people spilling out of tour buses. Head to Germany in the middle of October and you can end up with smaller crowds and lower prices.
When in Munich, why not go for a beer package? The Hofbräu Haus Package from K&K Hotel am Harras is an unbeatable deal. For $95 to $120 a night for the weekend we pulled up, you get tickets for a dinner show at the Hofbräu Haus, tickets for a sightseeing tour of the city, and gifts on the house upon arrival and departure. Including a welcome beer--something we wouldn't mind seeing more often, especially after a trying journey. If you haven't booked your flight yet, you get an extra $100 flight credit by doing it all through Expedia.
The 106-room K&K Hotel am Harras is rated 3.5 stars and is located 100 feet from an underground station. Expect wi-fi in the public areas, free wired access in the rooms, two free public computers, complimentary tea and coffee, and a parking garage. Rooms are not huge or lavish, but with the U.S. dollar where it is against the euro, this package deserves a hearty raising of the glass and Prost!
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by amandak
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