Our Inspector's Highlights
• The dazzling décor in the public spaces makes you want to linger.
• The GQ Bar has found its first permanent location in Western Europe within the Berlin hotel. Sip a Manhattan in the dark, sexy space.
• Tucked away in the basement, you’ll find the spa, which includes a peaceful indoor pool, hammam, Finnish sauna, salon and gym.
• The leafy grounds beg for you to take a walk or just sit back and bask in the beauty of the numerous trees, gurgling fountain and statues.
• Admire the grounds from Le Jardin. The glass-walled conservatory lets you gaze into the garden as you have your eggs, buffalo mozzarella, pretzel bread and mango lassi shooter in the morning.
Things to Know
• While the Grunewald hotel is in West Berlin, it’s a ways outside of the city center. This is the place to visit when you want to escape the quick pace of the city in favor of peaceful, private surroundings.
• Schlosshotel is close to the 7,413-acre Grunewald forest filled with trees and lakes and about four miles from the Kurfürstendamm shopping strip and sites like Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and Zoo Berlin.
• A car is necessary if you plan to leave the hotel grounds and do any exploring. If that’s the case, rent Schlosshotel’s Rolls-Royce or pay to have a chauffeur drive you around.
The Rooms
• The 43 rooms and 10 suites in the 1914 boutique hotel each bear a unique design from owner Patrick Hellmann.
• Newly redesigned rooms have “New York” and “Boheme” themes. Fabrics from Hellmann’s suits adorn the room — velvet, silk and flannel — and embroidered details you’d see on clothing pop up throughout, like the “PHC” (Patrick Hellmann Collection) monogram on the doorknob and the throw pillow.
• The accommodations’ palette sticks to fresh and sophisticated with gray, purple, black and white.
• The Grunewald Suite Karl Lagerfeld was designed by its namesake fashion icon. The handsome suite comes with a spacious living room and an art deco bathroom with white marble flooring and French handmade seafoam-green wall tiles.
• The largest is the 2,153-square-foot Kaiser Suite. The elegant dining room seats six and there are two bedrooms, but the centerpiece is the antique library with its original frescoes.
The Restaurants
• Decked out with wood-paneled walls with gold details and tables dressed in white cloth, the opulent fine-dining Restaurant focuses on Mediterranean-influenced food. Try dishes like lamb with rhubarb, beans, carrots, baby potatoes and shallots.
• In the summer, opt to take your meals in the terrace to take in views of the lovely landscape.
• The GQ Bar also serves food. Expect elevated pub food, like wagyu burgers, with watercress and peppercorn umami.
• The hotel will open a Vogue Bar later this year.