Berlin Waldorf Astoria review: A fitting home for rock n’ roll royalty

If the walls of the lavish Berlin Waldorf Astoria could talk, they’d definitely tell the tales of the eclectic array of music and film stars who have passed through its doors while in town for shows at sold out arenas or the city’s celebrated film festival.

But when they can’t talk, the lobby’s storied Wall of Fame – which features the signatures of stars including Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Charlize Theron set in stone – will do instead. If this hotel is good enough for them, then it’s certainly good enough for mere mortals like me and you.

Located just a stone’s throw away from the city’s Berlin Zoo, its central location means that most key sites within the city are within a half hour’s journey, making it the perfect base if you’re in town for a few days and looking for somewhere with a bit of luxury.

It’s no surprise to report that luxury comes with a price (rooms start from £200 a night), but they are well worth it. Our room, located on the hotel’s eleventh floor, offered panoramic views of the entire city. In a charming twist, this even meant we were able to see the zoo’s elephant enclosure from our bed as we watched Berlin slowly come to life on a crisp April morning. The rooms are incredibly spacious too, while our bathroom came complete with a TV built into the mirror, which made for a perfect Netflix binge session as we kicked back and relaxed in the tub after an afternoon spent exploring the city’s East Side Gallery.

But relaxation doesn’t just extend to your own hotel room here. The hotel boasts one of the most celebrated and award-winning spas in Berlin and guests can undergo an array of treatments that are fit for the A-List clientele who frequent the space. We opted for a full body massage and left suitably loose after an hour in the capable hands of our masseuse, but the list of treatments is endless and the spa pools prove the perfect way to continue the zen vibes after your treatment is complete.

But this quality extends to the whole hotel too. The ROCA restaurant located on site offers a wide array of Mediterranean grub that will make your belly sing – as exemplified by the excellent chicken tagine that we went for – but thankfully stops short of being a grotesque gut-busting affair where you’ll feel in desperate need of a lie-down. Similarly, the hotel’s Lang Bar – named after legendary German director Fritz Lang – boasts a cocktail menu fit for the great man’s name. There’s an array of drinks to fit every taste, but we’d wholeheartedly recommend the Mediterranean Mule – a curious blend of vodka, ginger beer and basil that felt suitably decadent.

All of this leads to a feeling that, although not the cheapest stay in town, the Waldorf Astoria is certainly one of Berlin’s most luxurious. Whether it’s a chance to live like a rock star or, simply, treat yourself to a bit of luxury, this gem of central Berlin is quite simply wunderbar…