Like most of mine and Daniel’s winter vacations, we spontaneously booked our trip to Berlin after finding an especially cheap flight from the small Ovda airport near Eilat, Israel. It is hard to remain indifferent to such a low-priced flight {approximately 100 Euros per person}, especially when it comes to a destination so cool and inexpensive, and when your better half is celebrating their 30th birthday. As soon as the tickets were booked {upgraded for extra leg space, of course} I did a quick online search and found that The Killers, one of the bands we both really like, are performing in town during those exact dates. What a dream!

Usually, at this point, I begin rummaging through Pinterest, Instagram, and various blogs to draw up a detailed list of things that will fill our schedule and {stomachs 🙂 } over the holiday. This time, that didn’t really happen. I had had a pretty busy period since our return from our last trip to Krakow, and although I am not the most spontaneous person when it comes to planning a trip, I didn’t have much choice. This was also mine and Daniel’s second time visiting Berlin together, needless to say we had already been to some of the important tourists attractions the first time, and there were also some places we knew we would like to go back to.

The thing about winter vacations is that they have a different pace. They are slower, and more relaxed vacations, where the goal is not to run around and see and do as much as possible, rather it is a pleasure to soak up the local atmosphere and simply take it easy.

 

The only thing that mattered to us to book in advance, besides concert tickets, was the hotel. At first, we debated whether we should go for an Airbnb apartment again, but after some online sniffing around we didn’t seem to find a place that matched our wishes for our wintery holiday, the kind where much time is spent indoors. After a not a very long search, we found the one – 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin. The hotel offered exactly what we were looking for – excellent location, delicious breakfast, and the kind of design one cannot overlook.

Knowing it would be very cold {Still – a winter vacation, in Berlin, in February} nothing could have prepared us for the freezing weather that awaited us. The week we spent in Berlin was the same week the extremely cold wave from Siberia struck central and western Europe, it was even named “Beast from the East” – and rightfully so. So, true, we may not have had the fullest schedule packed with a ton of things we wanted to do on this trip, but, even the schedule I managed to put together just a number of days before our flight had to be altered when the temperature reached minus 12 degrees. Let’s just say it wasn’t the most ideal weather for strolling around. Believe me, even the locals we spoke to were surprised at how cold it was…

Still, we didn’t let the weather ruin our vacation 🙂

We stayed at a dream of a hotel, ate excellent food {junk food included hehe}, did some shopping, visited cool attractions, returned to some of the places we liked so much the first time we were in Berlin, and luckily, it didn’t rain or snow at all.

Basically – It was a fun few days, and of course I’ve come back with some very good recommendations.

 

 

STAY

 

Our flight landed at Schönefeld Airport, from there we took a direct train for less than 2 Euros to the station near our hotel. A three minute walk brought us to the most remarkable entrance of what is the most Hipster hotel in Berlin – 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin.

The hotel is located in west Berlin, right near the zoo and the famous Kudamm shopping center. Not only is the location so great, but also, right outside the hotel is an S-Bahn station and a bus stop, making it very easy to get to the city’s best spots.  

The hotel is designed entirely around the urban jungle theme – lush plants and flowers, floor to ceiling windows that provide a first row view to the neighboring zoo, a careful combination of raw, industrial materials such as concrete and metal alongside more natural ones such as wood, an intense color scheme, and much attention to detail. Just the way I like it.

This hotel has it all. So if you’re not in the mood to go out {or the weather isn’t that great} you can absolutely spend an enjoyable two days inside….

Here are some of the things that make it an especially fun place to be:

✩ A grand lobby with a variety of sitting areas {among which you can also find padded hammocks}, work areas, a chill-out corner for listening to music, and even a sweet bakery and a shop selling books and other well designed items.

 

✩ The hotel restaurant, Neni, offers a trendy middle-eastern inspired menu, where breakfast – easy on the eyes and on the stomach – is served daily. Breakfast is an especially rich buffet style, and as you can see in the pictures, even the most successful Israeli dishes such as shakshuka and hummus are served {and not only are they were delicious and authentic – the restaurant owners are Israelis 🙂 }. For lunch or dinner, it is best to make a reservation because it is almost always full.

 

 

✩ The hotel bar, Monkey Bar, is located on the top floor overlooking the Berlin zoo and the city, and it happens to be one of the hottest spots in town!

 

✩ The sauna! A relaxation area including a sauna and all its pampering treats, also overlooking the zoo, includes the most genius and luxurious features the hotel has to offer. Think about how relaxing it is to lay down in there after a long day of running around {especially in the winter, but not just}.

✩ Bikini Berlin, a small, chic shopping center, is only five steps away from the hotel.

 

We stayed in the Jungle M room, which was not very large but practical and comfortable. The room is decorated in an eclectic style and is equipped with a high quality wifi speaker, excellent bathroom products (which I still remember from this boutique hotel), magazines and books, and even a comfortable hammock overlooking the zoo that is fun to chill out in. In the bathroom, the rain shower is the ultimate pleasure to start and end your day with, and floor heating had been installed. The only thing I felt the room was missing was a closet; when staying in a hotel room for more than two days, it could be pretty useful.  

 

 

 

EAT

 

Monsieur Vuong –

We discovered this Vietnamese restaurant five years ago on our last trip to Berlin and simply fell in love. On the menu you will find excellent Vietnamese dishes, such as Pho soup, spring rolls, fresh salads and good cocktails alongside Asian beers, and all for very reasonable prices. The service and ambiance are pleasing as well. We arrived for a late lunch around 4pm and were seated immediately, but if you plan on making it during peak hours, you most probably will have to wait in line.

 

 

Cecconie’s –

Cecconi’s is a chic, international chain of Italian restaurants. The one in Berlin is located inside the beautiful Soho House Berlin hotel. The business menu is quite limited but worthwhile, and everything we tasted was great. Highly recommended, not only for the food, but also for the upscale design, atmosphere, and service.

 

 

Kantini –

The Kantini food court is found inside the Bikini Berlin shopping center right next door to our hotel. The well-designed complex, which opened at the beginning of this year, has a variety of stands serving food beverages from all over the world. From Hawaiian Poke bowls, to Berlinian Currywurst hot dogs, to Israeli cuisine.

 

 

Monkey Bar –

The bar at the 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin is one worth visiting whether or not you are a hotel guest. Cool decor, a live DJ set every night, excellent – though not cheap – cocktails, and finger food from the nearby Neni restaurant, the Monkey Bar has a particularly cool atmosphere and attracts people from all over the city until the wee hours of the night. The bar is on the tenth floor and provides a magnificent view of the city and the zoo. While it is impossible to make a reservation, hotel guests have the benefit of entering through a separate entrance, and don’t have to wait in line in the lobby.

SHOP

 

Shopping! Because you cannot go abroad and come back empty handed. Berlin has so many shopping areas, both for lovers of retail and couture, and for second hand enthusiasts. I returned from this trip mainly with lots of new accessories, but not because I was too lazy to try anything on due to all the layers keeping me warm.

Well, that was almost the case.

And you can’t even imagine how upset I was at first.

In Minus 12 degrees weather you can picture how many layers I was wearing.

And then, I came up with the most genius method for winter shopping!

*Drum roll *

I inquired with the sales team in several stores and found that return policy in Berlin is up to 28 days for a full refund!!!

You know what that means?

Skipping the hassle of a small fitting room, buying clothes that you like, trying them on at ease in the comfort of your hotel room, and returning whatever doesn’t suit you.

Of course this will work best if your hotel is close by to a central shopping area, because you do not want to spend your vacation running around doing returns. In our case, since our hotel was just a two minute walk from the Kudamm shopping center, it took us about five minutes to do our returns and get our money back.

Think about how much shopping time and entanglement this system saves!

There, I’m done being all excited about it 🙂

 

 

Bikini Berlin –

A concept mall that brings together a collection of designer boutiques and well-designed retail stores along with great cafes and a cool food court. In addition to the regular stores, the center of the mall has modular pop-up shops designed for young designers and for launching new products. The mall also has a small supermarket, a Mani-Pedi salon, and hosts temporary art exhibitions.

 

Kudamm, Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstrasse, and the streets around Haksha market

A collection of streets that gather many international retail stores and designer shops. Not much more to expand on except go by yourself or with a very patient partner.

 

KaDeWe –

Europe’s famous and prestigious department store where any and all couture can be found. The store’s top floor is famous for the variety of delicacies you can buy at the various stalls.

 

Pick & Weight –

A German chain of second hand shops that is a paradise for anyone who lives and breathes vintage. The store’s concept is purchase by weight, and so every item is marked with a tag that represents its price per kilo. There are five stores in Berlin. The only thing is, most items are not exchangeable, and so you won’t be able to avoid trying things on in-store.

 

 

DO

Brandenburg Tor –

We had already been to the gate on our first visit to Berlin, but no stay in this city is complete without a photo under one of the city’s most famous symbols. During the Cold War and the division of Germany in two, this historic gate stood between East and West Berlin. In 1989, when the wall came down and Germany was united, it became an iconic landmark of a new Germany.

 

 

Reichstag building –

Behind the huge neoclassical palace that serves as the home of the German parliament lies a great amount of history which makes it one of the most important tourist sites in Berlin. The building is very impressive on the outside, and I assume on the inside as well. But I must admit that on both occasions that we visited Berlin, we forgot to order tickets in advance for a tour of the building. Oh well, next time 🙂

 

 

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe –

We visited the memorial as well on our first trip to Berlin, and being that it is so powerful we decided to go see it again. It consists of cold cement cubes of varying heights that depict graves in a cemetery, and walking among the “graves” generates a sense of loss, disorientation, and discomfort.

 

 

Checkpoint Charlie –

Another famous tourist spot in the city is a souvenir of the period in which Germany was divided in two. It was the only border crossing between divided Germany that existed between 1961-1990. Today, what’s left is a replica of a border crossing and a sign that mark the place, right next to which is the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and authentic pieces of the historic wall on Stresemannsrasse. This may not be a breathtaking attraction, but if you arrive in the area it is worth a visit.

 

 

THE WALL – asisi Panorama Berlin  –

It was mere chance that brought us to this exhibition, which is a few steps away from Checkpoint Charlie, and we were glad to have discovered it. The installation by artist Yadegar Asisi, showcases the period in which Germany was divided in two. The entrance hall has photographs and stories of people of different ages from that period, providing personal insight via letters and stories about the wall. The installation in the next room allows for one to experience Berlin’s urban landscape in the wall’s shadow on a fictional autumn day in the 80’s, on a 1:1 scale, and to understand the great differences that existed  between life on the eastern and western side at the time. A perfect illusion of the city’s history. Definitely worth seeing.

 

 

Currywurst Museum –

The Currywurst stands, selling those chubby, sliced sausage with the famous sauce, can be found on every street corner in Berlin. The German delicacy, Currywurst, is Berlin’s pride and joy, as locals are willing to swear that the beloved sausage was born in their town. The famous museum dedicated to the national food can be found within a short walk of Checkpoint Charlie. There, you can learn about the history of the sausage, discover the secrets behind the spices, see how the famous hot dog was integrated into the film industry, and even be photographed behind a mock-up stand.

 

 

Fernsehturm –

The TV tower is another one of Berlin’s hallmarks, and thanks to its unique appearance, there is no chance of you missing it. The 7-floor tower reaches a height of 368 meters and from its lookout and balcony and the view of the entire city can be seen from above. It is no doubt a very impressive structure, but we made do with visiting it only from the outside.

 

 

 

 

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Do you have any more recommendations for things to do in Berlin? Leave me a comment below ♡

* Thank you very much to the 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin for its perfect accommodation.

 

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