3 hotels for new entrepreneurs
ORANIA BERLIN
Opened in August 2017, this new address, the Orania - a former department stores' from the early 20th century that became a punk nightclub in the 1980s - is undoubtedly a symbol of the transformation of Kreuzberg. This out-of-the-ordinary five-star hotel has just 41 rooms, whose wooden floors and large arched windows give them a very special warmth. In the large bar on the ground floor, where sumptuous cocktails are served, sits a concert Steinway. In the centre, a fireplace burning real logs adds to the feeling of well-being you get here. In fact, the locals like to mingle with the visiting clientele, who are often artists or start-up entrepreneurs.
Oranienstrasse 40 - Phone: +49 30 6953 9680 - Email : info@orania.berlin - Internet : www.orania.berlin or www.slh.com
MOTEL ONE
The German business-budget hotel chain, founded in Munich in 2000 by a former manager of the Accor group, has been expanding steadily in Berlin ever since. One of its most recent openings is in Kreuzberg, opposite a huge publishing house that has also recently opened. Proof of the district's evolution. There's nothing original about the Motel One brand of hotels, but they offer a standard of comfort appreciated by those on a tight budget.
Prinzenstrasse 40-42 - Phone: +49 30 6956 71740 - Email : berlin-mitte@motel-one.com - Internet : www.motel-one.com
THE YARD HOTEL
Another recent opening in Kreuzberg, the Yard is a place with an eco-friendly decor, all dapper and planted with greenery. In all, 55 rooms, including the soothingly designed "Business Zimmer", all with a contemporary feel and very reasonable prices. A good address for both business and design.
Alexandrinenstrasse 125 - Phone: +49 30 2592 3890 - Email : info@hotel-theyard.berlin - Internet : www.hotel-theyard.berlin
2 Berlin-style coworking spaces
BLOGFABRIK
Part digital communications agency, part coworking space, Blog-fabrik is housed in former sewing machine workshops. The immense interior courtyard is so peaceful that you'd almost think you were in the countryside. To work at Blogfabrik, however, you have to be co-opted and contribute your expertise, for example in the form of a conference. But the rates are very, very attractive, and the atmosphere is as studious as it is relaxed.
Oranienstrasse 185 - Email : volker.zanetti@blogfabrik.de - Internet : www.blogfabrik.de
MINDSPACE
Opened in April 2018, this coworking space, whose concept comes straight from Tel Aviv, is totally international. At the reception desk, a Spanish woman welcomes you in English... She doesn't speak German. In Berlin, that doesn't surprise anyone. So you feel very much at home here, even if you come from elsewhere, whether in the pretty library, on the soft sofas created especially for the place, at the bar, in the lounge or in the open spaces bathed in light. Here you can meet freelancers, artists and entrepreneurs of all kinds. For a month, or longer...
Skalitzerstraße 104. - Tel: +49 800 64637 7223 - Internet: www.mindspace.me/berlin
4 cafés and restaurants with a post-industrial spirit
VOLT
Situated on the banks of one of the canals of the Spree, in a quiet street shaded by weeping willows, this former electricity transformer dating from 1928 has recently been transformed into a restaurant serving regional cuisine. On the menu: sausages from the surrounding farms, fresh vegetables from Mecklenburg growers and succulent meats from Brandenburg. All in a futuristic setting, lit by magnificent copper lamps by Tom Dixon.
Paul-Lincke-Ufer 21 - Phone: +49 30 33 84 02 320 - Email : office@restaurant-volt.de -
Internet : www.restaurant-volt.de
BONANZA
In a vast inner courtyard sheltered from the hustle and bustle of the city, here is a sort of post-industrial cottage where an elegant counter serves all kinds of fair trade certified coffees. In fine weather, you can also sit outside. It's the perfect place to talk business in complete relaxation, far from the stress of the city.
Adalbertstraße 70 - Internet : www.bonanzacoffee.de
LODE & STIJN
Lode and Stijn are two friends from Holland, two outstanding chefs who love to sublimate products such as Jerusalem artichokes or asparagus by dressing them in refined emulsions or unexpected toppings, mixing textures. Try the rhubarb and strawberry cake, topped with beer ice cream and a sesame tuile.
Lausitzer Strasse 25 - Phone: +49 30 65214507 - Email : contact@lode-stijn.de -
Internet: www.lode-stijn.de
ORA
You come here first and foremost for the setting: an old wooden pharmacy dating from 1861, entirely preserved. At night, lit by candles, the place is truly magical. The food is simple and delicious, and so are the cocktails.
Oranienplatz 14 - Internet: www.ora-berlin.de or www.facebook.com/oraberlin
Outdoor swimming
ARENA HALLE BADESCHIFF
Rather than lock yourself in a badly ventilated gym, here's an unusual address: a floating pool on the River Spree where you can do lengths in heated water. In summer, the pool lights up as soon as it gets dark and doesn't close until midnight. Of course, this sporting option is only available from the end of April to the end of September. But it's still the most extravagant. And the most aesthetically pleasing.
Eichenstrasse 4 - Phone: +49 30 533 2030 - Email : info@arena.berlin - Internet : www.arena.berlin
