Hotel Il Mulino

I chose the place only because of the proximity to the university buildings. There is no reception desk. There is no lift in the building. Rooms are small and have a difficult smell. I was happy the heater was good working and it was nice room temperature. The room is decorated very simply and in the old way, in the bathroom there is a dryer. Breakfasts are offer the same every day.

I booked this hotel because it was the closest thing I could find to the Freie Universität, where I had a conference. I got the walk down to about 15 minutes so I would recommend it for anyone who needs to be at the university for any reason. There are definitely important things to understand about il Mulano Hotel but none should prevent one from booking. People from the US, especially, need to understand the EU hotel stars classifications. As a 2 star, this hotel is not obligated to provide shampoo and it doesn't. However, there are many many shops within a short walking distance so this is not a problem. A 2 star is NOT required to provide things that il Mulano does, such as a hairdryer and FREE wifi, both of which are important to me. I sometimes feel as though a hotel can be judged solely on the quality of its shower and for that, I give il Mulano 5 stars. This is pretty much a one man shop and he really does do his best. The breakfast spread is really nice for a 2 star hotel, in my opinion. There is no lift and there are plenty of stairs to get to the hotel rooms so if you can't carry your luggage up stairs, this is not the place for you. The hallways are a bit dingy and do smell a bit. BUT my room was non-smoking, which I completely appreciated and was bright, roomy and comfortable, with a desk and bedside table (also a TV, which I did not use). It's not IDEAL for business travel like I was on but I made it work. My room was right over the restaurant, which is very active. I visited in September, a time you definitely want to have windows open at night so I could hear conversations from the restaurant. However, it closes down around 10 or 10:30 so this was not a problem. I stayed three nights and was always happy to return to my room, which had a little refrigerator and an amazing amount of clothing storage space. The surrounding area is wonderful, with a wide variety of grocery stores, other great shops (I recommend Rossman for toiletries, etc), fascinating restaurants (including Maldovian and Georgian) and beer gardens. AND an S Bahn stop (Lichterfeld Ost, if memory serves) is mere steps away from the hotel. It will get you into central Berlin in under 30 minutes. This is not an area where everyone speaks English but that's part of the adventure, right? I probably felt like some other reviewers at first but as I said, there is a lot to recommend this hotel. I would have been better prepared had I known the things I've written about and hope this information helps others!

The hotel Mulino on Adolf Martens straße is not such a bad place as the reviews hitherto would have you believe. It's true to say that while it doesn't have the ambience or grandeur of a conventional establishment it nevertheless manages to be reasonably accommodating. I visited during off peak for 4 days in the middle of March and if you look at my reviews you will see a fair amount of travel experience around Europe and south East Asia. Anyway so first impressions: slightly foreboding there's no obvious sign of a reception and the minimalist entrance takes you straight onto a stairway landing. The Reception, if you want to call it that, exists as an annex to the breakfast room found at the end of a passage on the first floor. My nostrils were greeted with a slightly sickly coconut smell and I think it's fair to say that the main detraction of this place are the whiffy aromas which seem to pervade the establishment. I couldn't pinpoint the actual cause of these smells. Sometimes I was reminded of mould, sometimes of hair products and sometimes of psychoactive recreationals. They are not overwhelming however and one quickly acclimatises. Room-wise I'm glad to say there is plenty of space and this is enhanced by the high ceilings. The fittings, whilst adequate are discernibly cheap and some look as though they been have acquired as part of a rejected job-lot. On the plus side the windows are generously sized and can be fully opened which helps in dealing with the aforementioned aromas. Minus points, however, with regard to the TV which was small and had no English channels and in my room's case appeared to have a dodgy mains connection. Wifi was ok for the first two nights, but subsequently became decidedly flaky. Bathroom: pretty good tiled throughout. Shower generous with good supply of hot water. Slightly odd position of the shower holder means that the water blasts across the cubicle rather than cascading down onto ones hair when the shower head is placed in the shower head holder. Only other gripe:traces of mold on the shelf above the sink. Room servicing: charmingly eccentric I would come back to find that my bed had been 'unmade' that is to say that the duvet and blanket had been folded up and placed on the bed rather than the bed made in readiness for sleeping in. Is this a German custom? Breakfast: as I'm not much of a breakfast person this was not a big deal for me, however some might find the offering scant. Two types of cereal and two types of bread, a cheese and a meat platter. a choice of spreads and the option of tea or coffee. If you're willing to put up with the hotel's idiosyncrasies then the Il Mulino is not a bad place to stay. Just don't expect to be pampered. It's very close to Lichterfelde West station and the Italian restaurant which it adjoins is pretty good.