Hotel Adlon Kempinski

The celebrated Hotel Adlon reopened in 1997, having been entirely rebuilt following its destruction in 1945 (despite having survived both World Wars, the hotel was a casualty of a blaze caused by a Soviet cigarette). It has what you would expect from a large, international five-star hotel in terms of comfort, facilities and quality of service. Although it doesn't quite recapture the panache of the place that attracted the great and the good (and the bad) of Berlin, from Kaiser Wilhelm II to Greta Garbo, it does rekindle much of the magic. There is little in the airy and voluptuous interiors to conjure up the ghosts of Marlene Dietrich and Charlie Chaplin – both pre-war habitués of the old Adlon, but there is not supposed to be. The hotel’s reconstruction provided an opportunity to replace the former, sombre interior with a brighter, airier aspect. Cupolas (redolent of the famed Foster dome at the Reichstag), and the clean, chic lines of the excellent spa reflects Berlin's reputation for exciting modern architecture.

Location is the hotel's true trump card, however: the Adlon, in the Mitte district of former East Berlin, is a stone's throw away from the Brandenburg Gate and the newly rebuilt Pariser Platz, a hub of the pre-war Berlin, part of the divided city's eerie no-man's land and now, once again, the city's premier "salon". Turn right out of the main entrance and you're in the iconic boulevard, Unter den Linden; left and through the gate, and you're at the Reichstag.

The Adlon still attracts visiting royalty (the Queen and the Prince of Wales have stayed), politicians on state visits (Sarkozy was present during our visit), and celebrities (Michael Jackson infamously dangled  ‘Blanket’, his son, from a third floor balcony of the hotel in 2002). Among mere mortals, there is a 50/50 split between business and leisure visitors (the latter more prevalent at weekends).

A good deal of thought has gone into making the well-proportioned bedrooms (some 385 in all) both practical as well as comfortable. Once tucked up for the night, I could control the sophisticated lighting and air-conditioning from discreet panels hidden inside the bedside cabinets. The one perplexing feature was the label on the bathroom unguents, which instructed me to call a helpline for assistance in selecting a suitable salt or soap. This seemed to me to be a wholly unbefitting bathtime request; faffing around with phones surely detracts from the relaxational focus of the experience? Whilst I bravely bathed unaided, for curiosity’s sake my companion decided to avail herself of the service. The final irony of the situation was that the person at the end of the requisite line had no idea what she was talking about, probably because she was the first person dutiful (or naïve) enough to ask.

The hotel boasts three Michelin-starred restaurants: the Lorenz Adlon offers a lighter take on classic French fare and plenty of Brandenburg Gate Champagne moments; the stylish MÃ Tim Raue and the Gabriele specialise respectively in modern Asian fusion and Italian. There is also the Quarré, which offers regional German cuisine. It is also the place for breakfast, which is exceptional in terms of both food (with four types of muesli and an impressive medley of jams – including kiwi) and aspect (overlooking the Brandenburg Gate), and best of all may be enjoyed al fresco.

Plurality is clearly a theme: the Adlon boasts not one, but two spas. The main recreation area comprises a decent-sized pool, fitness room, sauna and steam bath. The recently opened day spa is a more Zen-like chill-out zone offering an extensive range of beauty and massage treatments. I had a sleep-inducing Swedish massage (at a very respectable €45), and my therapist helpfully provided me with a (worryingly long) list of further treatments that I apparently need to increase my bodily, and decrease my financial wellbeing.

The most memorable features of the hotel are the buzz of the lobby, complete with its original elephantine-amphibian fountain (the gift of a maharaja) and its historic resonance. The concierge was also particularly charming, and deftly handled our manifold queries (from pepper spray suppliers to animal feeding times at the zoo).

Hotel Adlon Kempinski, Unter den Linden 77, 10117 Berlin (0049 302 2610; www.hotel-adlon.de)