Hotel Monaco and Munich » guests opinions

Munich, the King Ludwigs city

admin — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:13:51 +0000

Munich is one of those rare cities that seem to come gift-wrapped: there is so much rebuilding and upgrading of the old buildings going on at the moment that many of them are hidden behind scrims and scaffolding.

Once you get behind these flat temporary facades, the charms of the city quickly become apparent. St Michael’s Church, for example, is hidden away behind a giant life-sized drawing of itself, but its grandeur remains intact – we walked into the middle of organ practice, which revealed the powerful acoustic depth of this ancient place.

Mý wife Rachel and I chose to come to Munich in October to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary because 2011 also marked the 125th anniversary of the death of Ludwig II., the king of Bavaria. This was the reason why we found ourselves in St. Michael’s Church, in search of the Wittelsbach family crypt.

In a small but solemn room we found the ornate sarcophagous which remains Ludwig’s last resting place – almost as baroque as some of his famous castles, it showed signs of the affection people still feel for this troubled but brilliant monarch, whom the French poet Paul Verlaine called ‘the last true king of the 19th century’ – or indeed any century, you may think when you consider some of the amazing details of his life: his championing of Richard Wagner, his fascination for the Bourbon line of French kings and his self-professed desire to remain ‘an eternal engima both to myself and others.

The next – and equally important – place to visit after this was Schloss Nymphenburg, where Ludwig II. was born in the queen’s bedchamber on August 25, 1845 : he was named after his grandfather, Ludwig I, whose ‘gallery of beauties’, showing some of the most notable females of the age, occupies another room. The grandson later created his own ‘gallery of beauties’ – however, this collection was confined only to portraits of his favourite horses. All of these remarkable exhibits can be foud in the magnificent palace, a gravity-defying mixture of Baroque and Rococo styles, where once again the construction workers are still hard at work.

Looking at yet another fine Munich exterior peeping out from behind a framework of canvas and scrim, it is hard not to wonder at what Ludwig II, famous for dedicating his life to the building of such ambitious castles, would make of all this activity?

Ken and Rachel, London, UK

Impressed with the Hotel Monaco in Muenchen

admin — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:30:04 +0000

Monaco Hotel München:

This was our second trip to Muenchen. We were not impressed with the first hotel we stayed at, so we decided we stay somewhere else this time around. Overall we have been very impressed with Munich Hotel Monaco and would recommend it to somebody else:

LOCATION: It was very easy to find the hotel once we arrived in the city center. It is about a block away from the main train station. For those that have never been to Munchen, when you arrive at the airport, you can take the ‘S bahn’ that drops you off at the main train station. It was nice to have the hotel in walking distance and not have to worry about taking a tram/taxi or hiking across town with heavy luggage. The hotel reception is located on the fifth floor. There is an elevator to take you up, but it is quite small and will only hold a max of four people.

RECEPTION: The ladies working the reception desk were some of the most hospitable people we have met. They had lots of recommendations for places to eat that would appeal to a variety of tastes and budgets. One recommendation they gave that we did not receive the last time we were in Munchen was to have breakfast at the Cafe Glockenspiel. It was a great meal, with a great view of the clock. The ladies had plenty of maps available that they were happy to mark up with recommended restaurants, walks, shopping, and sites.

ROOMS: The rooms were very tidy and clean. The decor was a bit out dated, but in good condition. The rooms were some of the most spacious rooms we have stayed in in all over Europe. Every room came with a TV, but there were no English channels. The bathrooms were very clean and had brand new showers with plenty of hot water. We stayed in a double bed room. As in most German hotels, that meant there were two beds individually made and pushed together. However, the bed frame was one piece which helped keep the mattresses together – which we really appreciated. (Our last hotel had separate bed frames as well as separate mattresses, which meant during the night my husband or I would have an arm or leg fall in the crack in between the two beds.)

Munich in December

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:48:18 +0000

I am so pleased with my visit to Munich thus far. I feel very safe walking around the city; it is very clean, and the people are very friendly. Munich is laid out quite well, in the sense that it is easy to get around by foot to see most (if not all) of the historical landmarks.

The markers on buildings indicating their age is quite nice to follow as well. The Munich train/subway system is easy to use as well, and helps a great deal to reach some further landmarks…or if you’re running short on time or are simply worn out from all of your walking, it’s nice to jump on and quickly reach your next destination. I strongly suggest visiting Munich in December, as I have. The Christmas markets are wonderful! And they are everywhere.

Nothing beats walking around the city, mingling with people from all over, taking in the sights- the beautiful lights and decorations for Christmas, the delightful smells of bratwurst, apple streudel, glüewein (warmed, mulled wine), etc. You must enjoy a warm mug of glüehwein while you mill around. I also recommend the Monaco Munich Hotel where I stayed and a warm pretzel with mustard- delicious!

Parking is close to the Munich Hotel Monaco

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:58:07 +0000

Our stay at the Hotel Monaco was great! We parked a bit away not realizing that they have closer parking available near the hotel. The street around the hotel had so many different food/entertainment areas but it was only a short walk from many of the main attractions of the city. We were able to easily walk down the street to the Hofbrauhaus and enjoy the local color (I`’m still amazed at how strong the waitstaff would need to be just to carry a few of those beers but they were managed 10-15 with what seemed like ease and grace.) Later upon our return, the beds were soooo comfortable and the room set up just perfect for our needs. In the morning again the hotel staff were very helpful and made our early wake up easier than expected. We really enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Monaco and what made it especially nice was the hotel staff. Everyone was very pleasant and very accomodating. I recommend it for stays in Munich!

Thanks for a lovely Munich stay!

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:49:34 +0000

This is my second stay at Hotel Monaco. Last October, I stayed here when my sister and brother-in-law came to visit. This time, I brought my family, my sister-in-law and her friend here to tour Munich. Hotel Monaco is an ideal mix of price and location – it´s around the corner from the Hauptbahnhof and just a short walk away from the Marienplatz. The staff is so friendly! They had our name on the welcome board and were so nice even with a late check in. We came with two four-year old girls and she gave them coloring books and crayons. Which makes this the girls favorite hotel so far! We love the adorable, spacious rooms WITH it’s own big bathroom. Our beds are comfortable and the girls fell right asleep. We enjoy staying at the Hotel Monaco and have reccommended it to our friends. Some of which are coming tomorrow night and bringing their family.

Thank you for a lovely stay!

Engstrom Family
Phoenix, Arizona via Heidelberg, Germany