Leipzig’s boutique hotel scene is as varied and alternative as the city itself. Here are five of the best boutique hotels in Leipzig:
GRONERS Boutique Hostel (Photo: facebook.com)
As popular for its ornate rococo and renaissance architecture as it is for its derelicte chic bars and clubs, Leipzig is a magnet for anyone drawn to interesting architecture and design. The burgeoning boutique hotel scene reflects this, with many establishments thinking outside the box to get noticed among the influx of trendy visitors. Whether it is an upmarket hostel, a beautifully restored luxury hotel, or a downmarket space centre partnered with NASA, there is a boutique option for all tastes. Here are the five of the best boutique hotels in Leipzig.
GRONERS Boutique Hostel
Not many establishments try to combine a hostel with a chic, luxury hotel, but somehow Groners manages to pull it off. This boutique hostel is located in a historic merchant’s house right in the heart of Leipzig and offers everything from large family rooms to shared dorm rooms, all benefiting from the same stylised charcoal grey walls, sixties dark wood and fittings out of a design magazine. It might sound odd that so much effort has been put into a hostel but it really works, dispelling those thoughts that such places have to be flea-ridden backpacker traps. It’s all very neat and tidy too – no duvet covers turned inside out here – and there is everything from a coffee bar to a co-cooking area, otherwise known as a kitchen in old hostel speak. A great place to stay and a nice opportunity to get to know fellow travellers too.
Townhouse Leipzig a Vagabond Club
Vagabond Club is all about providing both the ultimate boutique experience and recalling the bygone era of the grand hotel. Across Germany the company has found classical buildings to create an upmarket accommodation and Leipzig is no different. Located right in the centre of the city, Leipzig Townhouse has plenty of grandiose history – in fact The Renaissance building, which is part of the boutique hotel and now serves as the library, is the oldest building in Leipzig that is still inhabitable. The accommodation is made up of studios that favour bare brickwork, high end materials and quality details over stuffy, puffy luxury and the restaurant blends Hawaiian dining with an upmarket mash-up of industrial and Art Deco, with great results. A lot of the food is locally sourced, from the roasted coffee to the honey, and the whole experience manages to capture Leipzig’s alternative scene, albeit with a high luxe twist.
Space Hotel
Space Hotel (Photo: Oliver Stallwood)
Very much at the other end of the luxury scale is the Space Hotel, arguably Leipzig’s most unique accommodation option. Wonderfully old school (there is someone to explain everything at length rather than a door card being chucked across a reception desk) and how many other 25 bucks a head hotels can you stay in that are partnered with NASA? The hotel is connected to Leipzig’s International Space Education Institute, which teaches young people about Space and lets them build DIY moon buggies to race. The hotel is unique, sweet and at times all quite random, and checking in can feel like you are waiting for Cape Canaveral to clear you for take off. However, it’s hard not to love a hotel with a giant rocket in the back yard. Don’t expect too many creature comforts, just enjoy the quirkiness of it all. The location may not be Leipzig’s trendiest spot – it’s in the east of the city sandwiched between Neuschonefeld and Reudnitz – but there are some good drinking holes nearby, the excellent Substanz being one of them.
Hotel Fregehaus
You probably won’t notice a lot of the real love that has gone into Hotel Fregehaus. Centrally located in a beautiful courtyard, this baroque building wasn’t in great shape and has been carefully and painstakingly restored to its former glory. Correct era door handles were found in flea markets, missing doors were sourced from old stock, and old features cleaned and restored. It looks like it has never changed. The rooms themselves mix the new and the old, with period stucco and glass chandeliers mixing it with mid-century and contemporary luxe furniture, although as with any trendy interior design fusion you might wonder how quickly it will date. Regional products and specialities await you at breakfast and everything is as clean as a doctor’s surgery – it’s hard not to come away not loving Hotel Fregehaus.
Hotel Michaelis
Hotel Michaelis also goes for a mix of the classic and contemporary but with arguably more cohesive results. The style in many rooms settles more on a sixties or early seventies vibe, with lime swirls, bucket chairs and checkered floors making it feel like a set from a spy thriller. The hotel also functions as a conference and event location, so the service is on point and professional with a great selection of local and organic food in the highly recommended restaurant. Location-wise, it’s not as central as some of the other top hotels, residing in the city’s south, but it is walking distance from the district of Connewitz, with a vibrant bar scene to wash away all that business talk.