Gute Zeit

Hotel Description

You know what? Gute Zeit totally caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting much from a 3-star place with such a simple name (it literally just means “good times” in German), but honestly, this little hotel has more personality than half the fancy places I’ve stayed at. The moment you walk in, there’s this warm, lived-in feeling – not shabby, just authentic. The lobby has these mismatched vintage chairs that somehow work perfectly together, and I swear they must have the most eclectic collection of local art I’ve seen in ages.

The rooms are what I’d call “thoughtfully simple.” Nothing fancy, but everything you actually need is there and works properly – which, let me tell you, isn’t always a given at this price point. The beds are surprisingly comfortable (I’m picky about mattresses), and the bathrooms are spotless with decent water pressure. What really got me was the attention to small details – proper reading lights, enough outlets near the bed, and these little locally-made soaps that smell amazing. The walls are a bit thin though, so if you’re a light sleeper, maybe pack earplugs. I could hear my neighbors chatting in the morning, but it wasn’t terrible.

The staff here actually seems to care, which makes such a difference. Check-in was smooth, and when I asked about places to eat nearby, the guy at the front desk didn’t just hand me a generic tourist map – he drew little notes on it about which bakery has the best pretzels and warned me that the Italian place around the corner gets packed after 7pm. That 8.0 rating makes total sense to me because while Gute Zeit isn’t trying to be something it’s not, it absolutely nails what it is trying to be. It’s the kind of place where you feel like you’re staying somewhere real rather than in some sterile hotel bubble. I mean, where else do you find fresh flowers in the hallway that are clearly picked from someone’s actual garden? If you’re looking for a rooftop infinity pool and marble everything, keep scrolling. But if you want a genuine, comfortable place to sleep with people who’ll point you toward the good stuff locals actually do – well, the name says it all.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $168. Apartment with 2 single beds, 2 sofa beds and 1 double bed for Max persons: 6

Reviews

• Mackenzie from United Kingdom – 9 July 2024 (9/10)

  Very spacious apartment, comfortable beds.
  
  What could be improved: 15-20min walk to S-bahn. Driveway Parking costs extra, on-street parking available for free. Steep stairs to Lounge on top floor.

• Helen from Germany – 17 January 2025 (8/10)

  It was spacious, good for a family. It was rather far to the centre but a bus was within walking distance and that worked well. The flat is in a quiet residential area, little traffic.
  
  What could be improved: The strong smell of smoke from downstairs, especially for the children. The landlady understood the problem and then smoked outside, which helped.

• Kamal from Malaysia – 29 February 2024 (8/10)

  Spacious, clean inside, got well equipped kitchen with washing machine. Heated well
  
  What could be improved: Bath gel, shampoo should be better. Only 1 bathroom for 6s of us

• Rod from United Kingdom – 21 June 2024 (8/10)

  A lovely, typical German residential property in a quiet part of the town. It was nice to experience the real Hamburg. The location was excellent for us and the apartment felt like home!

• Aneliya from United Kingdom – 1 March 2023 (8/10)

  Everything was superb in the property, more and above than expected! Not only we had all the amenities, we were also fully stocked on hot beverages, bathroom accessories, towels, full instructions how to use anything. Thank you Anke for your warm hospitality.
  
  What could be improved: There’s no such a thing;)

• Daniel from Australia – 27 December 2022 (8/10)

  very clean and cosy apartment near Volkspark Stadium, Arena and Zoo.
  The owner is there for you all the time and reacts to requests promptly.
  
  What could be improved: Steeply stairs not ideal for younger kids that run around a lot. however, the owner is about to install gates for safety.

• Sander from Netherlands – 4 October 2022 (8/10)

  Location
  
  What could be improved: Nothing

• Emma from Sweden – 8 July 2022 (8/10)

  We stayed one night in the apartment. It was perfect for our big family! Great with three bedrooms, as well as kitchen & places to sit and lounge. The rental has all you need – coffee capsules, nice bedding, TV… clean & convenient. We had a relaxing evening, before heading out on the roads south for Provence.

• Dawn from United States – 10 May 2023 (5/10)

  This was a cute second story apartment, once in the door you need to walk up 16 steps to the main living space which holds the two bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen. The living room area is up another floor (11 steps). The apartment had everything we need to make our meals. It supplied coffee, tea, sugar, and salt and pepper. There was a hotpot for hot water. We had enough hot water for all four (82, 63, 57 and 52) of us to take showers.
  
  What could be improved: Our train was later than anticipated for arrival so we did not get to check in until 7:30pm-8:30 pm. Unfortunately, as soon as we opened the entrance door, the aroma of smoke was there to greet us. This home was advertised as non-smoking. however, it was not. I am not sure if the previous guest(s) smoked. We opened the windows and closed the doors in each of the bedrooms to try and air it out. All of us are non smokers. My aunt has breathing issues and I have allergies to tobacco. Everyday upon our return we opened windows to air it out. We did inform the owner of the smoke issue, she applogized and asked if we could deal with it. We did since we had a short visit and would be gone 8 – 11 hours a day.
  Once the property was booked, I recived a note from the owner telling me we needed to pay a tourist tax of 32 euro. The tourist tax was not mentioned in the listing. I contacted Booking and they contacted the owner, Booking stated that we needed to poay the additional fee that the home owner was requesting. I informed the owner that I would bring the 32 euro with me when we stayed there. The owner was good with this.
  The property listed a free airport shuttle which was one of the reasons we booked it. Upon reserving and paying for the apartment. I reached out to the owner about the airport shuttle. The owner replied to contact Booking. I contacted Booking. Booking then stated that the owner stated that there was no shuttle. After some back and forth with Booking, the owner stated that they would pay for the transit (bus/tram and taxi for the kilomiter to the station) to the airport. This was utimately deducted from the Tourist Tax that was left for the owner upon our departure, since she was on holiday as well.
  The unit itself is almost a mile walk from the station and half of mile walk to the bus stop.
  There are no close grocery stores, so we would stop at one of the tram stations next to a grocery store on the way home each night.

• Stephen from United Kingdom – 26 November 2022 (5/10)

  Not Applicable it was self catering. Location good and quiet residential area.
  
  What could be improved: Upon first entering the accommodation, we immediately noticed a strong smell of cigarette smoke which we first attributed to a previous occupant. However, within a short period of time we discovered that the smell of smoke was coming from the owner's accommodation below via gaps in the staircase. This was disappointing as it caused our clothes to smell of smoke and my wife, who suffers from asthma, has an allergy to cigarette smoke, we expected the accommodation to be non-smoking. The stairs from the first floor to the living room in the roof were quite steep and needed particular care in use and, we would warn visitors with young children to be made aware of this.
  
  In other respects this split level apartment was very clean and satisfactory.
  
  Please note: The first image is shows the stairs at the entrance with a gap where the smell of cigarette smoke comes up. The second image is of the stairs leading to the living room in the roof.

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities