The Bülow Residenz, Dresden
The Bulow Residenz in Dresden gives a homely touch of luxury in Dresden’s Inner New Town.
The hotel was founded less than 20 years ago, but the 18th century mansion, central patio, rich baroque colours and antique décor give warmth to the hotel experience — in contrast to the ultra sharp and grey trend in most modern hotels. The original building was designed by master builder Johann Gottfried Fehre, one of the Frauenkirke’s architects, and some of his furniture can be found in the upstairs suites.
We arrived early, coming from Couchsurfing hosts out of town, and were glad to find our room ready. The receptionist went the extra step of walking us to the elevator and soon we were strolling along a tall corridor to our room, with cleaning staff greeting us as they worked on the post-checkout room cleans.
After friendly staff, the next thing that hit us was the space: past a good-sized bathroom was a huge double bed with plenty of room on each side. A small couch sat by a coffee table while a desk along one wall had a wired internet connection to supplement the free wifi. A wardrobe had lots of useful extras, like a massive bronze shoehorn (free to use) and a minibar stocked with nice whisky amongst other things (not so free to use).
The lounge and desk provided great places to work, but we went to explore Dresden! With the hotel located in the inner New Town we were about 15 minutes walk away from the heart of the Old Town and the New Town. (What does this mean? See this podcast.)
Next morning, breakfast included a great range of food that filled my desire for delicious salty things, Linda’s fruit and nut habit, and both of our sweet tooths. Coffee and egg orders were taken at the table and made to order. It was a warm morning and we sat under the orange trees in the central courtyard… Absolutely divine way to start the day. We took an afternoon break in the courtyard with that distinctive orange tree smell, enjoying some apple strudel and a coffee.
When the family owners opened the Bulow Palais just 50 meters down the road, things slowed down at the Residenz — but that’s perfect for guests, both in terms of pace and price. Just walk down to reception at the five-star Palais and you’ll see the familiar warm baroque balanced and questioned by modern art and furnishing. You can also take advantage of the bistro, bar (with popular jazz and literary nights), cigar bar, and spa, and — if you time it right — do a cooking class with their Michelin-starred chef in the hotel restaurant.
And what does all this cost? While our stay was arranged in co-operation with the Dresden Tourist board, amazingly, we found double rooms in the Residenz for €120/night on booking.com. You might be lucky and find the same.
[box]Book the Bulow Residenz on Booking.com[/box]
