We first stayed at the Admiral in Sept 2003 when picking up a new car from the BMW factory. The plan, after pick-up, was to tour the Bavarian Alps and the Rhineland then return to Munich to ship the car back to the USA, staying in the Munich Hilton at the end of our trip.
After our one night at the Admiral during which we fell for its' considerable charm, we called the Hilton to cancel and booked our final nights in Munich at the Admiral.
If you like hotels with restaurants, gift shops, dazzling lobbies,parking valets and nightclubs then give the Admiral a miss. It is a small quiet hotel in a narrow non-descript street across the main road from the Deutsches Museum. Blink and you could miss it as it doesn't scream "HOTEL!!" at you from behind it's one plate glass window.
Step inside and it is small. One person at the registration desk.
However that one person is friendly, speaks good English and performs their tasks effortlessly and efficiently and within minutes you are in the tiny elevator on your way up to your room.
On that first visit there in Sept 2003 we stayed in a room overlooking Kohlstrasse but on our subesquent two visits we opted for rooms high above the garden at the back of the hotel.
These have balconies. It is on one of these balconies that the 12 hours of airports and airplanes and the attendant jet-lag melt away as we listen to the tolling church bells and the music of the blackbirds that make the garden their home.
Although we don't spend a great deal of time in our room when on vacation the time spent in the Admiral is a delight. The rooms are clean and simply but tastefully furnished. There is pleasing art on the walls, a bowl of fruit to munch on and a free minibar. There is actually a very small and cosy looking lounge near reception which serves drinks but I have yet to try it as I usually drink at the magnificent State Opera House, a fifteen minute walk away. I will try the hotel bar in a couple of weeks as I am returning to Munich and haven't even thought of trying a different hotel. If it ain't broke....
Many hotels have good beds, nice furniture and a restful atmosphere but in only one have I found the perfect place to start my day- the garden of the Admiral, with its' high ivy-draped walls and birdsong and a table filled with quite simply the most satisfying German breakfast I have had in my 7 trips to Germany in the past 8 years, but only if I discount the champagne gorge-athon of the Arvena Congress in Bayreuth during Wagner festival season....loosen your belts for that one!
The staff at the Admiral are very unobtrusive. Everything gets done, quietly and without fuss. They seem to enjoy working there. I'd gladly pay for the breakfast but it comes free with the clean, cosy room. The smiles from the staff are gratis too.
Could the bathroom be bigger? Of course. Does it detract from the pleasureable stay? No- it would be churlish of me to complain. It is clean and functioning, not an attempt at a spa experience.
I doubt if it would be a good family choice as the rooms are smaller than one might be used to in the USA and there are certainly no distractions or entertainments for kids but if you like some peace and quiet in a simple setting of understated elegance, where all the guests have cheesy grins on their faces, then the Admiral may be a sound choice.
It's my home from home in Munich!
Bavarian, Chicago USA
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, People with disabilities, Great pool scene, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Museums / Cultural / Historical sites, Concerts / Music festival