Our first official trip in Germany was to where we were supposed to start our life abroad. Kind of poetic. If you are new around here, my husband and I were supposed to move to Cologne, Germany last year. New opportunities came up and we ended up moving to Heidelberg. It was only right that we headed off to Cologne for our first weekend trip. We stayed at 25 Hours Hotel Cologne The Circle.
When we arrived at the hotel, we were in awe of the beauty! As we walked in, we saw all of the futuristic touches alone with the 60’s vibe. You could play your favorite records, take a ride with the complimentary bikes or co-work while sipping coffee. We had the pleasure of staying at 25 Hours Hotel CologneThe Circle.
In this blog post, I will be giving you all the details and things to know when you stay at 25 Hours Hotel Cologne.
Location
25 Hours Hotel Cologne The Circle is located a 15 minute walk from the impressive Cologne Cathedral. Cologne also known as Köln is located in the western half of Germany. This city famous for the 12 Romanesque churches in historic downtown and is the fourth largest city in Germany. I named the Cologne the city of windows because at every corner there are windows and that does not exclude tall buildings. The city is full of culture, art, bar hopping (Kölsch is a BIG deal) , biking, city views, history, and museums. You could chat with someone with different interests, but yet enjoy Cologne in your own way.
The hotel is not too far from the cafés, restaurants, and the bar scene on the popular Friesenwall. Cologne has the most pubs per capita than any other German city.
Check in & Lobby
Walk into the 60’s futuristic utopia with vibrant colors and space feel. There is a relaxing, electric & professional vibe. The lobby set up is like a space station with signs of all the possibilities. You have the check in desk, co-working café, 25 things gift shop, and record store.
We opted to take a train to Cologne, but if you are road tripping there is limited parking spots at the hotel (15 euro for 24 hours).
The check-in desk is to the left. If you are in need of a COVID test, there is rapid testing located inside the hotel until 9pm. As of July 15th, they do not require a test to stay at the hotel.
Room
On the way to the room, you literally pass by a man in a space suit! This is just the beginning of the branding and futuristic vibe. I probably took 100s of photos in the elevator. If you followed this trip on instagram stories, you experienced elevator with the mirror illusions. Once you get over the awe of the elevator, walking the galaxy carpet really made us feel like we were stepping into a new time.
We stayed in the “Medium Outer Circle Room,” which cam with a beautiful view of the city. Yes, on the seventh floor, we could open the window. Does opening a window on the 7th floor exist in the U.S.? Bright room with a gold shade to separate the room, shower & sink. The beds are super comfortable and I need the exact same shower! 25 Hours Hotel has its way with branding. Our door hanger had 25 sayings for you to describe privacy or not.
If you are someone who unpacks once you arrive, the hangers in the room were visible along the wall. I preferred this because I could hang all my things and there was a small chance I would forget anything. Luckily, I didnt. haha.
Amenties
The perks of being on the seventh floor was that the spa was just a walk away. We headed down, so we could enjoy the spa for an hour before dinner. The hotel provided us with a chic black robe, towels, the key to returned after. I really wanted to keep that comfy robe. The moment we walked into the spa, I felt so relaxed. You walk into calming aroma, self-serve tea, and lots of plants, which upped the ante.
Grab a bike and cruise through the city. We didn’t get a chance to bike around because we spent the whole day walking. Cologne is a very bike friendly city, so you’ll have places to park the bike and take in the scenes.
Food & Beverages
The buffet breakfast did not disappoint! The food was hot and there was so much variety. There were all types of eggs, pastries, bread, salami, fruit, yogurt, coffee, juices, etc. Oh and mimosas 😉 you KNOW I love a great mimosa!
One of the best parts of our stay at 25 hours Hotel Cologne was that we didn’t have to leave the hotel to have a good time. We had dinner on the 8th floor are Neni, which is an Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. The mouth is watering thinking about the Neni-Style Kebab and the Hähnchen-Shawarma, was an explosion of flavors and spices. SO good. They both paired well with a bottle of South African red wine. While we enjoyed our meal, we had a gorgeous view of the Cologne Cathedral lit up at night!
After dinner cocktails were across the hall to the legendary Monkey Bar. I say legendary because I had followers in my instagram community suggest going there for a good cocktail. The Monkey Bar asks you to come as you are and they serve DELICIOUS cocktails until midnight. If you want to enjoy cocktails at Monkey Bar and snack, you can order food from Neni until 10pm.
Service
The service exceeded my expectations. For instance, we arrived to breakfast towards the end on our first day because we wanted to sleep in. The staff was cleaning up and a young woman come up to our table and asked us if we wanted another mimosa. She went out of her way to tell us that we didn’t need to rush our breakfast experience. Obviously, we did not plan on being the last ones out the door, but it was nice gesture. My husband also said, “the people at this hotel are so friendly,” every single day.
Overall Impression
I highly recommend staying at 25 Hours Hotel Cologne The Circle. The hotel is trendy, diverse, and affordable. The hotel gives a city vibe without the crowds and the views are unmatched.
Wife, Daughter, Sister, Friend and the best HYPE girl. In 2016, I went to Thailand and met my husband. Literally, in Koh Phagan, I not only fell in love with this wonderful man, but with all things TRAVEL! February 2020, I started telling my story! I am so HAPPY you are here! LET’S GO ON ADVENTURE!
