To get out of the heat of the city I spent the weekend at this idyllic spot 45 mins north of…read moreHamburg. It is an old mill building that has been chopped and changed through the years, eventually emerging in its current incarnation as a small family run hotel. The place has something magic about it. It's ideal for fans of the 1990s TV series Dawson's Creek, as there's a beautiful white painted wooden terrace where you can spend a summer's evening enjoying the breeze from the lake. We swam in the lake, which is pretty unspoiled, and when I got bored of that, I took a swim in the hotel's pool followed by a sauna. Next to my bedroom (number 1) there was a little private terrace facing a little stream behind the building where I was able to hide myself away totally undisturbed with my books, before taking a surprisingly sophisticated dinner on the Dawson's Creek Terrace. I returned to Berlin relaxed, blissed out and fully recharged. I'm curious to come back in winter, when I'm told the lake freezes over and the surrounding fields will be covered in snow. There's a big rambling lobby with lots of nooks and crannies, where I can imagine tucking into some books by the fire in winter, possibly while listening to Schubert's 'Winterreise' on my ipod. Despite the intimate, family run nature of the place, I got the idea that the staff are pretty worldly, this would definitely be a place where same sex or mixed race couples would feel totally at home, with or without young kids.

Nice hotel when staying one night in Hamburg. It is very close to the airport (even walking…read moredistance) but still not too noisy. Rooms are simple but nice. Unfortunately they skipped the bathroom vanities when renovating the rest. The shower is actually almost useless due to the weird old showerhead. Could have been 4* if they would have done the baths as well...

They were the happiest and friendliest bunch of people I had ever seen. They were so amazing at…read moretheir jobs it was as if it wasn't even work for them. Everyone was so happy to help me and kindly answered all of my questions. The room was very clean. I am such a neat freak and have major OCD and I was beyond thrilled after I walked in (and inspected). The bathroom is spacious and glorious, and they provide you with very nice toiletries and even more like a shaving, dental, or sewing kit, robes, or slippers upon request. They had a gym and sauna that I took advantage of. The gym had limited machines and no weights but a good amount of room for cardio which was perfect for me. The (2) saunas were very nice. There was also a note saying the gym was getting a "new look" the coming week after my stay and would be under construction. The restaurant also looked lovely. I only ordered a hot chocolate and vanilla ice cream but enjoyed both. Wifi kept cutting in and out from my room. All in all, I was very impressed and actually am looking forward to visiting another Leonardo Hotel. What really stood out the most was definitely the staff. I asked a ton of questions and asked for a ton of extra toiletries and no one seemed annoyed or irritated and helped me with a smile. When I had the toiletries brought to my door Stephanie also gave me a little piece of complimentary chocolate. Even though I'm sure it's hotel protocol, I thought it was very thoughtful. Thank you Leonardo Hotel for a great visit!