Where do I even begin?
I guess I should start with some backstory. I booked a cheap flight to London back in the summer and then decided I'd just give myself a long layover and leave for Munich the next day. I'd been to London before, and in theory, after a 10.5 hour Flight (and I'm a heavy and easy plane sleeper), I could knock out the city and just head straight back to Gatwick to get my Flight to Munich the next morning, no hostel required.
This is where I failed miserably: I didn't factor in the possibility that even though I'd stayed awake for the 36 hours prior to my flight, I might not actually be able to sleep on it. And I didn't. And I walked around London for 5 hours/roughly 14 miles/about 6 coffees. By the time I'd made it back to the airport, I couldn't even recollect the last time I slept, nor could I remember simple things like shoes need to be tied or hey I probably shouldn't leave my passport on some random counter.
Suffice to say I needed to sleep immediately. I was meant to stay with a friend of a friend, but I couldn't be around people. I was getting to a point of planning the destruction of all mankind I was so tired. So I decided to book a hotel last minute. Found this one on Hotels.com for a reasonable price and jumped at it.
Then I remembered. Most hotels don't allow for check in until 1 at the earliest, and this was no exception. Insert expletive here. I emailed the hotel just to see and I was shocked at the response.
The manager (currently out of country celebrating Christmas with her family) set me up early so I could get some much needed sleep AND then checked up on me to make sure I'd gotten in and gotten some rest, not to mention sent some travel suggestions. Then I decided this place was awesome (see below for reasoning), so I asked to stay another night. They were shutting down for the holidays so there was no one in the office to take my money. They let me drop my € in the box to stay the next night before I jumped a train to Hallstatt. I was in shock. My Christmas angels, no doubt!
As for the place itself, it's not a typical hotel--rooms are smaller and the toilet/shower is shared with the floor. Other than that, it was everything I needed. A comfortable bed, WiFi, sink in the room, access to a microwave and kettle, and hot water in the shower. It was literally everything I want whenever I travel (as I'm beginning to outgrow the 10-bed dorm hostel scene). The place was crazy clean and had obviously recently been updated. It was cold outside, but I was completely comfortable indoors. It's located in a safe neighborhood with easy walking or train access to the city (city center is a 20 minute walk).
I have to thank the staff again for such an epic response. I was blown away by their kindness. read more