StarwoodGuy: Around the World With Starwood Hotels in 30 Days

The train from Prague to Dresden was forty-five minutes late so I had a beer at the station’s beer garden restaurant and then checked out the CD or First Class Lounge. It is just a room with a children’s play area and some chairs, so no need to make time for that. This train trip was uneventful as I had the train cabin to myself. After arriving in the Dresden Hauptbahnhof I made the quick jump to the neighboring platform to get the S-Bahn the short three stops over the river to my hotel, the Westin Bellevue Dresden. As we were crossing the bridge I saw a large thunder storm heading towards the city. I knew it was a short ten minute walk from Dresden Neustadt station to the hotel right on the river, and so far Mother Nature had cooperated with me on this trip. I thought I could make it and sure enough the rain was starting to fall just as I reached the hotel.

I was given a very warm greeting, an upgrade to a Grande Deluxe room on the top floor with a view onto the park, the river and the city, and an umbrella. The rain started to pour down so I opted to drop my bags, check out the gym and pool facilities, and get some work done. The room was a standard hotel room, modern and efficient, with a stunning view of the city and the storm rolling by outside. What was lacking were some features I consider standard. There was no iron or ironing board, no tea or coffee machine, and no bedside clock. As was becoming too common I shorted the power out with my power converter but unlike in Hamburg the situation was rectified in ten minutes. After two hours of work I shorted out the power again though the lights still worked, so I headed down for a workout in the once again small gym, but as in Berlin with a beautiful view out not only to the pool, but beyond that to the river, park, and city. The view made cardio fly by. I had a sauna in the sauna area where there is one shared sauna for men and women and a separate warmer sauna in each change room.

When I had initially approached the hotel I was disappointed, rather then a larger castle like structure as shown on the website the hotel looks like a standard four story rectangle from the street side. What I did not realize is that the lobby and many of the rooms are in this new section. The heart of the hotel lies in the original building on the riverside which I explored quickly before braving the weather. The old area has the main restaurant which was closed on Mondays and the wine cellar as well as garden cafe. I looked around all of these closed areas, then I went outside into the rain and took pictures back to the hotel, its beautiful grounds, and the beer garden. I made the quick stroll across the bridge into the old city, though it was now dark and pouring. I did a quick walk around the main sights, the beautiful churches, the walkway along the water, and the cites broader historic area before I returned to the hotel to dry off and get some sleep.

The next morning there was a break in the weather and in desperate need of coffee since I had no coffee machine I went to the McDonalds in the old town, since the Starbucks does not open until 7:30 am, something I was finding increasingly common in Europe. I walked around for an hour looking at the beautiful buildings and museums again but it was too early for them to be open, then I made the trip back over the bridge as the rain started and I had a quick workout, then went down to the breakfast restaurant with a beautiful view over the river. No change in the buffet here, breads, cheeses, eggs, meats and other items, all quite good. I then walked around the Neustadt to see some other churches, the Japanese Palace, and the Baroque Architecture, but the weather was so terrible I came back for a sauna before heading out on my next train trip.

After Prague it is difficult for any city to live up to such beauty, but Dresden certainly comes close. The focus of the property is most definitely on the pool and spa area, with two pairs of shoes and two robes in each room and guests encouraged to wear these at the property and take the separate elevator down to the pool and spa area. The staff was wonderful, the food great, and the location and view as well as the property’s amenities are excellent in sun or rain. The only thing missing are the little extras that help a busy traveller or a business traveller, but that is definitely not the focus of this relaxing hotel.