StarwoodGuy: Around the World With Starwood Hotels in 30 Days

The train from Nuremberg to Munich was quick and arriving at the large Munich Hauptbahhof I made the easy transfer onto the U-Bahn for the short three stops to the Sheraton Munich Westpark. Munich is like many US cities with a plethora of Starwood options to choose from. There is a Meridien next to the station, the most central of the hotels which I almost booked, and an Aloft being built right next door, then there are opposing Sheraton and Westin properties out past the English Garden, and in the other direction the Sheraton Westpark. I had opted for the Westpark since it got a good business review and the price was so low at 79 Euros with a Club Lounge I thought it too cheap to pass up.

The front desk staff was friendly as always on this trip, they had upgraded me to a suite on the top floor just down the hall from the Club Lounge. The room had a large open space with desk, sitting area, and television in the main room, then the bedroom with a closet walkway through to the bathroom. All very modern and just what I was looking for with in-room coffee and ironing equipment. A nice touch was the heater in the bathroom. The view was impressive but the screens to keep the pigeons out took away from this a little. I made a quick stop in the Club Lounge where some light snack and croissants were out. It was a large space with views out to the currently clouded over mountains but I had a quick snack and glass of wine before heading out to explore. I took the U-Bahn back to the Hauptbahnhof and began my exploration from here.

From the Hauptbahnhof it is an easy walk right through the pedestrian streets winding down to Marienplatz, passing churches and shops before arriving at the square and the Town Hall. Just beyond are some large beer gardens which I had been to years earlier with Alison on our backpacking trip the day of the eclipse in the summer of 1999 when doomsday profits had said the world would come to an end. Some nice locals had lent us a pair of glasses to watch the eclipse that day, and the city had been packed with people eager to get a view. Now years later, the city was still packed having survived the doomsday predictions. The sun had come out so I wandered through the shopping streets to Sendlinger Tor, the adjacent and younger shopping area. The crowds were out as it was now 7:00 pm and the shops were closing as the three day May Day festivities were beginning. I made it to the gay neighborhood around Sendlinger with streets closed off for a large outdoor beer garden. It was such a contrast to the posts that came in hours later from friends back home in Seattle talking of the May Day riots there.

When I got back to the hotel the Club Lounge was quite busy. There was a note from the hotel manager, again wonderfully handwritten and offering me a free beer in the lobby bar, but I decided just to work in the Club Lounge for a few hours to finish up some projects and to enjoy the snacks and wine there. It was right to bed after that though if I had not been so tired I would have gone out for the May Day celebrations.

The next morning I was up early for a workout in the gym, which is an odd design and was reminiscent of the Westin in Puerto Vallarta which I go to often. I did some cardio before using the weights. I skipped the sauna area and headed to the Lounge for a good breakfast, though the offerings for breakfast were not as extensive as at many of the buffet breakfasts, it did the trick with eggs, bacon and some cheeses, meats and breads. From there I headed right to the Hauptbahnhof to have a quick look at the Meiridein, which looked similar to the Hambrug property but which was bustling with activity. From there it was a quick stop next door at the Aloft construction site. I walked back down to Marienplatz and then took a turn to go to the St. Michael's Church and Karl's Square before heading into the English Garden. Unfortunatley it was raining in a very Seattle/Vancouver fashion, so not pelting but a constant drizzle. I got a little muddy walking through the park and my time was growing short, so after passing through the beautiful park I made a quick stop in at the Westin and the Sheraton out in Arabellapark, which was quite a long walk so I would typically recommend the U-Bahn, before taking the train back to the hotel for a quick shower and to get changed.

Munich is a large city with much to do from beer gardens to museums to great shopping. Like Berlin or Hamburg you really need a few days to see it all, and it is quite spread out as well. I did not have time to see the Nymphenburg Castle which I had loved on my previous visit years earlier. The Meriiden is the place to stay if you really want to be in the center of it all, but only 3 stops or 8 minutes away by train, the Sheraton Westpark was a great value for the money, with a good Club Lounge and wonderful rooms and one of the better gyms I had used in Europe so far on the trip.