It’s travel Tuesday and we’re off to Germany, Berlin in fact, but a particular Northern neighbourhood.  We caught this piece a few weeks back from Brooke at World of Wanderlust on Prenzlauer-berg which basically makes us want to visit stat as it’s packed with cool must-do’s.

Of course, being design and furniture obsessed we wondered where we might lay our heads on our visit and that’s when we discovered Ackselhaus Blue and Blue Home.

imagesWith a neighborhood chalk a block with hip bars, cafés, clubs this pair of hotels couldn’t be more desirably located — we’re obsessed with locales involving hipsters, artists and students as they are always ten steps ahead of the norm.
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But we’re over standard hotel rooms and this stylish apartment-hotel located in the old tenement buildings of the former industrial area was exactly what we were after…you know slip into the peace and quiet despite the happening scene outside the door. This beautifully restored 120 year old building decorated with the aim to provide calm and their beautiful garden in the back did the trick.
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These twin hotels, one ochre, the other sky-blue, are just doors apart on a leafy road in the middle of upmarket Prenzlauer Berg. Inside you enter the eclectic, exotic world of Ulf Acksel – real estate entrepreneur, globetrotter and self-confessed Freigeist (‘freethinker’).   He calls home the Penthouse and has has 35+ themed rooms for his guests which range in size from studios to 2 bed apartments.
 
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From the sea to the safari or a continent like kairo, china etc each rooms is larger than would be expected.
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Known for being edgy but not inaccessible the apartments are extremely family-friendly with all the amenities one would expect.
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The themed rooms in Ackselhaus are more like suites or apartments, with sitting areas, fireplaces and freestanding tubs.
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The interiors looks like film sets, packed with photos, paintings and furniture to evoke China, Rome or Egypt – a touch of sophisticated fun all around.
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Others take you to the seaside with wood-clad walls, model boats and hurricane lanterns, while out back is a decked courtyard where you can snooze under a curtained pergola.
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Blue Home has a sleeker look with rooms, studios, apartments and suites.   The water theme enhances the tranquil vibe and is carried throughout in calming shades of blue and cream. Floral fabrics, chandeliers and bright tropical prints are scattered here and there to visual interest and teak furniture grounds each space.
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Groovy courtyards join the two spaces; hard to know you were still in Berlin with this pink-walled patio adorned with fish ponds, palm trees, ponds and floral – a perfect place to catch up on emails after a long day touring or holding a meeting.
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Its obvious no two spaces are the same and constant revamps or antique additions keep the rooms in tip-top shape.  From family spaces to romantic escapes the options are plenty but one thing remain constant – that feeling of home.
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Travelling with fido?  It’s pet friendly and spares you some ridiculously inflated pet fee to boot.