Altstadt Vienna

The Altstadt Vienna is located not far from the Museumsquartier, where Vienna's 7th district is quite hilly and now also very hip. Opened in 1991 by former manager and art collector Otto E. Wiesenthal, it was already a boutique hotel before the term even existed. It has not lost its bohemian charm and very personal flair since then. So it's no wonder that it is one of the favorite hotels of many creative people and it can happen that regular guest and Tatort detective Harald Krassnitzer personally shows you the way through his "second Viennese home". Getting your bearings in the refuge, which was built in 1902 as a residential building, is not that easy. It's just as well that getting lost here is a fun and artistic pleasure, where you can admire the owner's collection of paintings spread throughout the staircase and all the corridors and salons.

At some point, however, I reach my "Felix Suite" - and at first I have a dark view. Whether on the walls, the floor or the bed, the non-color sets the tone in this dream home created by South Tyrolean star designer Matteo Thun. This provides a decidedly masculine touch, but in combination with a huge crystal chandelier and a ceiling-high wall of books, it also ensures plenty of warmth and elegance. The eye-catcher, however, is a bathtub standing in the middle of the room on iron lion feet. Without a towel rail, rug or shelf, it doesn't make much sense, but it does make quite a statement.

What special features do the 61 other, no less individually and creatively furnished rooms and suites have to offer? If you want to find out, you have to come back. Just like most of the other guests I meet the next morning at the first-class breakfast in Lisa's Salon. I can understand them very well ...