Our review of Appartello Smarttime Living Hamburg. This family friendly hotel and apartments rental is a fantastic base to visit Hamburg and has special attentions for families with children that make it an excellent family friendly accommodation option for all types of travellers.
During our last family trip to Hamburg we called home the small apartment complex called Appartello Smarttime Living.
Our stay was organised as part of the campaign ‘Come to Hamburg’ and it really shows how much of a difference local knowledge makes.
Looking at the map I would have dismissed this hotel as too far from the city centre (it isn’t, keep reading!) but our hosts knew better and indeed the hotel was not just great in terms of facilities but in a handy and family friendly part of town.
You can read additional travellers reviews of Appartello on booking.com here
Appartello Smarttime Living Overview
Appartello is a complex of serviced apartment in a green area of Hamburg, between the airport and the city centre. It is well connected with both by bus and metro and is surrounded by green spaces which give the whole area a tranquil and pleasant feel.
The apartments are for short and medium stays and are equipped to welcome business people and families alike.
They come in several shapes and sizes and are managed by efficient and very friendly staff that takes cares of your welcome, apartment maintenance and cleaning as well as answering the many questions new tourists in town like me throw at them!
Location
Appartello smarter living is located in a lovely, leafy area of Hamburg, in between the airport and the city centre. Looking at it on the map, it may seem a bit of a trek between the apartments and the main sights in the city but we found this position excellent and much closer to everything that it may seem. This is thanks to the extensive and excellent network of Hamburg public transport.
If you are coming from the airport, the hotel is less than ten minutes away and it is connected to the terminal by an efficient and reliable bus. This is a cheap and really easy option and one I took advantage of on arrival.
I was travelling alone with two kids and it was my first time in the city so the fact that I found it easy I believe speaks volume about how handy this solution really is!
In terms of distance from the city centre, it takes a little longer but you will find yourself in town in about 20 minutes. The best way to get there is to catch one of the buses on the same road as the hotel and then catch the metro: the station is about 7 minutes away by bus (or 20 on foot, if you are without children) and once you are there the trains are very frequent and fast.
As well as good connections with the city centre, Appartello is well served locally. The area is leafy and quiet, with a mix of offices and residential houses and it has a large park just a few minutes walk for the hotel.
While we didn’t eat out in the area, I noticed several small restaurants and the presence of a big Lidl supermarket down the road also caught my eye. Appartello offers self catering facilities, so being able to go grocery shopping nearby and without having to drive means you are likely to actually use them!
Welcome
We got to Appartello on a Friday morning and we were immediately welcomed by pleasant and helpful staff. Reception is open 24/7 and the staff speaks excellent English which makes check in procedures easy and straightforward.
We got to the hotel too early for the room to be ready but the Appartello staff was immediately able to offer a solution: we could wither leave the luggage and go explore or we could lounge in the common living area, equipped with games, tv and coffee.
After an early flight the lounge sounded too appealing to turn down and so we plonked ourselves on the nice sofas of the common room. Here, the kids got water and snacks from the vending machines and I was very happy to try out the wi-fi of the hotel, which I was able to join straight away with a strong cup of coffee in my hand.
The apartment complex has a private parking area just in front of the main entrance, which is very handy if arriving in Hamburg by car. This is especially useful I believe in a city like Hamburg where public transport is so efficient: if you stay in Appartello, you can leave the car for a few days and avoid the stress of city driving.
Aware of us being tired, the staff made an extra effort to get the room ready for us swiftly and very quickly we were able to settle in our apartment and gather our energy to go and explore Hamburg
The apartment
The apartment we got was suitable for 4 people and offered a master bedroom and a sleeping area for the kids. From the very beginning, we thought the places was lovely. The apartment complex is modern and clean, with furniture in the tones of green and brown, very well kept throughout.
The green is a bit of a feature here and the mascotte of the place is a frog, which appears in the form of cuddly toys, puzzles (complimentary for the kids) and even jellies! The kids loved it and especially the frog shaped jellies became a bit of an obsession: indeed, they were super cute and unusual enough to act a bit like a magnet!
The apartment itself was clean and spacious. I had a double room with a comfortable bed and a good size wardrobe, while the kids had a large sofa bed in a secluded area of the living room, with a large tv.
The living area had the kitchen, with a nice breakfast bar and a desk. The apartment has a generous bathroom with a large shower, sink and complimentary toiletries.
The main characteristic of the apartment and what made us really love it was how bright it was. The kitchen / living area is completely surrounded by large windows (you can open them several ways including a child-proof one) and the light simply flooded it, making the whole apartment feel bright and airy.
One side of the apartment looked on a quiet road while the other on a more high trafficked one but we didn’t have any problem with noise as the windows kept it outside. The apartment had an easy to use thermostat so we could adjust it depending on Hamburg temperamental weather, which went from warm to somewhat chilly as the day progressed
Common areas
Appartello is an apartment complex and has some great common areas that add a lot to the quality of your stay.
The main one is the common living room.
Located on the ground floor and opening up onto a small terrace, this is a room with several seating areas, tables, a TV, books and toys for the kids. In this same room you can have breakfast in the morning and you have a coffee machine should you wish to buy coffee during the day.
We spent a good bit of time here and the kids enjoyed it.
The room is spacious and they had a good selection of board games and construction toys which shows how families are not an afterthought but truly welcome and catered for.
Beside this room there is the (free) laundry room and the gym, which again is a lovely touch since it means you can sneak in some exercise and try compensate the lovely (yet rich!) German food you are without a doubt indulging in during your stay.
The reception area is staffed 24/7 and is equipped with several free brochures and maps which help you plan your stay.
Breakfast
The Appartello self catering apartments are equipped with nice kitchens with all the basics to make breakfast and simple family meals but, should you prefer a hotel style breakfast, there is the option to have it downstairs in the lounge.
Breakfast in Appartello is served conveniently up to 11 am, which I felt was generous, and you can choose between an all inclusive option that gives you access to the full buffet or an itemised menu when you only pay what you actually eat.
This itemised approach is part of the philosophy of Appartello. Instead of creating all inclusive packages where you may end up paying for services you do not actually use, you can pick only the services that match your budget and lifestyle. I found this was a great approach and especially good for families, where the need of several members are often not met by standardized offerings and flexibility is key.
We love breakfast so loaded up on the all inclusive option which had pastry, juice, cereals, eggs, fruit, coffee, tea, milk and all the staples of a continental breakfast.
Conclusion
We had a lovely time in Appartello and found it to be an excellent choice for family friendly accommodation in Hamburg. Before we left, my daughter asked ‘Can we come back to Appartello when we come again to Hamburg?’ which is clearly the sign of a resounding success!
We want to extend our most sincere thanks to all the staff in Appartello who made our stay so memorable. As always, the opinions in this post are our own and express our own experience of the hotel. This post contains affiliate links and if you make a purchase though them, we might make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
