Munich hotel

My first thought when I arrived in the busy, two-story, glass-topped Munich train station was ‘Wow!’ It has so many interesting places to eat and drink or to buy food to take away plus flowers, postcards and the usual souvenirs.

Just a block away from the station is Fleming’s Hotel München-City (Bayerstrasse 47, 80335 München, Germany; phone +49 89 4444 660, www.flemings-hotels.com), where I stayed May 15-18, 2009. I chose it primarily for the convenient location and its excellent reviews and was not disappointed.

The hotel has 166 rooms. Ask for one on the left side or back (no view but plenty of privacy and light) in order to avoid the Bayerstrasse street noise.

Although my room was a bit crowded because it had two beds pushed together, there were tall windows that opened and a sleek, modern bathroom with, adjacent to the bed (surprise!), a large glass shower. The price was €113 (near $148) for a Friday night; €95 ($124) Saturday, and €77 ($100) Sunday.

The breakfasts (included) were outstanding; I was even offered seconds on my latte. I had a late lunch (€8, or $11) in their bar/café area one afternoon: a large bowl of tagliatelle with fresh tomato sauce, large slivers of parmesan and a big mound of rocket/arugula on top of it all. What a neat combination!

MARILYN HILL

Seattle, WA