Hetero Friendly Axel Hotel Berlin Review

After the success of Barcelona and Buenos Aires, Axel Hotel, the world's first heterofriendly hotel chain opened the third location in the heart of the gay district of Berlin, a niche upmarket intimate hotel serving mostly gay clientele, and definitely one of the most unique hotel experiences I've had.

Dark and stylish, floor to ceiling mirrors, black painted walls in corridors, bedrooms balanced by white cotton and red accents with upward lighting. The real difference is discovering the room layout has an open plan bathroom where shower and sink area are exposed (except toilet). Immediately when you walk in to your room a red tinted glass reveals the jacuzzi tub and shower behind it, opposite a wall with floor to ceiling mirror, means all is visible to watch whoever may be in the shower or bath. If your traveling with someone you have to be comfortable in your own skin, and not afraid for others to watch.

The spa area on the 6th floor had fitness equipment as well as a wet and dry sauna, with a jacuzzi outside overlooking the city. The whole spa area is glass windows to watch the world outside. The spa is open till 2am.

Rooms have a luxurious and sexy appeal, but there are some things that score low to make this a repeat experience. The wifi signal and network was difficult and unreliable, connecting on a mobile practically impossible, and the iPad struggled to stay connected. Not included in the room rate is standard TV channels, instead of opting to pay for selected movies Axel Hotel Berlin charges extra to activate even common TV, which in my book should be standard.

Axel Hotel Berlin is in a class of its own and very different from conventional hotels. It is an experience and a destination in itself. This is not a place for the conservative individual but rather one who is willing to be more exhibitionist for a change. It is sexy with upmarket appeal, cosmopolitan design with high standards and specs. No sleaze here, rather sophisticated kink.

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Axel Hotel Berlin - Booking.com
Axel Hotel Berlin - Tripadvisor
Axel Hotel Berlin

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Tegel: from gate to taxi in less than 60 seconds

The quickest exit ever, from the plane to entering my booked airport transfer in less than 60 seconds. Über efficient!

As soon as I landed I was notified my driver and car was waiting via an email, along with the drivers name and contact number, but it wasn't long after we arrived at the gate and got off the plane, passed passport control, exited, find my driver and get on my way - all in less than 60 seconds.

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Airport transfer from Berlin Tegel airport with Blacklane Limousines. Book your car with chauffeur on their website, smartphone app or by phone at a binding fixed price. Billing is handled automatically using your preferred cashless payment method.

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First for Moscow - Goodbye BMI - Welcome to Oneworld - Wifi Onboard - Dreamliner in Economy

British Airways is the first airline to offer a first-class service between the UK and Moscow, a flight that takes just four hours. I'll get the chance to experience it personally on a return fight in July thanks to my collection of Avios (Airmiles) - a first for me too!

The takeover of BMI is now completed and approved by the European Commission, acquired by IAG (International Airlines Group), parent company of British Airways and Iberia. This means the group will gain 42 slots at London Heathrow, 14 of which will become routes to Scottish destinations and 2 slots leased to Transaero for flights to Moscow.

Oneworld alliance has a new member airline, AirBerlin. This ahead of the opening of the new Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt airport on June 3, 2012. The first two flights to simultaneously take off from the parallel runways on June 3rd are AirBerlin and Lufthansa, and will also mark the closing of Berlin Schonefeld and Tegel airports. The new airport has a six track rail station under the terminal building operating an Airport Express to the city centre. Just makes you want to return to the buzzing city of Berlin.

Thai Airways is set to take delivery of six superjumbo A380 aircraft, equipped with On Air's in-flight connectivity services and wifi. It's a long haul to Bangkok and ability to text or email will be a great way to stay connected on route, but how much will it cost?

The new B787 Dreamliner may offer more space in economy, but it all depends on who you fly with. Japan's ANA (All Nippin Airways) will be your best option offering a configuration of 2-4-2 (eight across). A competitive airline industry and a way to keep prices down, Qatar Airlines managed to change the configuration to 3-3-3 (nine across) which will add 120 more economy passengers than ANA airlines, which means other airlines are sure to follow, not great for passengers but good for keeping airlines profitable.

More news to follow, visit Joe Journeys to discover the latest destinations and arrivals.