It’s the morning jog that seals the deal for me with The Fontenay. With a few hours to kill before my flight home, the sun casting a golden light on the Alster Lake and a night out in Hamburg’s punky St Pauli district to shake off, I force myself into a slow-motion circuit of one of Europe’s most picturesque artificial lakes. When I get back, I’m greeted by the doorman holding a towel and water for me. If I’d had a dog with me, they’d get the same treatment (there’s a water bowl and a little pile of doggy towels next to the lobby doors.)
A hotel that thinks of everything – including your pooch’s soggy fur – The Fontenay’s general ambience is one of soothing professionalism. Anyone eager to lean into Hamburg’s reputation as the contrarian’s European city break of the moment can find hipper, more graffiti-covered spots across town. But for understated luxury, this leafy lakeside nook, shaded by summer limes and Norway maples, is an absolute oasis. Here, nothing is any trouble at all.
Bright and curvy, with its 131 rooms hugging a dramatic central atrium that stretches seven floors up, it might have been constructed as a tribute to some Weimar-era starlet. Each corridor arches gently, like ripples on the Alster, over which many of the rooms have views. The best views belong to the rooftop bar, which curls around the top of that atrium and offers glorious vistas across the water and the grand city centre beyond.
In fact, there’s not a single straight corridor here, and nothing, beyond the suites’ partition walls, is symmetrical. Subtle architectural iconoclasm, it turns out, is a nightmare to carpet. Each corridor’s runners had to be handmade by Hong Kong weavers.
This is not, in other ways, one of those identikit chain hotels you’ll find in any city in the world. Designed by Hamburg architect Jan Störmer, owned by a local logistics magnate, and with a sole sister hotel in Mallorca, it’s an indie hotel to reflect one of Europe’s most independent-minded cities.
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What are the rooms like at The Fontenay?
Spacious and light, with a queen-sized bed to vanish into. There’s La Biosthetique products in the bathroom, Georg Jensen decor on the desk and table tops, a walk-in wardrobe, a little sofa, and a rainforest shower that was, without exaggeration, the greatest I’ve ever experienced. And if you love a touchscreen console, it’s heaven. Push one button and the curtains draw slowly across the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, shrouding the room in darkness. (I was trying to turn the music on in the rain shower at the time, but that’s on me.)
Which are the best dishes at The Fontenay?
The hotel has two dining spots: the Lakeside Restaurant on the seventh floor has two Michelin stars, seats 40 and will set you back €275 (before wine). Save up and book ahead for that one. I had dinner in the Parkview, which looks out over through the trees to the lake beyond, and hosts breakfast too.
The menu has a North German flavour. I went with the wiener schnitzel, which comes with roast potatoes, cucumber salad, a cranberry sauce, and a powerful sense of being ‘a bit of a local’. It’s €40, but you will never need to eat again. The service was friendly, if a shade haphazard.
And breakfast? The buffet is big enough to get lost in (‘Phil was last seen looking confused by the cheese board’), and offers a Wonka-ish spread to fuel you up for a day exploring this highly walkable – and cyclable – city. The under-done poached eggs did nothing to dispel my UKIP-y theory that cooked breakfasts will fry the circuits of even the finest European chefs.
Why stay at The Fontenay?
Serenity, luxury and warmth are the vibes. It’s got all the facilities – a spa, gym, one of those indoor/outdoor pools on the roof, even a library – and while it’s not cheap, it’s comfy and welcoming, rather than sterile and corporate. In short: the perfect spot to launch forays into the city’s more touristy districts nearby, before retreating for a spa treatment or a negroni on the rooftop terrace. And there’s that gorgeous lake, too. Bring your walking shoes/runners.
What’s the area like around the hotel?
In a city of raw energy, left-wing edge and bohemian cool, the leafy area around The Fontenay is more of a serene enclave, full of tree-lined strasse and not a whole lot else. But it’s only a scenic stroll or quick cab ride to the middle of town, and the lake views are a joy.
What is there to do in nearby Hamburg?
1. Scale the St. Pauli Bunker
Once a Nazi air raid shelter and flak tower, this vast concrete cube was too enormous to demolish after the war. Its reclamation as a cultural landmark, filled with art studios, climbing walls and even a nightclub, was capped in 2024 when a new Hard Rock hotel opened at the top. It’s now usurped the Elbphilharmonie concert hall as the city’s go-to tourist destination.
2. Browse the art in Hamburger Kunsthalle
One of Germany’s finest art galleries, the Kunsthalle is well-stocked with Old Masters and modernists like Max Beckmann, Picasso, Juan Gris, and Fernand Léger. The dockside Maritime Museum offers fascinating insights into the city’s rich seafaring history (head straight there if you’re as into model ships as me).
3. Explore St Pauli by day
The famous Reeperbahn is awash with nightlife options, from classy and demure to drug-fucked and marinating in regret. St Pauli, a proud and politically minded suburb that gets Kreuzberg comparisons, and the more genteel Schanzenviertel next door are vibrant in the daytime too. Take a walk through them both to bottle some of Hamburg’s punky energy. Stop at the ‘German Jamie Oliver’ Tim Mälzer’s Bullerie for a pilsner and give its famous ‘surprise menu’ a whirl.
DETAILS
Address: Fontenay 10, 20354 Hamburg, Germany
Price per night: Starting at €350
Closest transport: Dammtor Station is 10-minute walk away
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