With its indie, out-of-place feel, this is no ordinary Munich hotel – The Flushing Meadows Hotel & Bar’s more natural home might appear to be Berlin. Though owned by the people behind trendy bars and nightspots in the city, it doesn’t suffer from attempting to be a bit too cool for comfort.
It is located on a busy road, on the third and fourth floors of a slightly down-at-heels-looking shopping street. However, it certainly hasn’t suffered by its lack of gentrification and the wider Glockenbach quarter is a pretty hip place, with numerous interesting bars, cafés and restaurants. The river Isar is nearby, and in the summer its shores are a haven for sun and water lovers, and a prime place for barbecues. Fraunhoferstraße U-Bahn station is a two-minute walk (Altstadt/Marienplatz, 15 minutes).
Local creatives (composers, surfers and artists) designed the third-floor rooms. The hotel’s owners designed the fourth floor rooms. The sum is highly-individual room designs, with an overarching modern, unfussy and often fun style.
Room service is limited to drinks and snacks but informative employees know the area well and have plenty of recommendations for bars and restaurants – much of this is also included in the hotel’s highly recommendable Outside booklet.
Each room has its own individual design, such as DJ Hell’s with a life-size skeleton band in a crevice under the ceiling, plus record player and selection of records. Surfer Quirin Rohleder installed a hammock and surfboard on the walls of his room. All rooms have Nespresso machines, high and exposed-concrete ceilings, designed lamps, televisions and Boomboxes (for Bluetooth streaming from your phone or tablet). Coconut mattresses adorn good-quality beds.
Bathrooms are modern (most with showers only), have striking copper fittings and organic shower gel and shampoo. Rooms are not soundproofed, and though the noise is far from excessive, it might annoy people in the Fraunhoferstrasse-facing rooms.
There is no restaurant but the owners have recently opened the very good Cantine Cantona restaurant in the university district. As well as the usual breakfast options (breads, cereals, cold meats), guests can request favourites, such as bacon, in advance. The Flushing Meadows Bar is on the fourth floor (as is the reception – there is a lift) and is open to guests and locals. It’s a good meeting point before or after dinner, and it has a rooftop terrace.
Double rooms from €190 (£150) in low season; rising to €230 (£181) in high. Breakfast is €10.50 (£8, otherwise €12.50 [£10]).
There is one room with disabled access, on the fourth floor, with lift access. Door handles are lower and the bathroom entrance is larger.
Two of the 16 rooms can be used as family rooms.
Fraunhoferstrasse 32 80469 Munich, Germany.