Pentahotel, Berlin Köpenick, Germany

Köpenick is a lovely little town about 18 km from the centre of Berlin. The Penta is perfectly situated with a riverside view and plenty of scenic walks.

If your plans are to visit the tourist sites of Berlin, especially for the first time, I’d recommend staying centrally. Treat Köpenick as a destination in its own right and enjoy the Penta restaurant and bar during the evening.

This review is available on this page as text and pictures, or below as a video.

The hotel entrance is reminiscent of a 1920s theatre. Inside, the lobby is huge, with a well-stocked bar, comfortable seating and a pool table. Penta pioneered the ‘check in at the bar’ concept and it continues to work well.

We were upgraded to a Penta Plus room. I think that just means more space and maybe air conditioning.

Our room was on the second floor. We exited the elevator into a huge open space with some 70s sci-fi furniture.

What we liked about this room

The room has a funky, tribute to the 70s design. There were two oversized single beds that could be pushed together to make one huge double – was very comfortable. The bathroom was clean and modern, with a rainwater shower. The free wi-fi was fast. The air con worked quietly.

The view was good.

What we didn’t like about this room

Penta Plus, at least in this hotel, doesn’t mean fluffy bathrobes and slippers. Nor does it mean an in-room safe. There were no USB charging ports, not even behind the orange @ panel that opened to reveal numerous internet and TV input points. The pillows were small and went flat quickly. The bath towels were a bit thin. The bathroom design meant that the non-slip area was inaccessible when entering or exiting the bath – as shown in the photo below.

But overall and for the price, the room was good and we slept well.

The lobby bar area looks fantastic at night with perfect lighting and candles everywhere. The place reminds me of a Virgin Clubhouse airport lounge – and that’s a good thing!

On our first night we visited a well-reviewed restaurant (Ratskeller) in the centre of Köpenick and found it pretty poor. On the second night, the large riverside terrace at the Penta was perfect for dinner on a warm summer evening and we weren’t bothered by mosquitoes nor other bugs.

Our waiter was really helpful and friendly. Salmon with fava beans, lentils, baby spinach, lemon butter (17.50€). The salmon was okay, but the dish is completely out of balance with such a huge side portion.

Lemon Parmesan Chicken with new potatoes, baby carrots, creamed spinach, parmesan (16€) – this was a much better dish after the chicken was added. It was initially delivered without any chicken. The waiter could hardly believe it and at first posited that the chicken was under the potatoes!

A Bombay Sapphire gin (7€) and tonic (3.70€) was, I thought a little pricey for the location. But our total bill was reduced by 10%, just by announcing that we were ‘Penta Friends’ members – the strange Penta, don’t-require-loyalty, club that is free to join and immediately offers maximum benefits.

The following evening (Sunday July 18th 2021), our waiter was absolutely useless. It was impossible to attract his attention and I had to visit the bar to order drinks (in my poor German but with bitte and danke). He was abrupt and almost rude when visiting our table. He deliberately removed the specials card from the menus and we had to ask him for the special’s menu. I was really close to asking for the manager, when suddenly his mood changed and he became friendly and attentive. My bill showed ‘Danny S’ as the server if Penta are reading this.

The good news was that the Corn Chicken (17.0€) from the special’s menu was delicious

Breakfast is amazing – there were plenty of items to choose from plus complimentary sparkling wine. I’m still amazed that Covid didn’t kill the buffet – there was a requirement to wear masks when visiting the buffet and there were plenty of hand sanitising stations.