Situated at the cusp of Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg, these apartments are light, bright, and pleasant. They even have a deal with a local deli so you can order up some … Italian basics if you don't feel like exploring the szene in this hip neighborhood. [link]

This studio is in a newly restored Art Nouveau building on a quiet street near the ever-salubrious Kollwitzplatz, a kiez stuffed with cool bars and cafés. It's the … only short-term rental in the building, so you can pretend you're a local as you saunter over the street to the local Ayurvedic sauna for a massage and a steam. [link]

You can't get much more central than Behrenstrasse -- just a block off Unter den Linden -- unless you squat on the Brandenburg Gate, that is. Slick and gracefully … furnished, the apartments each come equipped with serious home entertainment gizmos, and there's a shopping service too. You may never need to leave the house. [link]

In a prime spot on the Ku'Damm, Louisa's Place is all leather armchairs and dark wood paneling, bucking the bland international trend for cool Scandinavian interiors. The … 47 suites come with a diligent concierge service and a "wellness centre." Oh, and they're partnered by Balthazar, a restaurant that boasts a world champion risotto chef, Holger Zurbrüggen: high-class carb-loading for when you're through swimming in the house pool. [link]

I'll take the top Mandala suite, complete with walk-in wardrobe (for all the goodies I can haul upstairs from the tony shops in Friedrichstrasse), marble en-suite, and … two big beds to bounce around on. I don't like the sound of the "Technogym," but I think I can just about handle being pampered at the spa. [link]

There can't be many hotels themed according to Goethe's theory of colors, but here's one smack dab in the middle of Charlottenburg. Skirt the dodgy translations on the … website ("Experience the successful fusion of functional design and emotional requirements") and focus on the private balconies with views across the Berlin rooftops. [link]