A Vego's Dream Hotel: Almodovar Eco Hotel Berlin
When I traveled around Europe at the end of last year, there was one city that stood out and stole my heart. It was Berlin.
What an incredible vibe it has, with an amazing art and cultural scene. My favourite part about it though is just how huge the sustainable, ethical & vegan movements are there.
I took part in a 'Green Fashion Tour', which introduced me to several sustainable clothing brands, and allowed me to connect with some really interesting people. (More on this tour to come in a separate post..)
Today though, I want to share with you the incredible hotel I stayed at, because it seriously needs to be on your bucket list.
I should clarify too that I haven't been endorsed to write this post, I just want to share this beautiful place with you.
I came across it via a great website called Veggie Hotels, which lists vegetarian & vegan friendly accommodation around the world (often with a focus on wellness and the environment too).
Greeting me in my room was a Veggie Guide Book to Berlin.. what a lovely touch!
Almodovar Hotel is an entirely vegetarian hotel, with a focus on environmental sustainability and ethics.
For example:
- It uses energy-saving technology, sourced from renewables.
- Its furniture & flooring are sourced from sustainable forests.
- It uses natural, organic materials for bed & bath textiles.
- It uses eco-friendly cleaning products
And then there's its vegetarian restaurant (Bistro Bardot), which uses seasonal, organic and fair-trade ingredients. I had dinner here one night, and the food was exquisite. My package included a 3-course vegan dinner, which had me munching:
- Fresh rye + spelt bread rolls, served with olive oil & a creamy capsicum dip
- Tomato & cucumber gazpacho
- House-made gnocchi with a spinach & cherry tomato sauce (this was so epically comforting)
- Panacotta with fresh fruit (made with soy milk)
So yea, I kind of rolled out of that one (luckily my days involved a lot of walking).
Now, let's talk about one of the biggest perks of this hotel: the vegan buffet breakfast...
It included various mueslis, dried fruits, fresh fruits, juices, soy milk, loose leaf teas, scrambled tofu, curried veg bratwurst sausages in sauce, German salads, German breads, vegan croissants, various vegan preserves & spreads, tofu cheeses, seitans and cakes.
Being surrounded by a room of other guests (of all different age brackets), enjoying this delicious vegetarian spread was a wonderful experience. It was clear that no one felt they were missing out.
As well as the veggie food and eco-friendly aspects of Almodovar, there is also a beautiful wellness side to it. The rooftop level holds a tranquil, natural-light bathed spa, sauna and massage centre, which uses natural and sustainable treatments.
You can even take a yoga class here, or if you prefer to practice in your own room, you can do so using the eco-friendly mats provided in each bedroom.
Wow, now I really want to jet back to Berlin and return to this urban paradise.
I was talking with a young Swedish couple the other day, and we somehow got chatting about Berlin and this hotel. They told me that they stay here whenever they're in Berlin (which had been 3 times so far).
I guess it's well-loved by travellers from all over. No wonder.
Have you visited Almodovar Hotel before? Or perhaps you've stayed at another eco-tourism venue in Germany, or elsewhere in the world? Let me know if you've been somewhere you love - I'm always on the lookout for a new adventure!
xx Henrietta