The Sofitel Bayerpost is situated right next to the main railway station in Munich. Even though it’s not really in the centre of town, it’s certainly not far to walk. Admittedly, the first part of the way from the hotel to the centre is not very nice. It’s not unlike the Damrak in Amsterdam – not necessarily dangerous, but just a bit skeezy.

Location

I’m back in Munich for the weekend. To access the Sofitel Bayerpost, I exit the railway station through the southern portico and then make a right turn. From disembarking the train to entering the hotel lobby takes five minutes, and even that could have been much quicker if our train hadn’t pulled onto a platform at the far end of the station.

Check-In & Staff

You just know it’s going to be a good stay when the young man at reception greets you by welcoming you back, “schön sind sie wieder bei uns”. He quickly checks me in and apologises that the room is not quite ready yet because they’ve had a busy week with a conference. I tell him not to worry, I’m actually early for check-in anyway. Still, he hands me a drinks voucher and suggests I go and have a coffee on the house while I wait. And that sets the tone for the rest of my stay.

The hotel lobby is located behind the reception area. During the day they serve drinks and creamy cakes, which can be enjoyed either in the lobby or the Isar Bar right next to it. As I enter the bar I make a strategic mistake in that I take a look at the cakes vitrine. And I’m done for. Eventually, I settle for a coffee, a sparkling mineral water, and a rhubarb and strawberry white chocolate tartlet.

Duplex Junior Suite

Just after 15h00, another gentleman from reception enters the Isar Bar. He introduces himself and tells me that the room is now ready for me. When I’m ready, I should just come over to reception and he’ll show me up to my room. He tells me that I’ve been upgraded to a Duplex Junior Suite on the top floor.

The suite has an interesting layout. As I enter, I have an open closet on my right, and the guest toilet on my left.

The living room is spacious and cozy. I’m not sure the colour palette for the sofa and cushions would have been my first choice, but I do think that the ensemble works. Facing the sofa is a credenza and a flat screen television.

The room has a large window front that extends along the full length of both storeys of the duplex suite, which gives it a bright and airy feel. Up against the window is a small round table that doubles as a desk and has surprisingly comfortable chairs. In the corner of the room are the stairs that lead to the upper level.

The surface of the upper floor is smaller than the downstairs area. As a result, the bedroom and bathroom on the upper level are a bit tight.

Straight up ahead as I come up the stairs is the walk-in closet. There’s a freestanding ventilator up here, which has me thinking that the room must get rather warm in the height of summer with such a wide glass façade.

The bed is a king. The mattress is comfortable and the pillows are sufficiently firm for my liking. Additional or different pillows can be requested from housekeeping, there’s a whole pillow menu.

In comparison to the rest of the suite, the bathroom upstairs is rather small. It has a walk-in shower only and features the usual Sofitel amenities and Dyptique cosmetics.

The shower gets a good score on the Knight of Malta shower test. Although the water pressure and temperature regulation could be better, there is next to no spillage.

Amenities

The room features a nice stock of amenities. Upstairs there are fluffy bathrobes and slippers hanging in the bathroom. And downstairs there’s a Nespresso machine and a water kettle. For the coffee there are tubs of real milk instead of powder. There’s also a bottle of complimentary still water.

The welcome gift is rather nice and quite generous. There’s a welcome note from the general manager, a bottle of prosecco on ice, a bowl of fruit, and a small box of macarons that I plan to demolish with my nightcap later on.

A turn down service is also provided, as part of which a new, full bottle of still water is placed on either side of the bed. They also provide eyeshades.

Dining

During my stay, I only have the breakfast at the hotel. This is something I’ve been very much looking forward to about this visit. I think they do an excellent breakfast buffet at the Sofitel Bayerpost, and the staff are incredibly friendly – even when they’re trying to help a middle-aged lady fish out a croissant from the toaster (?!) before the whole dining room catches fire.

The buffet has a wide selection of hot and cold dishes and strikes a good balance between local and international fare.

Conclusion

I always enjoy staying at the Sofitel Bayerpost in Munich. The staff are great – friendly and attentive. The suite was nice upgrade, even though there are a few things about it that make little sense to me and are likely the result of compromises they had to make when they last refurbished the hotel. For example, having the walk-in closet on the upper level forces you to schlepp your suitcase up the narrow stairs. I think if I’d been travelling with my large ruby coloured suitcase, I probably would have popped yet another disc in my back by the time I reached the top.