Hotel München Palace

These things do tend to move in cycles, don’t they? At one point, some years ago, the classic luxury hotel was something that desperately needed rebelling against. But now, with hoteliers the world over embracing modern design at its most outré, conservatism has itself become one of the last remaining forms of rebellion. And where better to turn for an immersion in classic comfort than the Bavarian capital, and the aptly named Hotel München Palace.

It’s a contemporary venture, not a historical preservation job, but the atmosphere is far from futuristic. If we were all honest with one another, even the most avant-garde among us might admit that sometimes we prefer to be warmly enveloped, rather than aggressively challenged, by our hotel interiors. These rooms and suites are subtly luxurious, discreetly swanky rather than overweeningly opulent, and in physical terms they’re on the same level as most any city’s big five-star hotels.

There’s a lovely garden with restaurant seating, as well as a fourth-floor roof terrace lounge, both exquisite for sampling Munich’s more Mediterranean aspects, and the restaurant and bar are elegant, wood-paneled affairs. Given its Bogenhausen location, close by the Prinzregenten Theater and the Munich Philharmonic, it’s only natural that the München Palace should cater to a clientele with a taste for the timeless pleasures.