The Fontenay
Review of the €7.500 Alster Suite
November 2020
Located on the parkside of the Alster Lake in Hamburg, The Fontenay is a 5-star ultra luxury hotel, that will enchant even the most demanding travelers. We stayed a few days and had the pleasure of enjoying a “normal” room and one of their signature suites – the breathtaking Alster Suite. Welcome to 180 sqm / 1940 sqft. of true luxury, designer furniture, world-class amenities and an abundance of beautiful details. Will it take the top spot of all the suites we’ve reviewed so far? Read on to find out!
The huge beautiful living room is in the middle of the suite and has plenty of room for guests.
The Fontenay opened in 2018 – and its truly unique design and curvy organic shape is a great match to the surroundings; the beautiful park and the neighbouring buildings around the Alster Lake. The hotel is named after John Fontenay – one of the most successful Hanseatic merchants of the early 19th century. Several streets in Hamburg also carry his name today.
The general manager of The Fontenay, Mr. Thies Sponholz, aims to provide hospitality that is always natural, authentic, heartfelt and sincere. We hereby guarantee that you can put a big fat checkmark on all of the above. You’ll be taken care of by roughly 180 warm and kind employees, who put the guests first and always greet you with a smile.
WELCOME TO THE FONTENAY
A MEMBER OF THE LEADING HOTELS OF THE WORLD
Just a short teaser. You will find the video review further below in the article and on our Youtube channel.
The luxurious master bathroom is split up into 3 parts. To the left, you’ll find a lavatory with an extra sink. To the right is a huge(!) shower room.
Getting ready to go out. If you need to spend a bit of extra time in the bathroom, there is a TV in the mirror to keep you entertained.
It’s a dream to wake up here! The master bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe, lounge area, office space, and an exit to the balcony. Simply perfect!
A few clips from the area around the master bedroom & master bathroom.
The classy dining room with a huge marble table seats 10 guests. It opens up to the main part of the balcony, so you can enjoy the beautiful views of the Alster Lake.
Another view of the living and dining room. The master bedroom is behind the dining room. Just behind, you will find the guest bedroom.
The guest bedroom is spacious and elegant, and features a makeup table and exit to the balcony. Just behind the bed is a massive wardrobe and the guest bathroom.
This is how you feel when you stay in the Alster Suite.
The guest bathroom is breathtakingly beautiful as well. As well as the master bathroom, it’s split up into 3 parts. Just the guest part of the Alster Suite alone beats many junior suites in other high-end hotels around the world.
The weather was a bit challenging during our stay, but we managed to catch a rainbow during the golden hour. On the opposite side of the lake, you can see two other luxury hotels: Hotel Atlantic Kempinski and Le Méridien, which we visited before checking in to The Fontenay.
With a balcony and a view like this, you can always find the time for a photo or two.
The balcony stretches across the entire Alster Suite. The main part is right outside the dining room.
If you’re crying your eyes out right now, because you can’t fit a weekend in the Alster Suite into the household budget – just hold it for a second – we have some great news! The amazing 1000 m2 rooftop spa is available to all guests at the hotel, and you can actually book an entry even though you’re staying elsewhere. This is a fantastic place to invite your partner, enjoy the scenery, and forget about stress and worries.
We came early in the morning, but the staff makes sure the spa is never crowded. A few laps in the 20m indoor/outdoor lap pool is a great way to start the day.
Enjoying the sunrise here is truly a wow experience.
No matter where you are in the spa area, there’s a breathtaking view of the Alster Lake and the city of Hamburg.
Too long since you’ve treated yourself to a spa day? Surprise your partner with a getaway to The Fontenay and recharge your batteries.
The amorphous shape evolved from three intertwining circles, blending seamlessly with the surroundings – balancing nature and the urban sphere. An architectural masterpiece.
Have a drink outside on the rooftop terrace, and enjoy the view and the tranquil surroundings.
bonus: The fontenay deluxe room
We were offered a chance to stay a night in one of the Deluxe rooms at The Fontenay as well. A very smart move of them, since their “standard” rooms deliver a remarkably high level of luxury and comfort. There are so many cool details, like the elegant swivel TV stand, walk-in closet, automatic curtains, and a sensor underneath the bed, that turns on a very dim and pleasant light if you get out of bed at night. Furthermore, it is spacious and has a balcony with lounge furniture as well. This room easily beats many junior suites in other high-end hotels. 100% sure we will be staying here again in the future!
The Deluxe room is spacious and beautiful – and the beds are so comfortable, that we advise you to put on the alarm unless you wish to sleep until noon.
Are you kidding me? Double sinks, makeup corner, separate shower room, separate lavatory with a fully automatic toilet, deep soaking tub, Biosthetique amenities, separate music system (in the shower room as well). Come on… In a “standard” room? The standard is REALLY high here at The Fontenay!
It’s impossible not to smile when staying here. No matter if you’ve booked a suite or a Deluxe room, you will have a memorable stay.
If you made it this far, why don’t you check out the video review on Youtube below – and please subscribe to our channel, we truly appreciate the support!
Time for the verdict. We use the same scoring system for all of our stays. Sometimes we pay for the suite ourselves, sometimes we get a complimentary upgrade. Sometimes we even get the stay for free. However, it makes no difference regarding the scores. They reflect our honest opinions – we are not influenced in any way by the hotel or other stakeholders.
The good
Where do we begin? We could write a whole book about our stay, but if we have to limit ourselves, the sheer feeling of luxury is at another level in this suite. You feel like a royal every time you enter the Alster Suite (well…. maybe you actually ARE royal – or a celebrity, or just extremely wealthy). In that case you’ll probably feel at home.
The amenities of The Fontenay leaves nothing to complain about. Both regarding the suite and the hotel in general. High quality gym/fitness, extremely nice spa with a huge indoor/outdoor pool, restaurants, bar, and much more. Inside the suite you are surrounded by high tech equipment that you’re actually able to figure out how to use (that’s not the case everywhere), and with Biosthetique products in both bathrooms, you know it’s a level above the majority of luxury hotels. There’s so much more to tell, but we’ll leave something for you to experience on your own.
The design is world-class and everything is right where it’s supposed to be. The colors are amazing and the level of details is just sublime. A big cadeau to both the interior designers and the architect. It’s the first time we gave the perfect 100/100 score regarding design & style, but its well deserved.
The less good
The Alster Suite is pretty much out of reach for the average person (unless you’re a blogger ). A suite of this size and the level of luxury that goes with it, is reserved for a very limited part of the population, primarily due to the price tag of €7.500 per night.
Conclusion
If you’ve read / seen some of the other suite reviews, you probably know how we rate the suites / hotels we stay in. Some of the scores refer only to the suite, some only to the hotel, and some scores refer to both. Add them all together, and you have the combined Suite Life score of the stay.
All elements are rated from 1-100 points. Please see the guideline below.
The Alster Suite at The Fontenay in Hamburg is without a doubt the most incredible suite we have stayed in so far. It’s like entering a different world, and we would like to extend our sincere gratitude towards the kind staff, that made this adventure possible to us. However, it’s also important to mention that the deluxe rooms are exceptional – and they’re a steal for the price! If you ever consider visiting Hamburg (and you should, because it’s an amazing city with GREAT shopping and dining options, as well as cultural experiences), don’t hesitate to book any room or suite at The Fontenay. We guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
The next two suite reviews will take place in Amsterdam, so don’t forget to bookmark this page. We are visiting The W hotel and the ultra luxury boutique hotel TwentySeven. These reviews and videos are worth waiting for!
Until then – take care and stay safe.
/Elo & Per
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