When you are on a long trip that includes many stops- you frequently don’t have time to do much research before arriving at the next destination. As we emerge off a train, it’s often the first time we’ve had the chance to look up the location of our hotel and how to get there. It is always a welcome surprise when the hotel happens to be within walking distance from the train station.

So when we got off the train in Dresden, Germany and discovered our hotel was less than a 20 minute walk away, it was only the beginning of many pleasant moments that awaited us at Gewandhaus Dresden, Autograph Collection Hotel.

Our walk took us initially through a modern shopping area of Dresden. About 10 minutes later we found ourselves in Old Town (Altstadt), and very quickly found our hotel. It’s located close to everything and you can walk just about everywhere within minutes. One thing we noticed about Dresden is that even though it was almost completely rebuilt after World War II, the area is full of beautiful buildings that appear almost palatial in their splendor, and Gewandhaus is no exception.

We were kindly greeted by hotel staff who informed us our room wasn’t quite ready, but they set us up at the bar for a drink before we went out to find some lunch.

This gave us time to explore the lobby area- and what a lobby it is! We’ve stayed in many, many hotels through our travels and we’ve never seen a lobby like it. If you were just to walk in and approach the desk, you may not actually notice the very best part. The hotel is actually surrounding an incredible atrium. The floors each wrap around teh open atrium area with balconies on numerous floors looking inwards. This area of the hotel is what Instagram dreams are made of, and would also be an incredible place to have wedding photos taken! If you’re visiting or staying here, make sure to explore the lobby area so that you don’t miss out.

After we returned from our lunch, our room was ready. It turned out to be on a higher floor, overtop of the atrium. The room itself was extremely large with a king size bed, a desk, a sitting area and a coffee maker as well as a minibar. The marble bathroom was as equally spacious with a huge jacuzzi tub. Our room also had a walkout to a sitting area. It was quite cold while we were there, but this area would be amazing in the summertime! Living up to Autograph Collection expectations, everything in our room was comfortable, cozy and luxurious.

Breakfast was included in our stay. The hotel’s restaurant is situated in the atrium area of the lobby. On our first morning there, we made our way down to the restaurant, no one seemed to be greeting guests so we took an available table. There was a vast array of breakfast items available at the buffet. The only thing we couldn’t find was coffee, so we asked someone who brought a carafe to our table. The only confusing thing about our experience at the hotel happened here. Well after we’d gone through the buffet and picked our selections, returned to our table, flagged someone down, received and drank our coffee- a server came over to ask if we’d like coffee/tea, juice or an omelette. It seemed clear that we’d finished eating and we found it very odd she hadn’t come over when we first sat down. On our second day she was much quicker but still not as fast as you’d expect for a hotel of this calibre.

We also had lunch a the hotel one day. In the evening the restaurant is a steakhouse, but during the day they serve burgers. We had a beef burger as well as a veggie burger, and both were excellent.

There is a pool in the basement, and we actually wished we had some free time to spend around the pool. The pool is absolutely gorgeous and has many loungers surrounding it.