We thoroughly enjoyed our 4 night stay in Mark's spacious apartment in Kollwitzstrasse, Prenzlauer Berg in mid-August. Before our trip, Mark sent us excellent information about the apartment and clear directions to find it and we arrived whilst the famous Kollwitzplatz Saturday market was in full flow right outside. The apartment's central location was fantastic - 5 minutes walk to the tram, and just four easy stops to Alexanderplatz - and it was close enough to the centre of the city to be able to pop back "home" when we were feeling tired from sightseeing. The two bedrooms were comfortable and the main living room was a peaceful space to sit and read. The apartment is on the second floor and sits high above the street amidst the trees, so there is very little traffic noise. Our two teenage daughters loved the WiFi and my husband and I enjoyed the lofty ceilings and quiet charm of the apartment which offered us everything we needed for a great family stay - so much more personal and relaxed than a hotel. The simple kitchen enabled us to cook some easy meals for ourselves and there was a useful supermarket just across the road. There were also numerous cafes and restaurants in the pretty cobbled streets and squares which make up this historic area of Berlin, and on Mark's recommendation we tried several and particularly enjoyed the cakes at Anna Blume just up the street!

Berlin is a fascinating city, and the public transport is easy to use and always on time. We opted for a Berlin Welcome Card when we arrived at the airport, which allowed us to hop on and off buses, trams, trains and the U Bahn whenever we wanted during our stay and also gave discounted entry into some of the city's excellent museums and attractions. We had pre-booked a free tour of the Reichstag Dome, which was a great way to start the holiday as the views across the city are magnificent. We also enjoyed visits to the Berlin Wall Museum, the Berliner Dom, DDR Museum, Topographie des Terrors and Schloss and Park Sanssouci at Potsdam and for classical music enthusiasts, the quirky Musikinstrumenten Museum close to the Berlin Philharmonie is a real delight.

Thank you Mark for allowing us to stay in your comfortable apartment - five days was not long enough to absorb all that Berlin has to offer and we would love to return to your spacious and peaceful home!

Rachel & family, Guildford, UK