As long as I can remember myself, my ideal, no, really my dream home, has always been something like an English country manor set in splendid gardens. Why am I mentioning this old dream of mine in a tip about Dresden hotel? Simply because this hotel was in a way a realization of it – if only for 1 week.

The first – and probably most positive – feature of the Westin Bellevue Hotel in the eyes of any traveler keen on sightseeing is its central location right on the banks of the river Elbe. You can literally see the Semper Oper (the Dresden Opera House); Zwinger, the city’s famous palace turned into museum; and the Dom (or Catholic cathedral) from your own bedroom, provided your windows are facing in the right direction. As a consequence, it’s within a stone’s throw to all the major sights; quite near to both railway terminals; has more than reasonably easy access to a splendid dining and entertainment experience, the elegant baroque Konigstrasse pedestrian shopping mall; and is not very far from another shopping hotspot of Pragerstrasse.

If I were to sum the Westin Bellevue in a short phrase of only a few words, I would say “old modern luxury.” This is because Westin’s interior designers have managed to blend seamlessly the classic elegance of an 18th-century manor with all the modern appliances and conveniences. The room decorations may seem a touch faceless in a sense that rooms have little of typical Dresden about them, but that is what one comes to expect from a multinational hotel chain. Needless to say, minibars, luxurious bathrooms with all the fittings and fixtures, a TV with satellite channels, the ability to hook up your computer, and all the similar gadgets are present in every room. A congress centre for conferences and banquets for up to 750 guests, a business centre, boardrooms for smaller conferences, recreational salons, two restaurants, a café-bar, and a summer terrace with views of the Dresden skyline are all there.

The only – and rather predictable, I am afraid – downside is the price, but that’s to be expected from description. However, even for such a hotel booking through a web service shaved some 45% (or was it 51%?) off the standard rates. You can pay via all the major credit cards. If you simply come to dine here, advance reservations are mandatory, and rooms can be scarce if a major event or an opera’s first night is scheduled.