Pension Mariahilf

The Pension Mariahilf, in the middle of one of the biggest and busiest shopping streets in Vienna—the hectic Mariahilferstrasse—may not have the newest furnishings or biggest rooms on the block. What it does offer, however, is efficient and friendly service at a nightly rate more budget-friendly than the neighborhood mean.

The 12-room three-star property has made its reputation with quality service, not bells and whistles. In terms of location, the Ring and the Opera are just a short walk away, and it's about ten minutes to the Innere Stadt.

The furniture in the Mariahilf is quite aged. It looks more like a well-furnished dorm than a three-star property. Nice carpets don't fully compensate for the green curtains and pale yellow bathrooms. The latter are small but sparklingly clean. Rooms have minibars and telephones. If you plan to stay for any length of time, it's possible to rent an apartment with a kitchenette. The breakfast room suffers from a similar decoration scheme and is considerably darker than the rooms, which get a lot of natural light.

All this is not to say that the Mariahilf lacks amenities or bright spots. There's free Wi-Fi and cable television, but the service is where the hotel shines. Just say the word and breakfast is delivered to your room, for example, without any extra charge.