Rome apartment booked. Venice overnight suit booked.
MUNICH - On to Germany … For now our target area is near the train station since we may do some daytrips. We are considering hotel rooms and VRBO. Taking recommendations for other areas of Munich too 
We love our Rome apartment choice - lots of space and great location. And we are OK with the Venice choice discussed here (and on separate thread).
MUNICH - As I did Munich research, I could see that places were starting to fill up for May, so I made a tentative/cancellable reservation for an inexpensive quad room at a budget hotel (Amba) very close to the train station. We plan some daytrips, so location is great for that (and train station food court when we need quick food - we hear the German sausage is good). But the place is a definite compromise. I didn’t have as good luck with VRBO/flipkey as room. So taking nominations for alternate hotel ideas.
well…you don’t want to stay too close to the train station. Here is where we are staying in April:
http://www.motel-one.com/en/hotels/munich/hotel-muenchen-sendl-tor/
Thanks, music! That is actually our preferred location, but darn… it is sold out for our last night.
From reviews, I know to avoid some areas south of the station. Tell me more about disadvantages pros/cons. Noise? other? I know there are tradeoffs , just trying to understand them more.
@colorado_mom
I and some family are planning a trip to Germany in April for my cousin’s wedding.
From my cousin, the groom, who lives in Munich:
Hotel suggestions: Hauptbahnhof is a bit tricky since it appears to be more of a seedy location in Munich. There are quite a bit of gambling places and strip clubs around there. I wouldn’t say its dangerous, just loud and dirty? If money were no issue, you could certainly look at Hotel Sofitel Munich Bayerpost. I went inside and it is quite nice and located right next to the train station, but I am sure it is extremely expensive. Other good hotels in that area would be the Regent Hotel or the NH Deutscher Kaiser. These are all hotels I have seen in the past six months that are right by the Hauptbahnhof and are nice. General rule of thumb, stay north of the Haupbahnhof for a nicer area.
Other friends have recently stayed at the Holiday Inn Munich - City Center over by the Gasteig (classical concert hall) at Rosenheimer Platz S-Bahn station. This is a nice, quiet area of Munich. Yes, it is further away from the Hauptbahnhof, but it is on the S-Bahn lines, meaning there is a train literally every 2-5 minutes going between the stations. They are four stops apart, so it would take you maybe 7-10 minutes to get from the hotel to the Hauptbahnhof. The hotel is located pretty much on top of the train line, so you don’t need to walk very far or outside at all.
Yes to what Cincy gal says about that area. I have looked at the Holiday Inn as an option as well. Seems to get good reviews and the price is right. Proximity to the S-Bahn is always a huge plus.
Thanks. Holiday Inn looks nice. To this point we have not looked on the other side of the river. Definitely S-Bahn access is a plus. However " max 2 adults plus 2 children" I think means we’d need 2 rooms for our family with grown children. In some ways I like the idea of 2 rooms, but so far not wanting to splurge 145eurox2 per night unless in the ideal location.
Tell me more about that location though. I’ve ruled out some nice and less costly options there.
I had originally booked a hotel near the Hauptbanhof for 3 nights last May, but then changed to the Holday Inn after my cousin’s explanation of the area around Hauptbahnhof. I was able to use IHG points for our stay. Breakfast was a very nice buffet, but it was not included. I generally prefer to book my international hotels to include breakfast, especially because the price of hotel breakfast, while usually great spreads, can be very pricey. There were shops and food places in the Rosenheimerplatz station.
The hotel rooms were very nice, and I would stay there again. The area around the hotel was very quiet, but we honestly didn’t explore the local area at all. It was just a place to stay. There are signs in the Roseheimerplatz station that direct to Holiday Inn, BUT it is a huge station. IIRC, get into a car as far back in the train as possible to see the signs for the hotel when you exit. If you decide to book there, I can confirm with my cousin about that detail. We had no problem getting to where we wanted to go: Marienplatz, BMW, etc. It was also a straight shot to the airport from Rosenheimerplatz station.
Thanks, cincy.
I’m moving the discussion to a dedicated Munich thread - http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1739940-munich-hotel-and-travel-suggestions.html?new=1
It has a link back to here too.
Last fall we stayed at the Hotel Maximillian. It is an apartment hotel located near the Hofbrauhaus and Marienplatz. We had the best studio with small sofa, table, and kitchenette.
It was a great area to stay in with plenty of restaurants and sites nearby.
Thanks zee - Hotel Maximillian looks great. I was even considering blowing the budget and compromising on beds (kids won’t share sleeper couch - DS is a “kicker”). Alas, the suites seem to be max of 2 people (or 3 with extra bed)?
The hint is still helpful though because of your location feedback.
Hello again travel advisers 
I’ve been over on my Munich thread, but this weekend I hope to book the Venice-Munich overnight train (we are within 3 month window now). Travel will be 9pm-6am.
Family of 4 - couchette or sleeper? The couchette compartment looks adequate, but I am thinking of going for the more expensive / more comfortable sleeper (400 euro total for 4, not too terrible for transportation and lodging).
I’ve been referring to these helpful sites
1)http://www.seat61.com/sleepers.htm#.VPINdfnF_h4
2) Rick Steves (which also refs #1) http://www.seat61.com/sleepers.htm#.VPINdfnF_h4
pronunciation trivia - I’ve been thinking/saying “couch - ette”… but I see it’s koo-SHET 
We had a trip that was busy but lots of fun. We visited Rome (4 nights - terrific VRBO apartment near Plaza Navona) and Venice (1 night - excellent hotel recommended by Rick Steves book - Hotel Capiello) and sleeper train to Munich (4 nights, Hotel Amba).
Feel free to PM me if you have questions about those places.