Pension Reimer

The Pension Reimer is a good value in a choice location just off the Mariahilferstrasse. Near the shops and not far from the Museumsquartier and Spittelberg, it benefits from the personal touch from proprietress Margarete Mattis, who has run the place for decades. This two-star, 14-room pension has a ramshackle feel. If you value character, it's a lovely choice.

We adore the décor of the Reimer, which features some of our favorite design elements from the 1970s. Rooms have avocado sinks, orange accents, and oriental rugs atop linoleum. Certainly it's not what you'd expect from the building's spiraling baroque staircase. Happily, bed frames are just regular wood, and the sheets are simply a crisp white. Bathrooms with showers are tiny; the rooms without tubs are larger than those with them.

There's no cable television or Internet in any of the rooms—there are no telephones, either—but rooms with en suite showers and toilets have refrigerators. Don't miss the breakfast area, which takes the 1970s vibe of the rooms to another level.