The two-Michelin-starred Jacob’s Restaurant, helmed by Thomas Martin, matches a grand drawing room atmosphere (crystal chandeliers, stucco ceilings) with very good updated French haute cuisine, such as velvet lobster soup seasoned with champagne, and memorable views across the Elbe from the famous Lime Tree Terrace, captured by painter Max Liebermann not once but twice. It’s also a beautiful place to have breakfast – a rich buffet of fruit and bread, fish and cheese, plus à la carte egg dishes and waffles – when the sun is out, as well as for evening drinks.

The hotel’s second restaurant, Kleines Jacob, is inside a small house across from the main building; the menu is also very good – think plenty of fish and seafood dishes, as well as regional cuisine and fantastic wines from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Alsace and southern Tyrol – but the atmosphere is more rustic, such as walnut-panelled walls peppered with graphic drawings by local graphic artist Werner Zganiacz, complemented with friendly service.