TLD;DR version first:
+Cheap, insanely cheap for a 3 star hotel.
+Friendly and useful staff members.
+Clean, tidy rooms. Some minor flaws.
+Quiet. Oh, so ZZZZ quiet.
+Great mattresses.
+Restaurant & bar
+Some other standard amenities.
+Walking distance from anywhere. 5 minutes to the nearest port. 10 minutes to the city.
- 14" inch TV from the 60's. (That's a joke, but seriously - 14" inch non-LCD TV)
- 4 stars minus one.
- Doesn't really make you feel..homely. Renovated, but still keeps the vibe of USSR era.
- Staff can't help you if you complain about the non-working units in your room.
- Mini-bars will or will not work. Depends on how they feel like it. That's a quote from the staff.
- Air-con is mostly... tricky. Like the mini-bars. They should work based on Celsius system, but I got the feeling that 5 degrees was the same like 25 degrees. Not really helpful nor useful.
- Prices on the soft-drinks are outrageous, but that is to be expected.
-/+ I booked a room in the inner side of the hotel with smoking available. They did not inform me until I checked into the room - smoking is only available on the outer side of the hotel (which is noisier) and the inner side has no smoking rooms available. Take it as it is - double check or TLD;DR version first:
+Cheap, insanely cheap for a 3 star hotel.
+Friendly and useful staff members.
+Clean, tidy rooms. Some minor flaws.
+Quiet. Oh, so ZZZZ quiet.
+Great mattresses.
+Restaurant & bar
+Some other standard amenities.
+Walking distance from anywhere. 5 minutes to the nearest port. 10 minutes to the city.
- 14" inch TV from the 60's. (That's a joke, but seriously - 14" inch non-LCD TV)
- 4 stars minus one.
- Doesn't really make you feel..homely. Renovated, but still keeps the vibe of USSR era.
- Staff can't help you if you complain about the non-working units in your room.
- Mini-bars will or will not work. Depends on how they feel like it. That's a quote from the staff.
- Air-con is mostly... tricky. Like the mini-bars. They should work based on Celsius system, but I got the feeling that 5 degrees was the same like 25 degrees. Not really helpful nor useful.
- Prices on the soft-drinks are outrageous, but that is to be expected.
-/+ I booked a room in the inner side of the hotel with smoking available. They did not inform me until I checked into the room - smoking is only available on the outer side of the hotel (which is noisier) and the inner side has no smoking rooms available. Take it as it is - double check or be surprised.
Don't let my title confuse you. It was a weekend trip to this..somewhat impaired hotel.
When you first enter the hotel you are greeted with a sense of..something old paired awkwardly with something new. The hotel itself is situated in a building witch was built in 1912. It has been renovated, but you get the feeling that some of those renovations might have taken place back in the old days when communism still ruled the lands, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you are looking for a blast from the past and want to feel the comradeship when you are huddled next to your fellow traveling partner in hopes to get a glimpse of the morning show on that marvelous technological wonder that they call a telly or a television. Every room is rocking a whole 14" inch TV with viewable area of 12,8" inch. And it comes with...Colors!
Next thing you'll surely notice if you aren't used to keeping all your food-supplies in a damp cellar with ice blocks keeping the temperature low. All the rooms are equipped with some wondrous invention that the hotel staff calls a mini-bar. Surely enough, mini-bars are all empty unless you make a small donation of coins to the local tavern keeper. But! What makes this here mini-bars so interesting is the fact that they are top-of-the-line models which apparently come with artificial intelligence built into them or they are just plagued by Sloth demons.
I wasn't able to get a confirmation on neither of those apparent solutions from the staff.
In fact the helpful staff member, who's name I have forgotten or never got a hold off, told me that the mini-bars tend to work when they feel like it. It's up to simple old luck and just praying to have them in a working condition or.. well, not. They are fully aware that the mini-bars might not be working at all, but sadly - they cannot do anything about this fact and thus - It's up to me to either talk, plead or threaten those mischievous minibars into working condition.
Woe onto me - I did not know this obvious piece of information until it was too late and all my gathered food-supplies were perished and inedible.
Those technological wonders aside you notice how clean the place actually is. Yes, rooms and the hotel itself is kept quite clean by those pesky two cleaning ladies who knock on your door and won't take "No" for answer. Thumps up for that.
But you do start to notice, after you have calmed down about how clean everything is, that there's little bits and pieces.. Like some holes on the walls, some broken off pieces of furniture. Dusty windows and oddly soiled ceilings. Nothing that will shock you or your children, but still. It's the little things, you know?
But if you are looking for a good nights sleep then you have found your place. I really enjoyed the fact that I was actually able to sleep through the night and the morning. Hotel is really quiet, even on busy days. Mostly it's the fact that the long corridors are lined with soft floorcloths and most of the visitors in this fine establishment are elderly people who have no business being rowdy and making noise. Only thing you'll hear is the 12 o'clock cleaning ladies laughing and chattering up the otherwise ghost-town halls.
Plus it really helps that PK Ilmarine Hotel uses top-of-the-line mattresses. No complaints on the sleep quality.
If you have an eye for colors or you are just generally not into that whole..80's era you might get annoyed by the odd combination of colors and textures used to decorate your room. The fucus colored green and the intensive yellow was widely used in the Soviet Russia era of Estonia, but I guess the renovators missed that part. Nothing that will ruin your stay, tho.
The rooms were quite spacious, even tho there are reports on rooms being rather on the small-side. Not true at all. I didn't feel cramped and If you do feel cramped inside your room then just take a trip to your private bathroom (yes, every room has one) and you'll see where the extra space went. Besides, bathroom seems to be the best part of your room anyway. Spotless clean, spacious, comes with hotels own shampoo, balsam, conditioner etc.
In fact the hotel is so well equipped that you might not even want to go outside. It has a pretty cozy and neat restaurant with some very interesting choices that you usually don't find unless you dine in a full-on gourmet restaurant. Bar is open until 23:00 o'clock, but that's alright. You are going to sleep at 22:00 anyway, aren't you?
There's a sauna, beauty salon, gym and other such small amenities you would expect. For extra charge, of course.
But the main reason you want to stay in this particular hotel is the budget price. If you book through the hotels online system you will get quoted an obscene price. For that price get a real 4-star hotel, but if you book through a travel firm or a ferry company you actually pay less than you pay for your trip to Estonia.
I came to visit my homeland, Estonia and used Lindaline ferry company for that. I also booked this hotel through them and my standard ferry ticket cost more than the 2 nights I spent in this hotel. Amazing value!
Sure, it's a 3 star hotel who has given themselves one extra star, but.. Eh. You can't really complain. If you are not interested in the 6 channels you get from your TV and you don't want to exorcise the mini-bar and just want to relax or walk around the Old Town or go shopping without hassling with the taxis - you have found yourself the best guaranteed deal in the 3 star hotels range. TLD;DR version first:
+Cheap, insanely cheap for a 3 star hotel.
+Friendly and useful staff members.
+Clean, tidy rooms. Some minor flaws.
+Quiet. Oh, so ZZZZ quiet.
+Great mattresses.
+Restaurant & bar
+Some other standard amenities.
+Walking distance from anywhere. 5 minutes to the nearest port. 10 minutes to the city.
- 14" inch TV from the 60's. (That's a joke, but seriously - 14" inch non-LCD TV)
- 4 stars minus one.
- Doesn't really make you feel..homely. Renovated, but still keeps the vibe of USSR era.
- Staff can't help you if you complain about the non-working units in your room.
- Mini-bars will or will not work. Depends on how they feel like it. That's a quote from the staff.
- Air-con is mostly... tricky. Like the mini-bars. They should work based on Celsius system, but I got the feeling that 5 degrees was the same like 25 degrees. Not really helpful nor useful.
- Prices on the soft-drinks are outrageous, but that is to be expected.
-/+ I booked a room in the inner side of the hotel with smoking available. They did not inform me until I checked into the room - smoking is only available on the outer side of the hotel (which is noisier) and the inner side has no smoking rooms available. Take it as it is - double check or be suprised.
Don't let my title confuse you. It was a weekend trip to this..somewhat impaired hotel.
When you first enter the hotel you are greeted with a sense of..something old paired awkwardly with something new. The hotel itself is situated in a building witch was built in 1912. It has been renovated, but you get the feeling that some of those renovations might have taken place back in the old days when communism still ruled the lands, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you are looking for a blast from the past and want to feel the comradeship when you are huddled next to your fellow traveling partner in hopes to get a glimpse of the morning show on that marvelous technological wonder that they call a telly or a television. Every room is rocking a whole 14" inch TV with viewable area of 12,8" inch. And it comes with...Colors!
Next thing you'll surely notice if you aren't used to keeping all your food-supplies in a damp cellar with ice blocks keeping the temperature low. All the rooms are equipped with some wondrous invention that the hotel staff calls a mini-bar. Surely enough, mini-bars are all empty unless you make a small donation of coins to the local tavern keeper. But! What makes this here mini-bars so interesting is the fact that they are top-of-the-line models which apparently come with artificial intelligence built into them or they are just plagued by Sloth demons.
I wasn't able to get a confirmation on neither of those apparent solutions from the staff.
In fact the helpful staff member, who's name I have forgotten or never got a hold off, told me that the mini-bars tend to work when they feel like it. It's up to simple old luck and just praying to have them in a working condition or.. well, not. They are fully aware that the mini-bars might not be working at all, but sadly - they cannot do anything about this fact and thus - It's up to me to either talk, plead or threaten those mischievous minibars into working condition.
Woe onto me - I did not know this obvious piece of information until it was too late and all my gathered food-supplies were perished and inedible.
Those technological wonders aside you notice how clean the place actually is. Yes, rooms and the hotel itself is kept quite clean by those pesky two cleaning ladies who knock on your door and won't take "No" for answer. Thumps up for that.
But you do start to notice, after you have calmed down about how clean everything is, that there's little bits and pieces.. Like some holes on the walls, some broken off pieces of furniture. Dusty windows and oddly soiled ceilings. Nothing that will shock you or your children, but still. It's the little things, you know?
But if you are looking for a good nights sleep then you have found your place. I really enjoyed the fact that I was actually able to sleep through the night and the morning. Hotel is really quiet, even on busy days. Mostly it's the fact that the long corridors are lined with soft floorcloths and most of the visitors in this fine establishment are elderly people who have no business being rowdy and making noise. Only thing you'll hear is the 12 o'clock cleaning ladies laughing and chattering up the otherwise ghost-town halls.
Plus it really helps that PK Ilmarine Hotel uses top-of-the-line mattresses. No complaints on the sleep quality.
If you have an eye for colors or you are just generally not into that whole..80's era you might get annoyed by the odd combination of colors and textures used to decorate your room. The fucus colored green and the intensive yellow was widely used in the Soviet Russia era of Estonia, but I guess the renovators missed that part. Nothing that will ruin your stay, tho.
The rooms were quite spacious, even tho there are reports on rooms being rather on the small-side. Not true at all. I didn't feel cramped and If you do feel cramped inside your room then just take a trip to your private bathroom (yes, every room has one) and you'll see where the extra space went. Besides, bathroom seems to be the best part of your room anyway. Spotless clean, spacious, comes with hotels own shampoo, balsam, conditioner etc.
In fact the hotel is so well equipped that you might not even want to go outside. It has a pretty cozy and neat restaurant with some very interesting choices that you usually don't find unless you dine in a full-on gourmet restaurant. Bar is open until 23:00 o'clock, but that's alright. You are going to sleep at 22:00 anyway, aren't you?
There's a sauna, beauty salon, gym and other such small amenities you would expect. For extra charge, of course.
But the main reason you want to stay in this particular hotel is the budget price. If you book through the hotels online system you will get quoted an obscene price. For that price get a real 4-star hotel, but if you book through a travel firm or a ferry company you actually pay less than you pay for your trip to Estonia.
I came to visit my homeland, Estonia and used Lindaline ferry company for that. I also booked this hotel through them and my standard ferry ticket cost more than the 2 nights I spent in this hotel. Amazing value!
Sure, it's a 3 star hotel who has given themselves one extra star, but.. Eh. You can't really complain. If you are not interested in the 6 channels you get from your TV and you don't want to exorcise the mini-bar and just want to relax or walk around the Old Town or go shopping without hassling with the taxis - you have found yourself the best guaranteed deal in the 3 star hotels range.
Don't let my title confuse you. It was a weekend trip to this..somewhat impaired hotel.
When you first enter the hotel you are greeted with a sense of..something old paired awkwardly with something new. The hotel itself is situated in a building witch was built in 1912. It has been renovated, but you get the feeling that some of those renovations might have taken place back in the old days when communism still ruled the lands, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you are looking for a blast from the past and want to feel the comradeship when you are huddled next to your fellow traveling partner in hopes to get a glimpse of the morning show on that marvelous technological wonder that they call a telly or a television. Every room is rocking a whole 14" inch TV with viewable area of 12,8" inch. And it comes with...Colors!
Next thing you'll surely notice if you aren't used to keeping all your food-supplies in a damp cellar with ice blocks keeping the temperature low. All the rooms are equipped with some wondrous invention that the hotel staff calls a mini-bar. Surely enough, mini-bars are all empty unless you make a small donation of coins to the local tavern keeper. But! What makes this here mini-bars so interesting is the fact that they are top-of-the-line models which apparently come with artificial intelligence built into them or they are just plagued by Sloth demons.
I wasn't able to get a confirmation on neither of those apparent solutions from the staff.
In fact the helpful staff member, who's name I have forgotten or never got a hold off, told me that the mini-bars tend to work when they feel like it. It's up to simple old luck and just praying to have them in a working condition or.. well, not. They are fully aware that the mini-bars might not be working at all, but sadly - they cannot do anything about this fact and thus - It's up to me to either talk, plead or threaten those mischievous minibars into working condition.
Woe onto me - I did not know this obvious piece of information until it was too late and all my gathered food-supplies were perished and inedible.
Those technological wonders aside you notice how clean the place actually is. Yes, rooms and the hotel itself is kept quite clean by those pesky two cleaning ladies who knock on your door and won't take "No" for answer. Thumps up for that.
But you do start to notice, after you have calmed down about how clean everything is, that there's little bits and pieces.. Like some holes on the walls, some broken off pieces of furniture. Dusty windows and oddly soiled ceilings. Nothing that will shock you or your children, but still. It's the little things, you know?
But if you are looking for a good nights sleep then you have found your place. I really enjoyed the fact that I was actually able to sleep through the night and the morning. Hotel is really quiet, even on busy days. Mostly it's the fact that the long corridors are lined with soft floorcloths and most of the visitors in this fine establishment are elderly people who have no business being rowdy and making noise. Only thing you'll hear is the 12 o'clock cleaning ladies laughing and chattering up the otherwise ghost-town halls.
Plus it really helps that PK Ilmarine Hotel uses top-of-the-line mattresses. No complaints on the sleep quality.
If you have an eye for colors or you are just generally not into that whole..80's era you might get annoyed by the odd combination of colors and textures used to decorate your room. The fucus colored green and the intensive yellow was widely used in the Soviet Russia era of Estonia, but I guess the renovators missed that part. Nothing that will ruin your stay, tho.
The rooms were quite spacious, even tho there are reports on rooms being rather on the small-side. Not true at all. I didn't feel cramped and If you do feel cramped inside your room then just take a trip to your private bathroom (yes, every room has one) and you'll see where the extra space went. Besides, bathroom seems to be the best part of your room anyway. Spotless clean, spacious, comes with hotels own shampoo, balsam, conditioner etc.
In fact the hotel is so well equipped that you might not even want to go outside. It has a pretty cozy and neat restaurant with some very interesting choices that you usually don't find unless you dine in a full-on gourmet restaurant. Bar is open until 23:00 o'clock, but that's alright. You are going to sleep at 22:00 anyway, aren't you?
There's a sauna, beauty salon, gym and other such small amenities you would expect. For extra charge, of course.
But the main reason you want to stay in this particular hotel is the budget price. If you book through the hotels online system you will get quoted an obscene price. For that price get a real 4-star hotel, but if you book through a travel firm or a ferry company you actually pay less than you pay for your trip to Estonia.
I came to visit my homeland, Estonia and used Lindaline ferry company for that. I also booked this hotel through them and my standard ferry ticket cost more than the 2 nights I spent in this hotel. Amazing value!
Sure, it's a 3 star hotel who has given themselves one extra star, but.. Eh. You can't really complain. If you are not interested in the 6 channels you get from your TV and you don't want to exorcise the mini-bar and just want to relax or walk around the Old Town or go shopping without hassling with the taxis - you have found yourself the best guaranteed deal in the 3 star hotels range.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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