Sunday, January 12, 2025

Three and a half stars

The title relates to my favourite category in hotels. I like places that are unassumingly charming. A few examples:


1. Hôtel Victor Hugo, Besançon (picture)


Next to the railway station and with a real spa that is totally decent with saunas and everything! There is a short walk to the riverside and the beautiful and ancient town centre. This whole region of France is a gem largely undiscovered by the tourists.


2. Carlton Lausanne Boutique Hotel, Lausanne


Absolute old world charm quite close to the lake and next to a metro stop. I don’t quite know why they say ‘boutique’. This is the way all hotels were in my childhood. Very neat but slightly kitsch which is a combination that I actually appreciate. You can find saunas and an all seasons swimming opportunity at the recently opened Bains des Rives facility by the lakeside. It gets five stars from me.


3. 21 House Of Stories Città Studi, Milan


A lovely hangout in the middle of a university district that is not very expensive. Very easygoing and friendly and perfect with children. Milan is huge and you can do almost anything you like. The only major downside is the bad air.




Tuesday, January 23, 2024

The French touch

I’ve had a chance to visit a few nice French hotels recently. I’ll review them in no particular order.

Radisson Blu Grand Hotel & Spa Malo les Bains is located on a nice peninsula next to tempting sandy beaches. It has an excellent spa with real saunas, which is rare in France. Friendly youngish staff and a decent restaurant. The only downside is the fact that it’s pretty far from the city centre.

Loisium Hotel is in the heart of the Champagne region. In fact, it’s in the middle of nowhere, so you’ll probably need to have a car. It has a small spa including on outdoor pool that’s pretty cold. Works for an away day for your staff but it’s quite expensive. Friendly and multilingual staff.

Hotel Beauregard Sevrier is something else. It’s a cosy midsize establishment just outside Annecy by the gorgeous Annecy lake (picture). I especially loved their “Bulle nordique”, which is just a small sauna by the lakeside and a warm jacuzzi. It can be reserved by the hour. You can take a bus to the hotel from Annecy, but note that you must put your luggage in the bus trunk.

Maison Barbillon in Grenoble is a very stylish and instagrammable hotel just a stone’s throw from the railway station. It has a lovely library-like lobby with free coffee. Especially for anyone interested in the latest trends in hotels. Wonderful colours, lamps, and furniture with a retro twist.

Mercure Lyon Centre Saxe Lafayette is a large quality hotel showcasing the Accor touch. Large rooms and a small pool that is great if you have kids. The hotel is in the business district that has surprisingly interesting restaurants but is not very interesting otherwise. You can access the railway station and the riverside easily by foot.






Sunday, June 25, 2023

On the top of the world

My first hometown Turku has my favourite spot for spending a summer weekend. On a hilltop that used to host one Finland’s most notorious prisons, you can now stay at the great Hotel Kakola and relax at the spanking new Kakola SPA

Kakola is in fact a whole neighbourhood. It has many new homes, shops, and restaurants. It is work in progress but will eventually become a very cosy oasis right next to the city center. Hotel Kakola is great for people who enjoy privacy and quiet. The hotel has a good restaurant and an outdoor bar in the summer but most rooms are absolutely quiet. The staff are youngish but very professional. The best breakfast in town.

Kakola SPA is state of the art. A wide selection of saunas and pools is available as well as a pool bar. Special thanks for a cold pool that is actually cold. I love the dim colour scale that puts you in a relaxed mood the moment you walk in. Very decent pricing as well. The spa is mostly destined for adults but if your kids can swim they are welcome before 5 pm.

Turku is a great holiday destination in the summer. Take a walk by the riverside and in minutes you’ll realise why this was the first ever urban center in Finland




Saturday, March 18, 2023

Let there be light

I’ve developed a fondness for staycations. VALO Hotel in western Helsinki (https://valo.fi/) turned out to be an excellent spot for them. It has very cosy and soundproof rooms, a lovely bistro, and probably the best spa in Helsinki on a rooftop. The interior is as Nordic as it gets (Valo is Finnish for light).

This hotel is also destined for people who wish to work in an inspiring environment. It has various kinds of workspaces and meeting facilities. I understand many people who can afford it stay here for weeks.

It takes about 20 minutes to reach this hotel from the city centre by bus. There is a nice bay south of this hotel and a huge park to the north. If the hotel had special facilities for small kids it might attract more customers like myself. 



Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Escapology

As I have pointed out in previous posts, travel in Covid times presupposes careful planning. Here is another tip: the Rantapuisto hotel in Eastern Helsinki. 

It used to be a private getaway for a bank. Now it looks like a beautifully forgotten conference center in the woods by the seaside. Very David Lynch. The spirit of the past (especially the ‘80s) is preserved. The hotel is large, and it is very easy to avoid close proximity with other humans.

The hotel is a stone’s throw away from one of the most beautiful places in Helsinki: Kallahti (picture). It is a small bay, next to a peninsula, perfect for a Sunday walk.

Special mention for the friendly staff, a wonderful restaurant, and the authentic saunas. The best rooms are spacious and they have a view over the bay.


Friday, October 9, 2020

Bored to life

This pandemic is terrible for a traveler. You desperately look for safe ways to travel. In the middle of the summer, it occurred to me that staying in an immobile boat might be one way in which you can travel and respect the rules.

The Bore hostel in my hometown, Turku, is a place where you can pretty much go as you please. Almost everything can be done online. You are placed in a cabin, and the only time you’ll meet other travelers is over breakfast that is very generous. They might have changed the rules now that the pandemic is getting worse. The bar was closed already in July.

The prices are a bit steep for a hostel but being at the northwestern riverside bears specific significance for me, since it’s close to where my parents lived before they had me.

htpps://www.turku.fi/ss-bore




Thursday, June 11, 2020

Camp pleasure

For obvious reasons, this travel blog has been very quiet lately. I decided to fight boredom by going back to my early days as a traveler. Since I was totally broke back then, I spent a lot of time in various camping sites in Scandinavia and the UK.

Strangely enough, my heimat in Eastern Helsinki (the upper side of the attached picture) is just across the bay from a wonderful camping site, Rastila Camping. It is a five-star site with all the amenities you can think of, a great restaurant, a beach, and five fabulous saunas that you can rent even if you’re not staying at the site.

For anyone interested in city life, there is a also a metro stop that takes you to central Helsinki in about 10 minutes. Very fond memories from Bredäng Camping Stockholm sprang to mind.