Guest User
August 24, 2021
Some rooms in this hotel are fantastic, some are totally disappointing. Be specific in your booking that you want the largest 'family' rooms, and try to book direct so you have some flexibility to change or cancel. We booked and pre-paid for an apartment for 3 people 5 months in advance via ***********, at a price that we felt to be over the odds (EUR 120/night incl taxes) - but we wanted the convenient location (as we were involved with a sailing event at the nearby club). The fee was paid 100% upfront and non-changeable and non-refundable, which is unusual and rather unreasonable, especially given the risks of travel disruption due to COVID. We arrived late at night and the reception was closed, so we had to ring a number pinned to the door and our key was left in an envelope outside in a wooden cart. The room we were allocated was way down the long corridor at the very end and was totally depressing for our first time in Estonia - way too small, no window except in the narrow external door and quite filthy (see pictures), The sofa had not been moved for months and underneath it were old crisps and a half-empty iced tea bottle. The AC did not work. The extractor fan in the bathroom was so weak that it made no difference and it steamed up immediately. The clothes cupboard was tiny (56 cm internal width). The 'sofa bed' was basically a sofa (a sofa bed would be a fold-out bed, not a sofa on which you put sheets). There were over 30 TV channels but almost all were in Russian (only one in English: Euronews). We had hoped to self-cater (after all, these are 'apartments' not hotel rooms), but the utensils comprised one pot and one frying pan, with no chopping board and bare minimum of ladle, knife and fryer. So the 'kitchen' was really only good for breakfasts and drinks, or very basic boiled food (pasta?). On the terrace outside was an ash tray stuffed with butts, an old coffee cup and an empty Jagermeister bottle. On the plus side, we asked for a better room and were shifted to what they called a 'family room' - twice the size with a large window letting in light, suddenly it looked like the photos on the website and our mood lifted. But this was only after requesting the change, and we would have spent the 8 nights of our holiday in quiet miserable surroundings if we had stayed where we were asked to. The larger room was absolutely fine, though whether it was worth €120 is debatable, considering the many more impressive apartments around Tallinn at that price point. Be aware that all the bookable rooms are on the ground floor. The lovely pictures showing upstairs rooms with glass balconies are not what you will be getting - they are privately owned. So in summary, be alert to the pre-payment, no-change, no-refund booking terms, request a 'family room' to ensure you get some decent space, ask for a room as close as possible to the reception (or you will be way down the corridor) and if the room is not clean, get them onto it.