At first, it felt so great to stay at this hotel in the nice town of Kuopio. A comfortable and quite spacious standard twin with gorgeous views of the beautiful market hall lit up at night greeted me upon arrival. Spent some time at the window both nights ;oD! In the bathroom, shower gel, shampoo and liquid soap were provided in large bottles fixed to the walls. The shower could be switched from rain to jet and inside the room, you could adjust the AC the way you liked - was just a bit difficult to set the temperature, but no big deal. I was just wondering a bit why there were so many water stains around the washbasin in a country with such soft water. I would find out the next day ... When checking in, watch out for all the helpful flyers in front of the reception. So convenient since you will not have to ask hundreds of questions about boat trips or city train schedules. Maps of Kuopio are also available. The location right at the market place is really fantastic and both bus and train station are just 20 minutes away. You will be right at the heart of the action. Design and handicraft enthusiasts like me will not have to walk a lot: a Taito Shop and Pikku-Pietarin Torikuja, a unique little street loaded with gift shops, are close by. The quite puristic cathedral, several museums and the harbour can all be reached within walking distance. Have a break at Café Kaneli and enjoy fabulous cakes in a sweet and romantic atmosphere. Only Puijo Tower is 2.5 km from the city centre and those last 1.3 km were almost killing me. No buses will take you there and taxis are expensive in Finland. When I finally reached that ugly observation tower, my tongue reached down to my knees and I felt like I had joined some army uphill excercizing! But the lake views from the top made me stop cursing within seconds ... Still wanna know where those mysterious water stains in the bathroom come from? Answer: they do not clean the bathroom properly even though they promise that the length of your stay does not have any influence on room service. So strange when tooth paste is left in the washbasin and waterdrops get enough time to leave stains. Mystery solved ... yet customer still puzzled since the front staff is just shrugging their shoulders! If you like breakfast buffets with lots of nice little touches like blue cheese, mini pancakes, two different kinds of boiled eggs (4 or 7 minutes) and do not mind a neglected bathroom, it might be the perfect choice for you. read more

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