Situated at Helsinki Port, it is only a 10 minute walk to Uspenski Cathedral, Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral and Esplanade, and a few more minutes to the centre of the city. As it is at the port, it is very convenient to board a ferry to Suomenlinna as well as to Tallinn, both of which I did.
As I was traveling solo, the single bed room was adequate for my needs. It wasn't tiny, but not very spacious. The bathroom was a decent size. A real plus was the free, very fast WiFi, which covers the whole hotel. Also, you can connect your iOS device to the TV if you want to watch something from there instead- a very nice touch. Tip: you can charge your iPhone/iPod touch from the TV if you have a lightning cable.
The breakfast was excellent and complimentary. A wide selection, plentiful and good opening hours so you don't have to rush. The only drawback was the orange and tropical juices offered, which tasted weird.
A pleasant surprise was the sauna, which was also included in the price. Very hot, as it is supposed to be, and free towels available. Open from 5:00PM to 10:00PM. An excellent way to end the day.
I didn't interact much with the staff, which I consider a good thing as everything was self-explanatory. However, when I did interact with them, they were friendly, attentive and helpful. If I come back to Helsinki, I will definitely be staying here again.
Just one thing, Scandic needs to add Passbook to open the hotel room with my iPhone or Apple Watch. read more