Hestia Hotel Strand — Hotel in Pärnu linn

This wasn't our first time at Hestia Hotel Strand, but it was our first time there as more experienced travellers, so now I can finally write a more correct review of this hotel. Hestia is and will still be a hotel we visit every summer. Of course, all inclusive 5 star resorts with huge waterparks and luxury bars are amazing, but we like to take vacations at smaller, cosier hotels too. And Hestia Hotel is perfect for that kind of travel. I'll try not to make this too long, and just say the important things to note, as well as some minuses during our stay.||Check in||Check in was very fast, there wasn't a large line, probably because we got there between 5 to 6 pm, and most people check in during 3 to 4 pm when the check in starts. The receptionist was very sweet, explained what we wanted to know, and made sure to try and help us as much as possible. Her English was great! In 5 star resorts the staff usually just speak Russian. Unfortunately I don't remember the receptionists name, but she was very sweet. There weren't workers to take our bags, but this isn't some luxury hotel and it's not too hard to take our own bags to our room. There was an elevator, that you could take if you had bags and your room was on top floors. If you had a car, you did have to pay for the parking spot. It was 5 euros per day. Overall check in went very smooth.||Room||Our room was on the second floor. We stayed in room 216. The room was very simple, but it was good for a 3 star hotel. We were 4, and there was one bed for 2 people, and 1 couch that could be transformed into a bed also for 2 people. But sadly there wasn't any blanket, and pillow for the couch so we had to go to the reception to get them. Still the beds were really comfortable and I had a good sleep. We didn't have a balcony but the view from our room was good. A part of the hotel, and some grass and trees, you could see a small part of the sea. Very small, still nice. :) The bathroom also had nothing special, I do recommend bringing your own shower gel and shampoo as there aren't any in the bathroom. Overall the room was what you would expect for a 3 star hotel, maybe even better.||SPA||The SPA is small, but very cozy and relaxing. It can get crowded during check in hours. I recommend for you to go at a time from 1 - 2 pm because that's when people check out and check in hours haven't started yet, so there's almost no one in the SPA! The negative thing that we experienced during our trip, was the fact that the massage pool was closed. And the worker didn't even look like he was trying to work as fast as possible, he showed up, worked for an hour and then disappeared for the rest of the day. So the massage pool started filling up with water only on our last day, this was very sad for us because we love the massage pool, and it usually is favoured by kids, so they all are at the massage pool and you can peacefully swim in the other pool without little kids splashing around and yelling. This time they all were at the other large pool, and you couldn't normally swim. There were 2 saunas, one was only 50 degrees warm but it was colder because people always opened the door and there wasn't enough time for it to warm up. The other sauna doesn't have any people at all usually, and it's warmer so I recommend going to that one. Overall the SPA was nice, crowded and warm. :)||Breakfast and dining||The breakfast at this hotel didn't have many choices, but it was enough to feed you. I recommend eating breakfast around 10 am because there aren't as much people, most of them check out at this time. For little kids there is ice cream, cereal and pancakes. Another way of eating at this hotel is the restaurant, it is quite expensive, but the food is good. There is a really fun kids menu with amazing dishes! So overall dining was good, 3 star dining. :)||Location||The hotels location is perfect! It is near Tervise Paradiis waterpark, Parnu old town and the sea! It's really nice, you can also rent a bike and easily get around Parnu. Its also very quiet, perfect for families with little ones!|||Overall this hotel is nice! There are minuses, but it will always be a hotel we visit yearly because of its cheap prices, relaxing SPA,...

Over-priced dated hotel with lackluster spa.

We stayed in a Junior suite in the beginning of July 2024. While the hotel is clean and decenly decorated - considering the age - it was clear the rooms could use a bit of maintenace or renovation.

The two-floor suite was rather inconvenient with the main bedroom and the only shower located in the 2nd floor behind a climb through a spiral staircase. For young and fit people they are not a problem, but with kids or older people I would be wary. Shower handle did not stay in the fixed position, limiting the use to handheld use only. Inconvenient. The seals between the sink and wall had also seen their best days and would require replacement.

The most annoying aspect of the room was definitely the fact that the window blinds didn't work as intended, and neither did the curtains. There is a room-wide window in the very top near the ceiling that lets the sunlight come in through the almost useless blinds that cannot be adjusted either. So, summer mornings will wake you up, unless you're used to sleep in daylight. We come from Finland, so we are very used to "white nights" or nightless nights, and it still bothers us when you can't shut the windows.

Oh, and in the first floor toilet (in the room) the towel dryer is placed so that wet swimwear will be dripping on you while taking a dump. Not optimal. :/

The spa had the massage pool out of use, which limited the spa use to the swimming pool and jacuzzi only. Jacuzzi was busy all the time, so that we didn't experience, but the swimming pool was big enough to swim. Unfortunately the water temperature was under the promised 27C. It was rather clear from first dip into water that we will be cold shortly. As comparison, in our hotel later same week, the 28C pool temp kept us warm and happy for two hours easily.

Breakfast was OK, while nothing to write home about. You have the usual selection of bacon and scrambled eggs, porridge and sorts of breads. The breakfast contents are not especially high quality, while that was not expected either.

Staff were always very kind and nice to us, and we didn't feel at all the traditional "rude" service common in Baltics.

The hotel is rather distant to the restaurants near Rüütli (one of the main streets), some 2 km walk. Similarly, to reach the beach and its services it takes maybe 1,5 km walk. Taxis (e.g. Bolt, app recommended) will take you to town with only 3-4€.

Finally, I must say that the pricing of 500+ € for two nights in that room and hotel were too much. Even if it is high season, I would not pay that money again. Next time we will consider a flat closer to the town center, unless a reasonable deal is available. Maximum price to pay for the level of accomodation in this hotel would be 80-120€ / night...

This was already our fourth stay at Hestia Hotel Strand with the family (2 adults and 2 kids). In the past, we always chose this hotel because it’s pet-friendly, which was very important for us. This time we travelled without our dog, so we decided to finally book a bigger room with a balcony. From the booking.com photos, the Junior Suite seemed perfect – a two-floor room with two toilets and also a balcony.||Unfortunately, reality was quite different. The room had no balcony, the shower was only upstairs with a fabric curtain, and water was spilling all over the floor. We found popcorn on the floor, the fridge was not cleaned, and there was no trash bin in the room at all – we had to walk out to the hallway bins for every little thing. For the second time in a row, we also received towels, duvets, and sheets only for two people, although the booking was made for four. We had to go to the reception, ask, and then wait around three hours. Luckily, we had brought our own towels, so we could at least use the spa right away.||The spa itself is fine – nothing special, but OK. Breakfast is average, but you can still find something, and it’s nice that children get porridge and ice cream. Coffee is excellent, which was a real highlight! In the evening, we tried the restaurant – it’s expensive, but the food was very tasty.||Overall – the hotel has its advantages, especially if you’re travelling with a pet, but the service and room quality are far from what you’d expect from a 4* hotel at this...