Initially, I was a little apprehensive about booking into a hostel-like hotel (shared amenities etc.), but I was very pleasantly surprised with the accommodation!||I chose Dorell Hotel on account of location (proximity to Old Town and port - Terminal D, from where I was due to catch a ferry in the early morning to Helsinki) and budget (it truly was the most budget friendly option in the area, with the inclusion of breakfast)! In total, I spent 2 nights at the hotel. I had a private room, with shared facilities (WC and shower).||Location is ideal - a 20 minute walk to the Old Town and all of the sights within, and a short 10-15 minute walk to the port. The hotel is tucked away on a backstreet from one of the main streets, rendering it quiet and peaceful. There is a medium sized supermarket called Selver just 200 metres from the hotel, a Rimi supermarket approximately 800-1000 metres from the hotel and many little cafes, restaurants, shops located just on the perimeter of the Old Town (20 minutes by walking from the hotel).||The room was cozy and comfortable for a small private room. It was basic, but had everything I needed for a comfortable night's rest - comfortable double bed, a nice firm mattress, excellent pillows, a hand towel and a large bath towel, clean bedding and sufficient luggage storage (a wall mounted rack with hangers and the floor). Also in the room was a writing desk, a chair, two bed side tables, a lamp, a telephone and a flatscreen television with a surprising number of news and entertainment channels in English! The television will automatically turn itself off after running for about an hour, which I found a bit strange, but, this was a minor issue resolved by the click of a button.||Note: there is no air conditioning or fan in the room, so I suspect in the summer months, the room would feel quite hot and stuffy! In the month I stayed (May), it was still cool in the evenings, so the room was a comfortable temperature.||The hotel layout is such that there are 4 or so rooms allocated to shared facilities, which are separate. In one room at the end of the hall is the WC/toilet with sink and at the other end of the hall is the shower. Both are made private with a lockable door. The WC was fully stocked with toilet paper, air freshener and hand soap, and it was very clean! The shower was also terrific - there was a large walk-in shower with both excellent water temperature and pressure. There are hooks to hang your towel, clothes and bag, and lots of room to move around. There is also a small sink with hand soap in the shower. I was apprehensive about sharing facilities, but both were spacious, clean and even though they were shared among guests, I very rarely had to wait for the WC or shower to be free. Even then, you can hop across the hallway and use the WC or shower in the opposite bank of rooms.||The room had two large windows to let in the natural light and also blackout curtains for the evening.||The walls are a bit thin - I could hear other guests in the evenings and during the day. There was a hoard of teenage girls during my 2 night stay, but they didn't cause any disruptions to my sleep - I slept very soundly. It was mostly during the late morning hours that I could hear other guests, but I was already awake and gearing up to go out for the day myself!||The main hallways are equipped with automatic/sensor lighting, which made trips to the WC in the middle of the night a breeze. This was a very well looked after detail, since I sometimes find myself lost for navigation/disoriented in a hotel/hotel room in the middle of the night.||Wifi was secure and password protected. Signal was strong enough to send emails and check messages, but did lag from time to time. ||Breakfast was included in my room rate and was served on the main floor (1st floor). If breakfast is not included in your room rate, it comes at a cost of 9 Euro/person. I was expecting a much more simple breakfast than was provided and it far exceeded my expectations. On offer was: fried eggs, hot sausages (two different types), pancakes, boiled eggs, mixed salad, fresh sliced vegetables (cucumbers and tomatoes), a small tray of cheese and deli meats, little chocolate snack cakes, fresh juices and water, carafes of hot water and coffee, cold milk, granola and cold cereals, an assortment of breads with spreads such as jams, butter etc. I was not expecting such a varied selection, and I found everything I desired for breakfast. Coffee was also brewed to a lovely strength and I enjoyed it a lot after months and months of instant coffee in Africa. Staff are attentive and clear plates, replenish the breakfast trays with efficiency and speed! The breakfast room is a bit small, and depending on occupancy, it can get rather busy. I arrived early (just after 8:15am), but by the time I was finishing up, there were people queuing for breakfast, looking for seating. It meant that guests had to share tables, but this is a minor inconvenience. I shared a table with the teenage girls and they were very respectful and polite! Perhaps more seating is needed in the breakfast room. ||Staff were very professional and friendly! I was even allowed to check-in slightly early since my room was ready. There were tourist maps and other information available at reception.||Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised with my stay at Dorell Hotel! The staff work hard the ensure you have a lovely stay. Breakfast was really lovely and exceeded my expectations! ||There was no turn down service during my stay, but this was not really needed since I only stayed 2 nights. I think you could request housekeeping services from reception should you require your room cleaned.||An iron, ironing board and hair dryer are available on request from reception. You can also request to use a safety deposit box at reception for an additional fee. Luggage storage is offered for free. The hotel has 24/7 reception, which was also a benefit for late check-in or early check-out.||I would...
Read moreThis is a hotel, not a hostel. I think that it has some history as it felt like it was working since at least the 90s. With a student dorm building almost beside, and that there are some shared bathrooms for certain rooms, I felt like it might have been converted from student dorms too.
Anyways, the hotel was a really pleasant stay. Big, comfortable king sized bed; carpeted room; nice big windows; small desk and mirror; minimalist wardrobe/clothes rack.
Staff were all friendly and professional. From desk staff speaks English while the cleaners do not (Estonian or Russian instead). Breakfast was really good in my opinion. I really loved the pancakes (bliny). The buffet spread was more or less the same in the few days I were there, but that was to be expected since it’s not like a 5 star hotel. Important thing was that it was consistently delicious, enough variety of food items, and there was coffee.
Honestly, if anything, perhaps it was just a little far from the old town (20 min by foot), otherwise I really thought it was great. Port is very near in case you wanted to take a ferry to Helsinki...
Read moreThe rooms are comfortable and clean. They have everything you need. The owners are willing to help or answer questions at any time. There is a great breakfast with a lot of variety, but it is the same every day. The only reason that I did not give it 5 stars is because someone older may have trouble with the stairs and taking luggage up and down. I did not have any problems and loved the black out curtains since there are so few hours of darkness in the summer. I stayed here for several days, and the women who clean work very hard. They wash the hotel out from top to bottom and even the outside stairs every day. This is not your American Hilton, but even though it is an older hotel, the family does their best to keep the hotel nice. Make sure breakfast is included...
Read more