Break Sokos Hotel Bomba — Hotel in Pielinen Karelia

To provide you context, we were at Break Sokos Hotel Bomba on a spa holiday for three nights. Earlier we have seen several spas in Finland and abroad (esp. Austria and Hungary) for a comparison point. During our visit, the conditions were freezing (below -30 C). At the time of writing, the hotel is busy expanding and they will open a new building with lake view and a restaurant in Summer 2024 so my review is likely outdated by then.

Spa - 4/5

Shortly, the spa section itself is perhaps the best one for relaxing I have seen in Finland so far. It might not be the best pick for someone completely fitness oriented but if you are looking to chill out in a jacuzzi outside or do contrasting treatments using hot/cold pools not to mention water massages, this is the spot. The spa includes three different saunas (Finnish, Karelian, Osman) and we enjoyed particularly the Karelian one.

Sadly, there were several factors detracting from the spa experience: confusing pricing, difficult bracelet renewal, occasionally rude service, and potential safety issues.

Often when you book a room in a spa hotel, it is possible to have the spa included but not so in this case. Instead you have to buy either one time entrance ticket (a bit cheaper) or a day ticket. We ended up buying one time entrance ticket and two day tickets. The tickets were delivered as bracelets you use to enter the spa.

To complicate things, the day tickets expired 15:00 and on our last full day at the spa we had to renew. The reception was completely overloaded when we went to renew 15:27 and it took us more than half an hour for a bracelet exchange. We weren't only people frustrated by the waiting.

We found the price level within the spa a little steep and to make things worse, service was occasionally rude. During our last day, we wanted to take a final dip at the outdoor jacuzzis. As I came close to the door leading to the area, I noticed there were people stuck outside as the door didn't work from outside anymore. To make things worse, it was cold (sub -30 C). Fortunately I was able to open the door. I reported the incident to the pool guard and she responded nonchalantly that the door can freeze during the Winter and they might have to close down the area. Also the path leading to the jacuzzis was occasionally icy (my partner fell but didn't break any bones) and could use a warning at least. The incidents left me wondering if they monitor key areas of the spa correctly.

Despite the problems I pointed out, the spa is a great fit for someone looking to relax. Occasionally the spa felt slightly crowded and I can imagine it might be even more so after the new wing is completed but we'll see how they manage. The spa was easily the best part of the stay and we might come back in the Summer just for it.

Gym - 3/5

I checked the gym briefly. It had been built within the obligatory bomb shelter at the basement and seemed comprehensive. I just with they had put it to a level with a view to the lake.

Conclusion

It was worth visiting the spa. It will be interesting to see how renovation improves things as the location has...

We stayed at the hotel during our anniversary and also enjoyed the spa. While the spa is amazing by local standards, the hotel or service certainly was not. ||When making the reservation via phone, I told about me and my husband celebrating our 20th anniversary. The clerk seemed friendly but didn't really care, and when asking about the total price I was told a different sum (lower) than when I actually payed at the reception. This caused an unpleasant scene and confusion, no apologies or anything. ||The room was very basic (while the price was not), not many amenities since everything is nowadays "ecological". The cleanliness could have been better. What I did like about the room however was that there was a drying cabinet, very useful in these conditions! I was expecting a little something extra since the staff was aware about our anniversary, but no, nothing. A simple card with a few friendly words or something similar would have sufficed, but alas, this is Finland after all.||The spa itself was beautiful, large enough and very nicely themed. The locker room was small and crowded, many ladies nearly slipping on the wet floor. Dangerous! I loved the saunas and enjoyed the many pools, too, especially the hot tubs outside overlooking the lake. The water could have been more warm, now it felt almost lukewarm during the freezing winter weather. The inside of the spa was carefully decorated, the lighting especially lovely- you can achieve so much with small touches like these. The floor was not slippery at all and material choices seemed appropriate all-around. This might just be our new favourite spa in Finland!||While the hotel was a letdown, so was the breakfast- a little. So much variety, but very little to write to home about, your standard Finnish breakfast fare: everything is edible but lacks finesse. Like the tea; it was steeped for so long it became bitter and it was served without a saucer. Or that this is an area known for its breads and pastries and the only thing reminding the guests about it were dark brown, almost rock hard karjalanpiirakka. The service was on the same level as in the reception, except they didn't speak Finnish. Sigh. Well, at least the breakfast catered something for everybody, I spotted a lot of vegan and gluten-free options.||Speaking about food, that is sadly something that all Sokos hotels struggle with and Bomba was no exception. We didn't feel like walking to the nearby restaurant in the harsh weather after a very long drive, so there were literally two options at this point: pay way too much for Italian-fusion chain restaurant food or hop back into your car and drive 10 minutes to the nearest gas station for some fast food. You guessed it- and the hamburger meal actually wasn't that bad for its price. So stock up on snacks and maybe even food (there is a kettle on your room) when visiting here. ||(While the hotel is worth three stars, the spa and surrounding nature easily four. Be aware that people of larger sizes might struggle with fitting through some areas, like...

Clear 3 star hotel due to issues in service. |But first good things.. Hotel rooms are nice as well as other facilities. Spa is small but enjoyable. ||Then bads.. Spa does have issues in service like water drinking cups are off during busiest time a day, shower soaps are off and papers left by lazy people lay over in locker room. On spa service side nobody cares at the end. Same continues in room cleaning, cleaning between nights need to be ordered but they are so lazy that even toilets are not cleaned, see picture. If you have two floor room, upper floor is not cleaned even on several day stay.|Reception is sometimes a chaos, they do not know how to use cash registers.. If you buy Spa ticket, drinks and something for hotel reservation at once, you need to go through three cash registers..|In overall, service and how things are organized and implemented in this hotel is worst ever among any Sokos hotel even if this is relax category hotel..|Something that Sokos management shall take actions. |Nurmes is nice place and this is pretty much only hotel there so no competition in a sense but still improvement is needed if you want to have customers to stay also...