Quality Hotel Skjærgården — Hotel in Bamble

Pleasant hotel, but.....

Stayed Friday to Sunday in September 2021.

Arriving from the road and parking lot, the hotel looks like a grim conference area from the 70s. Luckily, once you get inside you realise that it is much fresher inside the common areas and on the opposite side towards the sea.

Our room was quiet inside and outside (but this were out of season). We heard that the hotel as some refurbished rooms. This one, a family room at the far north end, was not. On a positive not, it was large and clean – but everything was pretty worn down. Some roof spotlight didn’t work, the toilet flusher had mood swings, the TV didn’t support casting and the beds were not up to standard for the hotel’s price level. Including the door- and window frames, the hallway outside the room etc. – everything has seen better days.

The staff was very friendly, including the reception, restaurant and bar. They managed to make you feel very welcome and taken care of. The food was generally good and with a decent selection, although the buffet price level didn’t match the overall quality/selection.

The water park makes it a very convenient hotel when travelling with children, which we did (11 and 12 years), and it seems to be a good place to stay with activities for smaller kids as well. We stayed in September, but it seems to be a better summer spot, due to the proximity to the sea with outdoor areas and activities.

Travelling in Norway, you expect to be spending a bit more than you’d like, and here you will unfortunately feel that whatever you do. For the price level of the room/stay, you’d think that admission to the waterpark is free for hotel guests. Think again. If you want to use the air hockey or pool table – 20 kr pr. match. For a hotel with this profile, you’d expect something to be included. Also – the reception doesn’t provide coins, so you have to go to the nearby store to withdraw money. Fair enough – a shuffleboard in another area of the hotel is complimentary.

The buffet dinner is varied and well prepared, but also here the price level is too high, especially for the children. The bar may be where you have the most normal prices, but slightly high also here. Even the products bought in the reception area. 45 kr for a small bottle of water.

Free parking though, which is nice 😊

Looking beyond the feeling of “throwing money everywhere”, you’ll have a pleasant stay with presumably happy children...

Stayed Friday to Sunday in September 2021.||||Arriving from the road and parking lot, the hotel looks like a grim conference area from the 70s. Luckily, once you get inside you realise that it is much fresher inside the common areas and on the opposite side towards the sea.||||Our room was quiet inside and outside (but this were out of season). We heard that the hotel as some refurbished rooms. This one, a family room at the far north end, was not. On a positive not, it was large and clean – but everything was pretty worn down. Some roof spotlight didn’t work, the toilet flusher had mood swings, the TV didn’t support casting and the beds were not up to standard for the hotel’s price level. Including the door- and window frames, the hallway outside the room etc. – everything has seen better days.||||The staff was very friendly, including the reception, restaurant and bar. They managed to make you feel very welcome and taken care of. The food was generally good and with a decent selection, although the buffet price level didn’t match the overall quality/selection.||||The water park makes it a very convenient hotel when travelling with children, which we did (11 and 12 years), and it seems to be a good place to stay with activities for smaller kids as well. We stayed in September, but it seems to be a better summer spot, due to the proximity to the sea with outdoor areas and activities. ||||Travelling in Norway, you expect to be spending a bit more than you’d like, and here you will unfortunately feel that whatever you do. For the price level of the room/stay, you’d think that admission to the waterpark is free for hotel guests. Think again. If you want to use the air hockey or pool table – 20 kr pr. match. For a hotel with this profile, you’d expect something to be included. Also – the reception doesn’t provide coins, so you have to go to the nearby store to withdraw money. Fair enough – a shuffleboard in another area of the hotel is complimentary.||||The buffet dinner is varied and well prepared, but also here the price level is too high, especially for the children. The bar may be where you have the most normal prices, but slightly high also here. Even the products bought in the reception area. 45 kr for a small bottle of water. ||||Free parking though, which is nice 😊||||Looking beyond the feeling of “throwing money everywhere”, you’ll have a pleasant stay with presumably happy children...

This place has probably seen the best of its time in the past. If staying during the summer be prepared to sweat since there is no Air Conditioning or suitable ventilation in the rooms to stay cool.||Hotel staff in the reception, be prepared for very long lines and little to no customer service. ||Restaurant food is good, but the set-up was kind of strange. Be prepared to wait a long time for your drinks when eating dinner and no matter when you eat be prepared to have your plate collected very slowly. In some instances the staff was just stacking the used plates at tables where the guests have already left instead of removing them from the restaurant. It looked very bad. ||For the "badeland", although the water in the pool area was a comfortable temperature. The water temperature in the shower area was only ice cold and ice cold. So prepare to ice bathe when taking showers before you enter the pool area and after. ||The only positive was the activity for the kids and the Lollo and Bernie characters. If it wasn't for that I would have said the entire trip would have been a waste. Would be curious to see what this place would have been like when it was new or after it has...