Thon Hotel Kirkenes — Hotel in South Varanki

Fantastic sea view We arrived at the hotel after disembarking from Hurtigruten;

The location, the room & the facilities. initially we intent to stay at Rica Hotel which has more facilities and slightly cheaper but we decided to stay at Thon Hotel in the end because of its proximity to the seafront and slightly away from the town - good decision. The hotel is located on the Barents Seafront and within walking distance to the city shopping centre and the harbour.

Our room was on the fourth floor with fantastic view overlooking the shipping highway and snowy mountains on the other side of sea. The room was adequate in all respect; modern, spacious, clean and with a massive TV and faultless WiFi connection. We sometime spend hours during the day watching ships coming and leaving, ships breaking ices and ships been manoeuvred or towed out the port / positioned like airline ready to leave.

Restaurant, food & breakfast The price included Breakfast; the selection on offer are great and of highest quality; fresh fruits, hot pancake, yogurt, selection of cereals, ham, fish, bacon, eggs and more . . .

We ate in the restaurant everyday while we were there; we were a bit too lazy to walk about quarter mile to the city centre. The foods were fabulous. Well prepared and fantastically presented. The only drawbacks were the portion and the price.

The best is the staff, they really make you feel welcomed and give you the best service and more . . .

We stayed for 4 nights in mid February 2013 for Northern Light sighting.

My only moans are: Again as with everything in Norway, it was very expensive place to stay for someone with...

Stayed here for 2 nights in Feb after our boat cruise. We walked from the harbour to the hotel, with our bags , took about 10mins

The hotel is situated right on the water, a beautiful setting which you can see from the restaurant or if you book a water facing room

We disembarked early from our cruise, around 9am , but the kind lady at reception allowed us to check in with no additional cost as our room was ready

Our room was spacious and a lovely big bathroom. There was a coffee and tea station and a fridge

Kirkenes is quite small and walkable but there is a bus stop right outside the hotel should you need a bus to the airport, although our one did not arrive. Reception contacted the bus company and they just said the bus was not going to run that morning which was not great

The breakfast was probably the best we had at any of the hotels we stayed at during our 16 day Norway holiday. Lots of variety, even a machine to squeeze fresh orange juice

Most companies who do excursions also pick up from the hotel which is...

Room 301 is a suite, a nice place overlooking the water, and I couldn't fault it. The bar downstairs was pleasant; the barman was enthusiastic, and I liked him. We didn't eat; we'd gone on a king crab fest, and a kilo each later, we were in no fit state. The crab offered in the restaurant was live and authentic but half the size and cost twice more than our crab catch and dinner and boat trip to the Russian border! However, my big gripe was the woman at the front desk; we'd cancelled the pre-booked taxi, and she wasn't happy. Made out she couldn't find my booking in room 301 until I simply started to leave, then suddenly found it. Then tried to lecture me about my bookings. We got the hotel manager to sort it out. Be warned, beware the snarly 60-year-old, and it's great. The best bit? Probably the BEST BREAKFAST in Scandinavia! Amazing, do it. Enjoy. Dump the old crow at the front desk and let your guests enjoy the place. I'd then be rating...