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Tags: Odd Hotels / Baltic Hotels / Valentine's Day Hotels / → All Tags

This Baltic Beach Hotel Is For Real and In the Mood for Love

Where: 23/25 Juras Str, Majori, Jurmala , Latvia, 2015

All Latvians know that the place to have a seaside holiday is the resort town of Jurmala, stretching along the coast just half an hour away from the capital, Riga. Even Brezhnev and Khrushchev thought it was the place to be, back in the day.

Our pick for a cool place to stay on the Latvian coast is the architecturally challenging Baltic Beach Hotel, not least of all because it looks like it could topple over at any second. In fact, we weren't even quite sure if it was still open. Yet it's been standing long enough now that we feel pretty comfortable with the construction so perhaps we could be brave enough to request a room smack bang in the middle of that overhanging bit.

Recent guests to the Baltic Beach Hotel have a lot of mixed opinions on the place. Some name it a relaxing spa hotel, and one of the few in the Jurmala region to be right on the beach; others complain that there are barely any sea views, and that service is stuck back in the Soviet era.

We still think it's unique enough to deserve at least a short stay--perhaps the "Cupidon's Touch" package, with the Valentine's Day season starting up? For 99 Lats ($180), "Cupidon" gives you one night in a sea view room, breakfast, a spa program and best of all, a "Romantic date with surprise in Spa café Angels Garden." We're itching to know what the surprise is.

[Photo: liber]

Tags: Cubicle Dreamin' / Baltic Hotels / → All Tags

Cubicle Dreamin': Mulled Wine and Christmas Markets in Latvia

Where: Pils Iela 12, Riga, Latvia, 1050

Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.

In this episode, Hotel Maven Amanda K visits Latvia...in her mind. Enjoy.

In the Latvian capital of Riga, a very special Christmas market will run right through until December 27. Given my firm adoration of European Christmas markets, then a good choice will be a grand hotel situated right next to the markets, like the Grand Palace Hotel Riga.

As well as winning awards as Latvia's leading hotel from 2003 to 2007, the Grand Palace Hotel in Riga has just the right charm to make it a great Christmas destination. I quite like the sound of the Winter Saver Package they're currently offering which includes three nights' accommodation in a deluxe room, airport transfers, a three-course dinner in their restaurant, and for the perfect Christmas spirit, hot mulled wine from the Pils Bar--this package will cost US$630. Perhaps that'll be my Christmas present for myself.

Related Stories:
· Which Christmas Market Has Witches? [Jaunted]
· Hotels in Riga [HotelChatter]
· Travel Stories in Riga [HotelChatter]

Tags: Baltic Hotels / Hotel Reviews / → All Tags

Talking Up Tallinn: The Reval Central Hotel

Where: Narva mnt 7C, Tallinn, Estonia, 10117

Tallinn, the gorgeous capital city of Estonia (home to exotic looking fashion models on runways worldwide), recently made it onto Lonely Planet's Bluelist of the hottest up-and-coming destination cities for 2007.

On our last overnighter through Tallinn we picked the Reval Hotel Central and if you're not a fashion model who has a sugar daddy paying the bill, this is a pretty good budget stop.

Neat and clean rooms, internet access, a decent bar and a more-than-adequate restaurant made it one of the better value hotels in Tallinn, a city where everything's heating up and old Soviet blocks are being converted to 4 and 5 star hotels. Reval Central only chalks up three stars, but it's definitely at the top end of this.

The Central also promote themselves as a hotel for all--business travelers and families with small kids are welcome and equally well-catered for, they say. If you fall into one of these categories (hopefully the former), let us know if you agree.

The other plus point the hotel uses in their marketing is their central location, which is definitely true. In a matter of minutes you can be right in the rickety, cobble-stoned Old Town of Tallinn, snapping up souvenirs or just snapping pictures, model or not.

Related Stories:
· Reval Hotel Central reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Views from Hotel Olumpia [HotelChatter]