Hotel Stroomi - Tallinn, Estonia 

A fairly good basic establishment, but not central
Posted: Tue, Sep 19 2006
I booked the Stroomi via Easyjet/Easyhotels and for what it provided I found it very fairly good value for money by Western standards. I agree with most of the other reviews in that the area is a bit run down, but it does have a sell-almost-everything kiosk almost opposite (but not transport tickets!!) and an alcohol shop open 0900-2300 within walking distance. If you've never been to Eastern Europe before and have been "pampered" by "Western" hotels it may come as a bit of a shock to you, but having been to the Czech Republic I'd say the Stroomi was comparable although not quite as good. You need to bear Estonia's recent history in mind to understand this: understand the big picture. As regards the city as a whole, I'd say that yes, they speak English mainly where it matters but if you can manage a smattering of Russian that will really help. Once you get out the tourist loop you're on your own.. Personally I tend to stay cheap and spend the money I saved on enjoying myself - if you adopt this philosophy you'll be fine. The other comment I'd make is that web sites can often portray an "enhanced" picture of an establishment, so read on ... The hotel itself is certainly very quiet at night when I visited and I was able to sleep with a window open. I attribute this to the fact that not many locals go out at night.. There's a secured car park at the rear of the property with controlled vehicular access. Certainly everything in the room worked as the designer intended so no problem there. The hot water supply was constant and very hot. The sauna/spa room (free to visitors 0700-1000 daily) was *very* impressive, but sadly I never got to use it as I was always up too late :-/ Although the bar was open 2100-0500 I can't personally recommend it. Yes, they had a good range of drinks but I'd personally recommend drinking somewhere else. Really. Broadband internet access is 1EEK per minute and works very well. You can spend as long as you like on the PC in the lobby and pay at reception afterwards. They have Firefox as well as IE and there seem to be no restrictions. Reception isn't too bad actually and they sell almost everything you'd need other than transport tickets, which is very annoying. The TV has around 50 channels with programming from Russia, Germany, Italy(!), BBC World, some Sky and a very few Estonian channels. Pretty standard Central/Eastern European stuff really. Oh yes, and the Blues (Chelsea) channel.. As someone that loves their food I found the restaurant again typical Eastern European. The food I think is very typically "local" and hearty which is cool: my plan as a B & B guest was to fill up on breakfast and hang on until evening meal: no problem with this at the Stroomi. the breakfast menu didn't vary much at all (they changed the porridge for a tasty oatmeal on my last day) but really you won't go hungry. Typically its meat/sausage, cheese, egg, pickle/sauerkraut plus fish. They have a kids menu as well, and its all printed in 4 different languages including English. The one thing that bemused me (as a Westerner) slightly was that they rather liked you to pay upfront, which was no problem but not something I was used to. Cash or card but probably not Amex. As regards local transport I'd heartily recommend public transport. I initially took a taxi (takso) from the new town centre to Stroomi and the driver reckoned 200EEK. In the end there was more on top of that but he stopped the clock at 200EEK and we called it quits so I tipped him: however I get the impression this is not the usual practice, so caveat passenger! A short walk from the hotel is a tram stop: if you want the old town I'd suggest heading for the railway station and (literally) crossing the road, or if you want the ferries take the same tram but in the other direction. Advice: *get a transport map* before you go exploring unless you want to see parts of Tallinn you never expected :-) Also don't rely on announcements in the transport: they're in Estonian and barely intelligible. Also, bear in mind that many public transport personnel don't speak English, even in the main stations! All in all, I'd say that the Stroomi was satisfactory in that it provided a basic, affordable and pleasant place to stay although I'd stay more central next time.

After the initial shock!
Posted: Wed, Aug 30 2006
There were 8 of us (mixed ages)celebrating the birthday of one of the party staying at the Stroomi in December 2005. The hotel is in a very communist looking neighbourhood and only 2 blocks from the beach - not much use however in the middle of December! Also a 45 minute walk from the Old Town. Bus stop just around the corner. Taxis plentiful but agree the price before you get in! The rooms, though very seventies in style were warm and clean with comfortable beds, clean, fresh bed linen and towels and a tv which had CNN. The bathroom was clean and the floor was heated.... great to stand on a heated floor in the morning brushing your teeth! Worth noting, the bar / breakfast room is very smoky due to other residents and locals smoking heavily. However there is an annexe at the bottom of the room on the left which is smoke free and offers purer air to breathe! The breakfast itself consisted of bread for toast and rolls, cereals, a strange very pink, yoghurt and a limited selection of cheese, cold meats, egg and errr.... Estonian delicacies! Simple but filling. The hotel staff were courteous and helpful. I would recommend this hotel to anyone travelling on a budget. Infact per couple, using Easyjet flights, and staying here for three nights, the whole trip, including parking at Stansted Airport and return ferry crossing to Helsinki for the day cost £180! Bargain!