Laine - Riga, Latvia     

My "standard" room was very spacious and cheerfully decorated. The staff are pleasant and attractive. The breakfast is solid. Although the building isn't one of Riga's major Art Nouveau beauties, it's still very attractive. Overall, it was agreeable and homey and the best value I've found in five trips to the city. The gripes about the elevator are overstated, I think. This is the FSU after all -- you'll see a lot of lifts worse than the Laine's.

I booked online, requesting a standard double at 48 lats per night and an airport pickup. Our flight got in at midnight, and there was no sign of the pickup. However, a call to the hotel sorted us out- we got a cab in the end as they said it would be cheaper. The entrance to the hotel is in a small courtyard off the road, and it is very quiet. The reception area was lovely and warm, the staff were welcoming and spoke excellent English. Our room, on the 6th floor, was pretty big but basic, with a small anteroom containing wardrobes and a bathroom that contained everything we needed although it was a bit outdated. We had to turn the radiator on ourselves, and spent a little while feeling very cold until I realised this! It warmed up very quickly though. Breakfast is served until 11am, and is the usual hotel buffet sort of thing, cereals, yogurt, tinned fruit and bread. The rooms are upwards from the third floor of a deco building, and the lift only goes up to the 5th floor (and what a lift! It's a tiny creaky thing that goes up inside a cage at the core of the building, and you can see the mechanism powering it- not for the faint hearted!). We didn't hear any sounds from other rooms while we were there, and it was a surprise to see other guests at breakfast. The town centre is about a 10-15 minute walk away, across a park, and towards the Freedom Monument. I would definitely recommend this hotel for people wanting a quiet base from which to explore central Riga.