Original Sokos Hotel Viru

The gym is a real plus for me. The hotel's well placed near Tallinn's old town and shopping malls, with an indoor connection to one of them. It's a tall building, and the views from the upper rooms are amazing. Breakfast was okay, nothing special: the scrambled eggs were a bit dry, but the American pancakes were nice and fluffy. I can imagine coming back.

The rooms are clean, nicely equipped, and the elevators are plentiful and fast. Views are incredible in every direction from this hotel right in the center of Tallin. You can also get straight through to the shopping center and its food corner, with places to eat and drink. One drawback is that the windows don't open, so it's hard to air out the room. The breakfast area is spacious, but the food's range and quality didn't feel like the 4* I expected. I also missed espresso, cappuccino, and latte options.

The bathroom design is a problem: taking a shower leaves almost the whole floor flooded, and there's no other way to shower. The rooms themselves were fine and everything worked, though the beds were a little soft. Cleaning was good when requested, but we weren't told at check-in that you have to ask the day before. The location is good, right opposite old town, with a mall built into the hotel. Staff service varied, some were helpful and friendly, while others were abrupt and seemed annoyed. The gym was small, crammed with equipment, and had no space. Only one treadmill worked, and it was ancient, so I ended up paying to use My Fitness club across the road. That may not matter to everyone.

Clean rooms, and if you're on a high floor there's a nice city view. Oldtown is within walking distance. The hotel is in central Tallinn and has a 90s vibe.