Kartanohotelli Karhulan Hovi

We loved the silence, fresh air, and lovely view from the room. It’s a romantic old-style cottage, almost like a castle, with large, nice rooms and old-fashioned furniture. Breakfast was delicious and served individually, with a big pot of very good freshly made coffee. An ideal place to sleep, read, write, and go for walks. We recommend it!

Breakfast was good, almost Scandic level, maybe even better. The staff seemed stressed by having customers around, though. I tried to buy a soda from the fridge at reception, but couldn’t when the restaurant was closed, and it only opens with a prior booking. Luckily, a grocery store, Kotipizza, Hesburger, and Alko are only a couple hundred metres away for takeaway dinner. We stayed because the hotels in town were full, and didn’t expect much. This is a cool old mansion about 6 km from downtown Kotka, in pretty good condition. The rooms are big, with good beds, tidy bathrooms, and high ceilings. One warning: the perfume dispensers in the rooms clogged my nose right away and made my throat tingle. I got rid of mine in the hallway, so be aware if you’re allergic or asthmatic.

The mansion is pleasant, and the riverside surroundings are lovely. There’s also a nice little surprise, a park about a 10-minute walk away. It’s around 10 km from downtown Kotka. The idea is better than the outcome, but it’s still a very pleasant place.

The river is lively, and that earns an extra star. Reception was nice, and when we asked for a vegan breakfast, they arranged to serve it earlier than usual and even went out to get us vegan yoghurt. In the suite there was plenty of space for clothes, though that felt a bit odd. There was only hand soap in the shower, no shower gel, but I guess that’s no big deal. The balcony door was locked, perhaps for safety. There wasn’t a TV in the room, but there were two in the guest area outside. Not many outlets for charging a phone, and there was one pillow per bed. With no phone in the room, I wasn’t sure where to ask for more.