Scandic Kouvola

The location couldn’t be better, and the staff are awesome. The place may have seen better days, perhaps back in the nineties.

Free parking is a real bonus, and some of it is even covered. I could stay here again for a business trip, though not for a romantic getaway. It’s right in central Kouvola on the main street. Since Kouvola is a small city, the street is quiet during the week, but people heading to and from bars can get loud on weekends. If street noise bothers you, ask for a room on the other side. The hotel is older and shows it: rooms are a bit dated and small, but clean and adequately equipped. The layout is a little odd because of the extensions. Breakfast is good, as at other Scandic hotels. There are separate saunas for men and women. The chill-out room is very retro in a good way, while the sauna and showers have been updated. It’s a three-star hotel, so three stars from me =)

The rooms were clean, though the beds felt a bit too firm for me. Breakfast was okay if you stuck to fruit and sandwiches. The "Full English" had dry scrambled eggs and oddly sweet fried mushrooms.

This is a basic, typical dated hotel. The tiny room was clean, with a good bed and good air conditioning. Breakfast was good. Check-in, though, was slow and poor. There were three of us, and when I gave our names together, I was told, "I'll do one at the time." Instead of giving us all forms to fill out at once, she asked after each person whether she could proceed. Please! The only excuse would be if it was her first day. It took 25 minutes.