Aurora Hotel Klaipeda

The main drawback is the busy harbour marshalling yard right beside the hotel. Diesel locomotives move wagons around day and night, so light sleepers may struggle. The pillows also give almost no support. Otherwise, the hotel is clean and in good shape. Rooms are basic, parking on site is free, and the breakfast buffet is quite good. It’s easy to reach and handy for both the city and harbour.

We were unsettled by what happened at checkout. Staff said some minibar items were missing, though we hadn’t touched anything. They checked again and found nothing missing, but didn’t clearly explain the mix-up and seemed indifferent. If we hadn’t pushed for another check, we might have paid for something we never used. The hotel was tidy, breakfast was very good, and the location worked well for the city center and Dolphinarium. But the railway right next door made sleeping difficult, and the air conditioner was so loud and directly above the bed that we couldn’t use it at night. The staff seemed pleasant at first.

It’s easy to get to, and the harbour nearby keeps things lively. I liked how the old cinema was worked into the hotel complex and turned into a large event hall. You can sometimes hear the railway next door.

The breakfast was nice and there was plenty of seating. Staff were friendly, and for a short trip or one night, the price helps make up for some of the downsides. Still, our stay was pretty disappointing, and we probably wouldn’t come back, though maybe we were just unlucky. The location is handy for the ferry to Sweden and Nida, with the Old Town and shopping center a short trip away. But the beds were old spring mattresses, hard as rocks, and all four pillows were just as hard and paper-thin. We visited in summer, when freight trains seemed to come almost every 10 minutes overnight, so sleeping with the window open was impossible. The air conditioning was incredibly noisy too. The room could also use more coffee, including a regular black coffee option.