Nidos Smilte

We stayed September 16-17. The Lagoon View room had a nice view, and the location was good. Breakfast tasted delicious if you got there in time, but the 8 to 10 service was chaotic. At 8.30 it was crowded, there seemed to be too few staff, and there were no plates or eggs. Food wasn’t being replenished, and by 9am very little was left. The receptionist more or less ignored us, so check-in felt self-service. It seemed the official season had ended, leaving too few staff for the number of visitors. The room felt a little too expensive for what you get.

The hotel sits right by the water, so we could enjoy the peaceful waterfront views without going anywhere. Breakfast was delicious, with plenty of choice and good quality, and the room was beautiful, comfortable, clean, and had everything we needed. Staff were warm, attentive, and ready to help with questions or requests. Hotel Nidos Banga exceeded our expectations and made for a memorable, relaxing stay. I’d highly recommend it.

The room looked nicely furnished, but the age of everything was still obvious. The renovation seems to have meant painting the old tiles, doors, window sills, and other surfaces cream. There’s a large gap under the old door to the corridor, so you hear everything from there and the other rooms. Staff seemed to have crossed wires when we arrived: despite our booking, no room had been assigned. At breakfast, two different employees checked whether we were really guests because they couldn’t find our information. At 150€ for one night, the price doesn’t match the quality.

We booked two double rooms and got very different conditions for the same price. One was tiny and dark, while the other was larger, brighter, and had a much better view. Thankfully, a kind receptionist moved us from the first room to a better one. The hotel’s water heaters barely provide enough hot water for one person to shower, around 5-7 minutes, so a second person travelling as a pair may have to wait at least 30 minutes. With my long hair, I had to wait that whole time with shampoo still in it. Nobody warned us beforehand. The blow dryers were poor too: they’d run for a couple of minutes, shut off, and need another 10 minutes before working again. When I politely raised these problems with a different receptionist, they said, “It’s just the way it is,” without apologizing. For that price, I’d rather have stayed at a cheaper hostel with enough hot water, even if the interior wasn’t as pretty. The hotel is falsely called one of the best in Nida, and you don’t know what you’ll get.