Thon Hotel Kirkenes

The main drawback for us was the limited vegan breakfast choice. Otherwise, the hotel offered good value, with a comfortable bed and a decent bathroom. We enjoyed breakfast with the lovely sea view, and the room was good overall. It’s very handy if you’re catching a ship in Kirkenes: the bus to both the airport and harbor stops right outside, making transfers easy. A solid place to stay, especially as a base for a ship departure.

We especially loved the local brown cheese at breakfast, a really nice touch. Breakfast was good, and we had a nice stay overall. The rooms were on the small side, though I’m not sure if that’s normal for a small town like Kirkenes.

The northern lights were amazing, and the rooms were very nice, the staff friendly, and the food very good. We were surprised by the King Crab: they serve it cold with aioli, chili, and balsamic sauces. We’d expected it hot, or to be offered a choice of steamed, grilled, or cold. It was our first trip to Norway, so we just didn’t know. Still very good, just different. The Aurora Borealis was the other unexpected surprise. We also had Halibut and Arctic Char, both very good.

Breakfast had a good selection, including plenty of alternatives for different allergies. We came as a group and were all initially given city-side rooms, but we paid to upgrade to water views and liked them. It was extra snowy and cloudy, so unfortunately we couldn’t see the northern lights. Dinner was nice, though a little basic and simple, which made it easy for a large group. Ordering cocktails and waiting for them to be made took ages, and they didn’t taste pleasant.