Systra Hotel Søvik

The room had been cleaned, but my sponge and toothbrush were left soaking wet and moved around in the bathroom, so I had to throw them away. The soap dispenser didn’t work either. The building seems like it may once have been a hotel or something similar. There’s still a sliding door, but it doesn’t work, and the stairs awkwardly block the entrance door. When several kitchen appliances and the washing machine are running at once, the breaker trips.

The furniture is very old, and the fabric had spots on it. I covered the chair seat with a bunch of kitchen paper before sitting down. I’m fine with old places, but not with dirty rooms and strong bad smells. There was hair on the floor, including chest hair and hair from someone’s head, and the smell from people cooking in the kitchen at the far end of the building spread through the whole hallway. The rooms themselves had a strong hospital or old people’s care home smell. Honestly, whoever runs the place should clean it properly and maybe warn people about the odor so they can decide whether it bothers them.

If you’re working at the shipyard, this place is ideally located for that. The rooms are spacious, though it really feels more like a dormitory than a hotel. There’s no reception or bar, just machines selling drinks. It’s a pretty spartan place, and the only one in Sovik.

We paid 600kr for a Tuesday night, and for that price the place was very good. The room was basic, which was what we wanted, but it was clean and had two twin beds, a big bathroom, somewhere to sit, and hangers. The Wi-Fi has been working great so far. There are dining tables, a kitchen, a washer and dryer, and a fridge. A friendly cat wanders around the tables outside. The handyman was really nice, called the owner for us, and helped us get the room key. The only real downside is the drive to Alesund, which is around 45 minutes.