St.Elisabeth Hotell

We tried to make the most of it since we’d paid quite a lot for so little, but we were bored in under an hour. It’s basically a pool with a fancy shower and steam room, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless that feels worth the high price. They advertise it as a sauna and show an outdoor bath that actually belongs to a private suite, not the sauna. It costs more than other proper saunas nearby, and the service was poor too. We waited 15 minutes for someone to come give us a bracelet and towel. The dinner deal isn’t a real deal either, since there’s no discount.

The showers were nicely built, and the steam bath, hot water bath, and pool all looked clean. But after half an hour we wanted to see what else there was, and there wasn’t much: the sauna didn’t have a sauna, and guests couldn’t use the hot tub overlooking the Fjord, even though photos of it appear on Google and the website. That felt misleading, on top of the dinner and wellness combo deal we’d booked at the last minute. When we arrived, we were told there was no deal, just an entrance fee, with dinner as an extra. That would have tripled the bill and cut our spa time significantly, so we planned to use the spa and then head into the city. We had to go back upstairs to find help because nobody was there, and it took 30 minutes to get in. We asked the helpdesk if they could offer some compensation, since we didn’t want to spend more time just sitting around. Instead, the discussion got stuck on whether a steam bath counts as what they call a sauna. We left annoyed, hungry, and feeling we’d made the wrong choice and wasted our money. This review is only about the spa. It did look quite good and clean.

The breakfast was tasty, though the buffet got a bit chaotic when things disappeared faster than you could pick them up. To their credit, staff refilled the food when asked. Our room was upgraded, which was a lovely gesture, and the hotel was clean and welcoming. It’s about a 15-minute walk to the city centre, with the hotel up a hill, so that could be difficult for guests with limited mobility. We’d stay again.

The room wasn’t finished or well equipped, and we could hear a lot through the walls. Breakfast was poor and carelessly presented, and service during the stay was weak. We had been told two days before arrival that there would be minor renovations, then got free spa access at check-in as compensation. But the hotel was still fully under construction, with hammering and drilling starting before 8 a.m. and making it impossible to rest. We raised it at the front desk. They briefly apologized and said the workers had been told not to start before 9, but offered no other solution. The spa access didn’t make up for the disruption. Rest is a basic promise for a hotel, and this stay failed on several things you’d expect at four-star prices.