As our tickets were booked with Finnair, our flight from New York to Lisbon involved a transit through Helsinki so I thought it would be the perfect excuse to see a bit of this charming city.  We chose this hotel based on its location and as it reviewed well and was very reasonably priced, it was an easy choice.

Address

Mikonkatu 23, Helsinki 00100, Finland

Date stayed

Saturday 23rd April for two nights

Room Type

Standard room with double bed including breakfast each morning

We were allocated a room on level six (650) 

Price

We paid $488.15 AUD (€322.66) for 2 nights through Hotels.com.  This was a non-refundable booking and rates were made up as follows:

Saturday, April 23, 2022 : A$255.14 (€168.64)

Sunday, April 24, 2022 : A$233.01 (€154.02

Location

This historical hotel dates back to 1917 when Finland gained its independence.  It is extremely well located being right next to the city and Central train station and close to shops, eateries and some attractions.

Check-in/Check-out

• Check-in is from 3pm to anytime
• Check-out is before 12 noon
• 24 hour front desk
• Express check-in and check-out
• Minimum check-in age is 18
• Government issued photo ID required
• Credit/Debit card or cash deposit required for incidentals
• Pets allowed on request

Parking

Only twelve parking spaces are available in the on-site garage and the cost is €39 a day. If the car park is full there is another garage around the corner for guests to use.

Internet

Free high speed internet is available in rooms and all areas of the hotel and we had no issues with it at all.

Room Features

Our room 650 included:

• A spacious 23 square metre allergy free, soundproof space with wooden flooring and a large bed made up from two extra long singles
• Night lights on the bedhead as well as one hanging from the canopy of the bed
• Mains power outlets on either side of the bed and on one side USB charge port plus mediaHUB control panels for plugging in a laptop into the TV across the room.
• Bedside table with phone
• Round table with light and two good sized chairs
• Large adjustable Samsung flatscreen television with satellite channels
• Thermostatically controlled heater/cooler
• Mini bar with selection of drinks and snacks
• Tea and coffee making facilities, glasses and cups
• Drawers in the mini bar for storage and power points in the side
• A laptop sized safe for storing valuables
• A linen cupboard containing two sides of hanging space, coat hangers, shelves, ironing board and Bosch iron with water cup, laundry bag and price list, foot horn and shoe shine.
• A nice sized floor to ceiling tiled modern bathroom with heated flooring, magnifying mirror, lighting around the sink mirror, hair dryer and bathroom ammenities by Radisson Blu.
• Full length mirror
• Peep hole in the door and a switch inside the room to select either “Do not Disturb” or “Cleaning Please”

Hotel Facilities

The facilities at Radisson Blu Plaza hotel include:

• Restaurant and Bar
• Fitness centre
• Saunas
• Laundry services and dry cleaning
• Concierge service
• Babysitting and child minding
• Games and puzzles
• Business centre with internet access
• Bicycle rental
• Shuttle services
• Wake up service
• Packed lunches
• Car hire
• Designated smoking area 
• A refreshment station beside reception with complimentary fruit infused water, plain and sparkling water, fruit, biscuits and lollies.

Breakfast

Breakfast was included in our room rate and was served in a beautiful large space inside the building.  There was a big selection of food to choose from including typical Finnish fare like breads, cheeses and salmon to the typical English cooked breakfast of eggs, sausages, baked beans, pancakes etc.  There was an assortment of pastries and cakes, cereals, fruit, yoghurts, salads and cold cuts.  To drink, the wait staff would come around pouring tea and coffee but also vitamin shots which contained a mix of berries including cranberries.  There was also lingonberry juice, smoothies, tomato and other juices, tea, coffee and hot chocolate.  There was also a station preparing items such as omelettes and waffles with jam and cream.  We both really enjoyed the breakfasts each morning.

Things to do in the Area

We only had one full day in Helsinki so didn’t get a chance to see a lot but this is what we did get some pleasure from:

• Marvelling at the architecture of some of the city’s churches including the Russian built Eastern Orthodox Uspenski Cathedral constructed between 1862 and 1868.  The Lutheran Helsinki Cathedral should also not be missed.  This is the white church built between 1830 and 1852 – 1.4km (19 min walk).
• Getting up to date with our Finnish history at the National Museum of Finland – 1.2km (16 min walk)
• Visiting Sibelius Park to see the monument built to honour the Finnish composer.  It resembles a sound wave made from over 600 organ pipes.  Don’t forget to pick up a salmiakki (salted licorice) ice cream whilst there – 2.8km (35 min walk).
• Picking up a bite to eat from picturesque Cafe Regatta whilst sitting around a cozy fireplace.  They are famous for their cinnamon buns but their sausages and hot chocolates are good too – 2.7km (34 min walk).
• Admire some of the many sculptures around the city
• Walk through the innovative central library Oodi.  We came across this by chance and it’s by far the best library we’ve seen with its 3D printers, soundproof recording studios, meeting rooms, sewing machines and over lockers and work areas filled with natural light and greenery – 850m (10 min walk)

Pros

• Lovely modern spacious room in a classic old Finnish building
• Very well located
• Complimentary saunas
• All rooms non-smoking
• Heated bathroom floor
• Loved the little complimentary drinks/snacks station in the foyer
• Great breakfast spread and really enjoyed the vitamin shots and lingonberry juice
• Comfortable beds
• Friendly staff
• Soundproof rooms
• A mini bar that wasn’t empty – rare these days!

Cons

• Beds were two singles together instead of one large bed which we prefer
• Parking is very limited and a bit expensive although it didn’t affect us as we didn’t have a car
• We didn’t have a nice view out our window

Summary

I really liked Radisson Blu Plaza hotel and struggled to come up with anything I didn’t like.  It’s extremely well located, modern, clean, quiet, serves a lovely breakfast and is equipped with complimentary saunas which is new to me.  I highly recommend this place and would happily choose to stay here again.  Although we could have reached some of the attractions quicker by using public transport, we enjoyed seeing more of Helsinki by foot. This way you also come across unexpected things of interest like the Oodi library we found quite fascinating.  The staff were also lovely but I found that typical of Finnish people.