Europa City Hotel - Riga (Europa City Hotel Riga (Latvia))

Member Name: flodombey

Product:	Europa City Hotel Riga (Latvia)
Date:	15/04/09 (52 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Convenient for transport, cheap, clean, great staff, breakfast!

Disadvantages: Not central

We stayed for 3 nights at this hotel and found it suited our needs very well. It was an absolute bargain at this time of year and only cost £75 for the entire stay!

The room was very modern and had everything we could possibly need for a short stay, the outlook from the room was not particularly picturesque, looking on to the main road, but the rooms were well glazed and there was no problem with road noise despite the close proximity. The furnishing was quite Ikea in style, all light wood and minimalist, there was a TV but only BBC World News as an English channel - who goes on a city break to watch TV though?!

I was pleased to find a duvet on the bed which I much prefer to blankets and sheets, it is also worth mentioning that the room was always lovely and warm which was very necessary when the temperature was so low outside.

The whole hotel was clean and felt fairly new, there was a problem with hot water in the shower on our first morning but this was sorted after a call down to reception. The staff are very helpful and friendly and speak good English. It seems that the hotel is mainly frequented by business travellers so it caters to the standard they expect, internet access, good continental breakfasts and modern furniture.

There is a terraced area attached to the restaurant, however as we visited in December and it never really got above freezing we never used it. There is also a Jazz bar which we had a drink in one night, however it is much cheaper to have a beer in town. The night we went in there was a live band playing and flyers all over the hotel advertised what was coming up over the next week or so.

Breakfast was included in the room rate and was a good buffet of breads, cheeses, meats, fruit and cereals along with the usual choice of beverages and fruit juices. It was never a problem getting a table, in fact the restaurant and the hotel in general seemed half empty but then its not tourist season.

The majority of guests, as I said above, were evidently on business and there was a lot of breakfast meetings going on and laptops out, the hotel also has conference facilities and seperate meeting rooms with internet access for dedicated business travellers.

This hotel is outside of the city centre but not by much and its very easy and cheap to get the tram/bus in and out, the hotel is situated on a main road into the city and so you never have to wait more than a couple of minutes to get on the next tram or bus. A word of warning though, make sure you get your tickets before boarding, you have to show them to the conductor (generally a sour faced old woman who will not speak any English) and it is very difficult to purchase on board due to the language barriers.

I would definitely stay here again, for the price we paid the room and the location were fantastic value.

Summary: A great value hotel in Riga