A shining gem in a dull town (Sentrum Pensjonat, Oslo)

Member Name: charby

Product:	Sentrum Pensjonat, Oslo
Date:	02/08/08 (184 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great rooms, DVD player, good restaurant, communal kitchen

Disadvantages: shared bathrooms, in Oslo!

Many of you will have read my review of Oslo in general, and now I think it's time to write a review of the hotel I stayed in there, especially as I enjoyed it a lot more than I did the city itself. It was a perfect choice for our stay in Oslo, as it was only two minutes walk away from the train station, and a private twin room was only 32 pounds each for the night, which is a lot cheaper than the majority of hotels in the city centre.

However, price and location means very little if it isn't an enjoyable place to stay. Fortunately, I did enjoy staying at Centrum Pensjonat, as the staff were friendly and the facilities were good. Unfortunately, the toilets and bathrooms are shared, so if you're the type of person who feels uncomfortable with that, then this won't be the place for you. Personally I think sharing a toilet is fine, as there are several per floor, and it's only really annoying for when you need to go in the middle of the night. We were staying on the third floor, and there was one shower on this floor, but there was a whole row of them on the second floor if that one was occupied. However, the showers on the second floor were very hot and steamy, so I started sweating again almost as soon as I got out of the shower, which sort of defeated the point of having a shower, but I avoided that problem the next day by having a shower on our floor.

As for catering facilities in the hotel, there is a large communal kitchen if you want to cook for yourself, where there were also TVs and settees if you want to have a bit of a relax. We however did not opt for this, and instead went to the restaurant on the ground floor which is attached to the hotel, but also has a doorway to the street. The restaurant was very good, and as we were trying to save money, my boyfriend and I shared a small ham and mushroom pizza for 69 kroner (just over 7 pounds), which for Norwegian prices was very cheap, and was infact a generous amount of food so we weren't left wanting more afterwards. The restaurant also does typical Norwegian food as well as any pizzas, so there's something for you whatever you're in the mood in. You could always go to another restaurant nearby, of course, if you don't want to eat there or cook for yourself. We also managed to get some toast and meat/cheese for about 20 kroner in the morning, which was a good price and kept us happy.

My favourite thing about this hotel was the room itself: our twin room had a sink, fridge, and a TV with DVD player, and there was a huge selection of DVDs to borrow from the reception free of charge. Since the city of Oslo itself wasn't particularly great, and everything was expensive, and the weather was unbearably hot even in the evening, the night we stayed there we watched 3 comedy films (English language but with Norwegian subtitles, as long as that doesn't bother you), so you can be entertained even if you don't want to leave the hotel.

If you're now interested in staying in this hotel (although I wouldn't particularly recommend going to Oslo), then you can find it on hostelbookers.com (just search for the country and city you're going to, and the dates you'd be there, and you get a list of hotels and hostels with prices that are available). This is how we booked the hotel, and it was totally easy - you pay a 10% deposit online with a credit card, and then you pay the rest when you get to the hostel. The Sentrum Pensjonat has both private rooms (from single up to six beds) and also dormitories with 6 or 8 beds in. The dorms are quite a bit cheaper normally, but you may prefer to stay in a private room, especially if you're with your family. Check the prices on hostelbookers to see what would be best for you.

So in conclusion, I had a great time at this hotel, despite not particularly liking the city of Oslo, and only staying one night. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good priced and located hotel in the city, although I wouldn't recommend the city itself.

Summary: A great cheap hotel right in the heart of Oslo