We stayed here for one night before catching our flight following a trip on a Hurtigruten ship. The staff were helpful and courteous and the restaurant was very acceptable. The rooms were of a good size. The fact that the airport shuttle stopped outside was a bonus but it was NK85 per person.
This is not at art-funky-stylish-fashion hotel. It is ordinary average Norwegian hotel. Ok bedroom and bathroom. The business room we had for 2 nights was larger than you find in most Norwegian hotels.
The best with this hotel:
- Located in the centre of the town
- Friendly staff
- Breakfast (do not come after 9 o´clock.... then the fresh fruit is out)
- Comfortable beds
We did not like:
- Expensive, but did not find any luxurious items
- Verry varm rooms (outside temperature 28-30 C.......)
I stayed in a so-called business room. It was double the price of a normal room in most Norwegians hotels so I expected something nice. The room was pretty much a normal hotel room, just some extra pillows on the bed maybe, and a coffee/tea maker as the most luxurious asset. There was a few meter of tape on the ceiling in the shower to hold the ceiling plates together - rather tacky for such an expensive room. Bed was ok-ish. Bathroom not very clean. Breakfast nothing special. Check in done by 1 brave guy and many guests waiting - while other personnel were waiting in offices adjacent to the check in desk. I certainly was not impressed. This hotel seems long past its heydays.
We stayed only one night at the Rica Artic Hotel. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The receptionists gave us a very friendly wellcome. Breakfast was excellent. The dinner was quite well, the local food was marked on the menue. We tasted the "reindeer-burger" and special berries, I never heard before as a dessert. Everything included the service was very well.
The Spa was under renovation - but we did´nt miss it, The only minus was the bathroom, we couldn´t close the door completly - the bathroom needs a renovation. ,
We stayed here for 2 nights after our trip from Bergen on the Hurtigruten 'ferry' and it was a very reasonable choice. The location is very central, close to the local bus stops, whilst buses to/from the ferry and airport stop right outside. To be fair, the centre of town is not large so other hotels aren't far. Go for a high, north-facing room if you can - we were on the 5th floor and would probably have got a good view of the Northern Lights if it hadn't been cloudy.
The (standard) room was quite large, clean, in good condition, and with a decent bathroom. The beds were comfortable although, as seems standard in many countries, the pillows were too soft for us. There was enough hanging space and clothes shelves for us, but then we were near the end of our trip and not much was still clean. As someone else said, the place does seem geared to one night stays.
Breakfast was OK, with a good deal of choice, although some of the hot items were lukewarm, and we also had a reasonably priced lunch. We decided against eating dinner there as the prices looked high, although there were quite a few in the dining room on Saturday evening. Constant free tea and coffe were a real bonus.
With friendly and mostly helpful staff, this was a reasonable place to stay, if a bit impersonal in its architecture/decor and general 'feel'. Nothing fabulous, but it did the job.
We stayed heret for one night in the end of march 2013. It was freezing outside, but very hot inside and we even had to leave an open window during night (this was not to bad, as we were able to wait for the Northern light). The staff was very helpful and breakfast was very good with a lot of choices of bread , cheese and fresh fruits. The bus to the airport stops right in front of the hotel! Ask for a room on the 5th floor - you'll get a nice view on the city.
