I spend most of my free time and money on travelling, so there might be a bit of a theme in my revie...
I spend most of my free time and money on travelling, so there might be a bit of a theme in my reviews...........
Member since:08.10.2006
Reviews:7
We stayed at the Ibis Karlstad in May 2006 during a 2 week holiday in sweden. We only stayed in Karlstad because it was halfway on our journey from Oslo to Stockholm. Before arriving we knew little about Karlstad, and were unsure whether it was a good idea to spend 2 days here. It was the best decision we made.
Karlstad itself has very little in terms of historical buildings (due to a fire in the late 1800's), however despite this it is one of the nicest places i have been to, and it is one of the few places i've been to that i actually thought i could live in. It is very very clean, with plenty of pleasant walks either along the river or through the city gardens (mariebergsskogen). After the fire they redesigned the town, giving wider pavements and open squares (apparently this was so if there was another fire it would not spread so quickly, the fact that it makes the town centre more appealing is a bonus)
The hotel is situated on a corner, with the entrance on the side street. It is easily missable if you only look on ground level as it is simply 2 double doors, with a very small sign above. The rest of the hotel is upstairs, and the main ibis sign is on the upper walls further round. If you reach the library you have walked too far.
The hotel is small and rooms are compact (although not tiny). Rooms were clean, service was good, and at £37 per night was the cheapest hotel on our trip. The only peculiarity was that 2 sides of the bed had a wooden side (and no it wasnt top+bottom, it was top and right), so if you were sharing a double, one of you may feel a little penned in.
The hotel has little to offer except the basics you would expect in a budget hotel (tv, ironing facilities, ensuite etc) - it has a small bar in reception which offers snacks, but no restaurant. It also has a breakfast room upstairs with a nice view of the river. But food-wise it doesnt matter as the bars and restaurants in the town square are a few steps away, with choices at both ends of the price market. Breakfast was ok, but you'd be just as well buying some cereal and milk from the shop round the corner if you want to save £5
The hotel is a few minutes walk northwest from the train/bus station, so dont need to get a taxi. It is also next to the towns tourist information centre (closed at weekends when we were there). Unless you are venturing beyond the centre it is possible to do everything on foot from the hotel - it may look different on a map, but the city gardens are only half an hours walk across town. If you want to go further afield, the bus station is 2mins walk away, and with typical Swedish efficiency, nearly all the buses depart at the same time each hour, so you dont even have to remember when it is.
Overall, the hotel offered no surprises having stayed in other IBIS before, and always found them ok. The big surprise was Karlstad itself.
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