Laine Hotel Riga

I stayed at Hotel Laine for 3 nights in April 2005.

At that time, a single room with private bathroom facilities cost 40 Lats (approx 40 GBP) per night. A continental breakfast is included in the price.

My first impressions of the hotel were not too good. I arrived by taxi late on a cold night and found myself dropped off outside a dark courtyard on a bleak looking street. I made my way through the courtyard and located the unlikely looking hotel entrance. I went through the door and found myself at the bottom of a cold, stone stairwell. A sign indicated that I should make my way up a couple of flights of steps to find the hotel reception. I did this, and was pleasantly surprised to find a warm, brightly lit, well decorated reception room.

The hotel's interior is far better than its external appearance might suggest. The same goes for the quality of the bedrooms. I stayed in a single room which consisted of a double bed, satellite TV, a desk and chair, an armchair, a minibar, cupboard space, a small entrance hall and a clean shower room. Rooms are spacious, bright and very colourful!

Breakfast was served each morning in the hotel's small but cosy dining room. This largely consisted of standard continental breakfast fare - bread, cereals, jam, cold cuts of meat, cheese, yoghurt, eggs, fruit and nuts. It wasn't particularly memorable, but it was buffet style and therefore possible to eat as much as I liked in order to see me through the morning.

The hotel is located about 5-10 minutes walk from the Esplanade park and the central Brivibas iela. It is in the embassy district of the city, just behind the imposing and unmissable Hotel Latvija. There are lots of bars, restaurants and shops within easy walking distance.

A good value centrally located 3* hotel with spacious, clean bedrooms, private bathrooms and breakfast included in the price.

Directions: Located on Skolas iela (School Street), a 5-10 minutes walk from Brivibas, just north of the Esplanade park.