Langholmen Hotell

Unique but uncomfortable, bad value

We stayed for two nights in the hostel as the hotel was booked up. I was aware of the extremely small rooms before I booked but since it was only for two nights I decided to give it a shot. It was different but the size of the rooms really is a negative in my opinion. Luckily for us the weather was cool at night since the stone buildings really retain the heat of the day. We were able to leave the windows open but there were no screens so we had to deal with a few flying insects. No fans or A/C.

I had read everything I could about the property so I am not going to complain about it too much as I made my own decision to stay there after knowing the facts. I will complain about the incredible rudeness and complete lack of normal customer care that I received from one man at the reception desk on two different occasions. The rest of the staff were friendly and helpful but this guy was exactly what you would not want in an employee if you owned a business and cared anything about your customers. Our first night I attempted to get his opinion on taking a bus or train to the airport and he told me to do whatever I wanted in a tone that clearly let me know he was not interested in sharing any information. The day we checked out I handed him our room keys and told him we were checking out, he never said anything to me and kept typing on his keyboard. After several minutes of standing in front of him while he types and stared at his computer screen he finally looked up and sneered "is there anything else?". I told him that I did not know if we were finished since most clerks would usually check for any late charges and then thank the customer for his stay. This guy just really needs to be in job with no customer contact, maybe trimming the grass or washing windows. I thought that maybe for some reason he just hated Americans but as we waited for our taxi my wife and I were talking with each other about this and another couple who were looking at a map spoke up and said the male reception desk guy was very rude to them too and they were Belgium. So I don't have a clue what this guys problem is other than he just does believe that common manners and a pleasant attitude is important to the business he works for. I happen to believe it is and will post my experience with him to warn others as he really did put a black cloud on our stay there for us (and as it turns out others too).

Unique Quality: You are staying in a renovated cell. It was done very nicely but the cells still are pretty small and you should be aware of that. Plus they have no cooling and very poor ventilation so on warmer days you will probably bake in the cells.

I should add that it is very pricey for a bare bones stay. The room price is expensive, the sheets are expensive, the cleaning of the room is expensive and the food is expensive. After you add it all up you can find a much better value elsewhere. You are definitely paying for the uniqueness but for me after staying there I need to warn others that they may be disappointed with what they receive for their money.

If you feel you need to stay here go ahead you may like it. Just read all you can find about this property so that you are making the smartest decision you can. Maybe a night or two stay, but after that the rooms will start to feel even smaller.