Riga's Hanza Hotel
Riga's Hanza Hotel came highly recommended by travelers the world over. On the day we traveled to Riga from Tallinn, Estonia, the Luxe Express' magazine even named the hotel one of the Latvian city's best finds. It was one of the the most decent budget hotels anyone could ever find in the city. We were actually quite pleased.
The Hanza Hotel
Not to demean the place in any way, but it actually reminded me of my dorm room while I was a student in Salamanca doing my Master's in Spanish. For starters, it was not airconditioned. Thank goodness the weather was pleasant all throughout our stay especially at night. We did have to open all the windows to let air in while we were asleep but at the same time pull the shades down for privacy given that our room faced other rooms. Actually, all the hotel guests did the same. Check in was quick and pleasant. Already shaken and wary of the suspicious looking crowds I saw at the Bus Station as well as the Central Market, I asked the female hotel employee who checked us in if the hotel was in a safe area. She smiled and advised us not to believe anything negative we may have heard about Riga.
The lobby of the Hanza Hotel. Pictures can really be deceiving. What I thought was a very big lobby turned out to be quite small. Perhaps it was the very high ceilings that gave the lobby the look that it was way bigger and more spacious. That was the impression I got when I first saw pictures of the hotel on the net.
The elevators in the lobby of the Hanza Hotel were directly in front of the check in counter.
Another section of the lobby of the Hanza Hotel where guests could sit and relax.
This area of the lobby had a floor cabinet of Latvian souvenirs for sale.
This was the way to the restaurant where we had breakfast every morning. The breakfast room got full by 9 am. It is best to get there by 8 and 8:30 am to get a good table. The Hanza had a SUPERB breakfast spread. They had a variety of hams and cheeses, potato pancakes besides the usual pankcakes, bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, breads, juices, the works. We ate so much every morning, we skipped lunch. We got so full because of the good food. Of all the hotels we stayed in from Helsinki to Oslo throughout our three week European vacation this year, The Hanza had one of the best breakfasts buffets we were served. Tallinn's PK Illmarine and Oslo's Park Inn by Radisson were my other favorites.
The restaurant where we had breakfast. It was so cozy.
Our room at the Hanza Hotel. The beds were comfortable and the sheets clean and crisp. Just the way I like my hotel beds anywhere.
This table was in a corner opposite our beds.
The bathroom of our Hanza Hotel room
The shower stall
The mirror and sink
The sink
The liquid soap supplied by the hotel for hotel guests.
The hair dryer. Frankly, I can survive just fine when I travel without it. If there is one, fine. If there is none, no big deal.
Marc and I had a long discussion about it last year while on vacation in Vienna last year. Our IBIS hotel room's bathroom had a defective hair dryer and Marc was so bothered by it. The hotel personnel did provide him with a portable replacement but since then he's been bringing his own every time we travel. In times of limited luggage allowance, this is one gadget that doesn't need to be taken along.
The toilet inside our room, the Hanza Hotel
I have to say, while I was generally happy with our hotel room, our room's toilet had a strong smell strong of urine. I actually had to put the lid down when we didn't use it so that the smell wouldn't spread. It might have been the cleaning chemical the hotel used to disinfect. I know such liquid chemicals smelled like so sometimes.
These were one set of windows out of two that we kept open wide at night to let air in when we went to sleep. By 4:30 am it was already bright but what woke us up were the sounds, very loud ones, that birds nearby made. We weren't sure what kind of birds they were, definitely not roosters, but they were loud. The sounds made us laugh alright. Definitely a quaint experience which we enjoyed despite the noise they may have caused other guests.
A view of the Zinatnu Akademija or the Latvian Academy of Sciences from our Hanza Hotel room
Some travelers who reviewed the Hanza on Tripadvisor wrote about the hotel's physical location. Be warned that it is not picturesque and it is actually a good 15 minute walk to Old Town. No need to worry. Even though the immediate vicinity was not upscale, it was safe. We never felt threatened in any way. Do remember too that we never really ventured out late at night. By the time 9 pm hit, we were exhausted after a full day of exploration.
The newer apartment building next to the Hanza Hotel
The Embassy of Belarus was right behind the hotel.
The Embassy of Belarus
An Old housing development right behind the church facing the Hanza Hotel. This looked scary at first and we didn't dare go and take a closer look. The hotel area was safe though even though it didn't look upscale nor rich at all.
The Hanza is also just a few blocks away from the Stockmann Department Store. This upscale department store is a good place to buy food and it also has a restaurant where we had a late lunch one afternoon. It was not too expensive either. Perfect for us.