Happy Monday everyone. Over the weekend, Scott and I headed over to Helsinki for a short but sweet mini-break, a chance to catch up on a spot of overdue shopping and to stuff our faces with delicious food and cocktails. We usually book our stays with the Radisson Plaza hotel in Helsinki; however we thought we would mix things up a bit this weekend and opted to stay in the small, luxury Hotel Haven.
Hotel Haven is nestled next to Helsinki's market square and backs onto Helsinki's stunning harbour. The location is perfect for exploring the city as the main shopping streets are a short stumble away; and the surrounding streets are lined with galleries and cafes.
We booked ourselves into a Lux room for the evening, which certainly didn't disappoint. The room was enormous! It's hard to recreate the spacious feeling through photographs, but as soon as we swung the room door open, we were both taken aback with what greeted us. A desk area, a sitting area, a dining table, a huge, comfy bed and a separate toilet and bathroom... Oh, and more mirrors than any girl could possibly need - perfect!
We arrived late lunch time on the Saturday, so we dumped our bags and headed out into town to source some food. There was a food festival taking place just a few steps from our hotel in the square; however it was freezing and we desperately wanted to find somewhere warm instead. Just when we thought Spring was around the corner, the weather takes a nose dive again! Typical.
We dived into the Kamp Brasserie for a quick bite, (and a gin and tonic). Scott ordered a burger whilst I opted for a club sandwich - minus the tomatoes. The service was good, but painstakingly slow; however we were out of the chill and fed and that's all that mattered.
After hitting the shops, we headed back to the hotel to relax before heading out for the evening. I used up my Lush Heart Throb bubble bar with a soak in the tub, (which surprisingly turned my bath water orange, not red as expected) and had to practically tear myself off the bed and out of my pjs. It was so cold outside and so cosy in; that I was definitely tempted to order room service and stay wrapped up in bed.
Scott finally kicked my arse into gear and we headed out to Grotesk bar and grill, for food and cocktails. Look out for a full review coming soon.
After dinner, we climbed into a taxi and made our way back to the hotel for a nightcap, and the most delicious strawberry, champagne cocktail I had ever tasted!
The following morning when we came to check out, we were informed that the underground parking lift, (the one that provided access to our car) was broken and we would have to wait for the maintenance team to fix it. Despite the frustrating situation and just wanting to get home, the staff were so helpful and went out of their way to make us comfortable. In the end, they organised us a taxi home and arranged for our car to be sent to a convenient location so that it could be picked up by one of Scott's colleagues. Not the most ideal end to our stay but I guess these things happen and the way that the team handled it meant that both Scott and I agreed we'd be more than happy to stay at Hotel Haven again... We'll perhaps park our car elsewhere next time though!
Thanks for having us Hotel Haven and until next time Helsinki...
