Check in was a breeze but I would have to say that the check in desk is not well placed as a large pillar is blocking the way. There is some form of elevator security but I am not too sure if it was more secure or just a minor inconvenience. You slot in your room key in the elevator and then press the corresponding button. However, only 1 card is needed and guests can access other floors once a valid room key is inserted. I would think this security feature is not going to deter anyone.

The room is pretty large with all the amenities you would expect. The window stretches wall to wall and you get a good view of the river. The river is rather murky and you can watch the various boats and ferries go about their daily businesses. The bed is a little too soft for my taste but it’s really a matter of personal preference.

Breakfast is served in the Flow Restaurant located on the ground floor next to the lobby. It is pretty good and I can recommend the “Asian” section. Even though they would usually offer the usual coffee or tea to all guests, you can also ask for a cup of hot chocolate, cappuccino or latte.

The only disadvantage I see staying at this hotel is pretty much the location. To get to the major attractions, you would either need to wait for the ferry or the shuttle bus. You would probably need to cater about an additional 20 minutes for your journey. Taxi drivers do not seem to be familiar with this hotel too as we tried a number of drivers before encountering one who knew this place.

Accommodation rating: 4
My room is pretty good and quiet. However another colleague of mine encountered quite a number of problems. This hotel has a centralized call system which they called “Magic”. The system is linked to the guest lists and when you call them they will greet you by name. It’s great to see hotels embracing IT.

Value rating: NA
Since I didn’t pay for the room directly, I will refrain from giving this hotel a value rating.

Information:
Nights stayed: 31 Aug and 01 Sep 2011
Total cost: included in conference package
Room stayed: Room 812, twin room
(please refer to ratings explanation)

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Arriving at the hotel.

Both sides of the hotel get a view of the river.

The standard twin room is pretty big.

The floorplan will give you a good idea on the arrangement of rooms.

The lobby with the waiting area on the left.

The check-in desk.

Breakfast is served at the Flow Restaurant

Inside the Flow Restaurant

This is another restaurant, called Prime

Inside Prime restaurant

The free ferry service takes you across the river.

As for the rooms themselves, they are clean but aesthetically, they don’t score well. The room and shower are quite spacious though. You have the usual TV and there is free WIFI as well. If you need to print anything, there is a PC at the reception area which you can do so for free. The surprising good thing is there is a minibar in the room that comes with 2 bottles of beer and 2 bottles of mineral water. Considering their prices in Sweden, I would say it would be quite rare to find such freebies in other hotels.

Most hotels do not serve early breakfasts, but you can have yours from 4 am at Arlanda Hotellby. The breakfast is pretty standard and to be honest, it is not very appetizing. The free shuttle bus also goes to Marsta train station. If you are coming from Stockholm, you can save on the 60SEK station access fee per person if you take the shuttle bus from Marsta instead of taking it from the airport.

Accommodation rating: 3
The room is clean and functional and we had a good rest. We did not have any problems with the temperature or the shower. However, make sure to get a room on the ground floor if you don’t want to climb a steep and narrow flight of stairs. Frequent snow clearing would also be much appreciated as the roads are quite hazardous to walk on.

Value rating: 4
Given the price, Arlanda Hotellby offers good value with all the freebies thrown in. Even private rooms in hostels charge similar prices. Therefore if you are going off on an early flight, I would recommend this place.

Information:
Night stayed: 16 Jan 2011
Total cost: 695 SEK
Room stayed: Economy room
(please refer to ratings explanation)

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You stay in this chalet-like buildings but they do look like containers.

Clean and functional room with 2 single beds.

Freebies in the minibar!

Toilet could use some decoration.

1. Going for another super-value cruise to Riga, Latvia from Stockholm
2. Review of Acco Hostel, Stockholm

In July, I will try to post as much as possible. Basically the same articles to look out for.
1. Spending a week in Budapest
2. Vienna. We caught an opera, standing room only.
3. Dresden, Germany. We check out the Volkswagen car factory.
4. Berlin, Germany. The famous Berlin Wall.

To summarize, if you can afford a better place, then I would recommend you pay more for a better place. Please note that the prices here changes very fast and you will probably pay the least if you are the first few guests to book for a particular date.

Accommodation rating: 1.5
The room is quite small for 4 persons so don’t expect to spend much time in the room, or even inside the hostel. You would need to carry your luggage up a flight of stairs. Temperature in the winter is warm enough and the shower is ok. Other factors as mentioned earlier causes me to give such a low rating.

Value rating: 2.5
Both the location and the price are very good. Wifi, washing and drying of laundry are all free. However, there are many problems with this place which had prevented me from giving a good rating. The worst is this hostel doesn’t feel safe. It is a pity since at the price that is being charged, this hostel has potential.

Information:
Night stayed: 13 Jan 2011
Total cost: 340 SEK (170 SEK per person per night)
Room stayed: Quad room, room 14
Washing and drying laundry: free
(please refer to ratings explanation)

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The entrance could be a bit difficult to find.

You need to carry your luggage up this flight of stairs.

There are 2 computer terminals and some seats.

No lockers and hardly any space to place your luggage.

As accommodation options in Stockholm can easily run up in excess of 1000 SEK or more per night, we decided to go for another cruise. This time round, we choose another company and another destination. We settled on the company Silja Line, which is operating under AS Tallink Group. The destination was Riga, the capital of Latvia, as the offer at that time was better than other destinations. I had read reports on the Internet that Silja ships usually have less drunken partying passengers and hence were more suitable for passengers preferring some peace and quiet. Therefore I was excited to board the ship to see for myself if there was a difference between Viking and Silja.

The place to board was different from my previous cruise operated by Viking. In this case, I would need to board it from Frihamnen, which is located in the North Eastern part of Stockholm. Buses reach the terminal but there is more than 1 stop with the name Frihamnen so you may want to double check. Fortunately the Stockholm public transportation system allows passengers to make unlimited transfers within a certain time limit. However, waiting times during off-peak hours may be quite long and certain services do not run on weekends. We arrived very early as after checking out of the hostel, we made our way straight to the terminal. There wasn’t anything to do at the terminal and there were just a couple of unappealing cafes selling expensive food. We could only board the ship 2 hours before departure so we took out our laptops and watch a couple of movies to pass the time. We boarded the Silja Festival at a little pass 3pm since the ship was scheduled to depart at 5.

The interior furnishings of the ship were just a tad more recent than the Viking Gabriella and it was too close a call to determine if which ship was better furnished. The crew onboard Silja Festival tried to engage passengers with some shows and entertainment which I thought was rather short as it only lasted 15 minutes. I found the atmosphere here more lively than onboard the Viking Gabriella. However, the WiFi access on the Festival was only limited to a small area at the conference rooms, making it less convenient to get on to the Internet. However, internet access on both ships was rather sketchy and intermittent.

Frihamnen Terminal in Stockholm.

Silja Festival. Notice that the bridge spans across the breadth of the ship.

The reception area of Silja Festival.

The ship has a lounge and viewing gallery on the upper decks.

The captain spends a lot of time here on the bridge.

This is a standard “A-class” cabin.

We arrived the next day in Riga at about 11am. It was about a 15 minute walk into the historic city and it took a little longer in the winter. There were few people on the streets but I was not sure if it was due to the fact that it was a Saturday. Lacking a guide to bring us around, we strolled along the cobbled streets and admired the newly restored historic buildings. The buildings had many Art Nouveau features which of course you could not find them in Asia. Not to be missed were the cats and dog statues facing each other on the roofs of different buildings. Local legends had attributed them to a pair of feuding neighbours. Overall, Riga’s historic city centre had a very nice feel to it and I could certainly see the tourist potential in this place.

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This landmark greets you when you arrive in Riga. Reminds me of Lord of the Rings…

The terminal in Riga is small but efficient.

Business is good for Samsung.

The entire historic centre of Riga has been designated as an Unesco World Heritage Site.

This sculpture is rather peculiar right?

Do you see the 2 cats?

This is the corresponding dog against the cats. Cute!

The Freedom Monument. They actually have guards at the base.

We chanced upon a wedding couple in Riga. Btw, the museum has free admission.

The newly restored buildings in Riga have many interesting statues.

I have also added the following photo albums on Facebook.
1. Overnight on the Hurtigruten – In Search of the Northern Nights
2. Polar nights in Svalbard
3. Activities and sightings in Tromsø
4. Narvik, from Norway to Sweden
5. A week in Stockholm
6. Cruise to Helsinki from Stockholm

In June, we continue posting about our journeys in Europe. I expect to cover the following destinations:
1. Cruise to Riga
2. Spending a week in Budapest
3. Vienna. We caught an opera, standing room only.
4. Dresden, Germany. We check out the Volkswagen car factory.
5. Berlin, Germany. The famous Berlin Wall.

At only 196 SEK (about SGD40) for a window cabin which can accommodate a maximum of 4 passengers, the cruises to Helsinki are ridiculously cheap and too good an offer to pass up. However there is a catch. There is always a catch isn’t it? These are last minute prices, meaning usually you can only book 2 weeks in advance and are usually not available in the summer and available places are quickly snap up. However if you do have time to spare and have some flexibility in your itinerary, such cruises are definitely worth it.

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So what do you actually get for paying 196 SEK? Mind you, 196 SEK is for the price of the cabin alone, food is not included. The cabin can accommodate up to a maximum of 4 and has 4 fold down beds. The ship takes 1 night to reach Helsinki, and you have about 6 to 8 hours to explore Helsinki before travelling back to Stockholm. You will reach Stockholm at about late morning or early afternoon. Effectively you get 2 nights of accommodation for up to a maximum of 4 persons at only 196 SEK. You can even go lower than that if you opt for a lower deck room or an inside room without window. If you find the prices for hotels in Stockholm too high to stomach, such cruises may be the way to go. Some travelers going to Helsinki or other destinations such as Riga or Tallinn, will also buy such cruise packages since one-way tickets are surprisingly charged at the normal rate and hence more expensive.

How is the cruise operator, in this case Viking Line, able to offer such low prices for passengers? It is my belief that the ship not only carries passengers, but other cargo as well. In the winter, the number of cruise passengers drops significantly but the amount of cargo transported remains the same. Since the ship has to sail, it makes sense to carry passengers at the same time as well. Therefore to attract more cruise passengers, such packages are priced very low. The ship also has a large duty free shop to encourage passengers to spend onboard. No idea if Viking Line makes a profit on such cruises but the low prices definitely benefit lots of budget travelers out there.

I had booked my cruise package online with Viking Line and encountered no problems. The website accepted my overseas credit card. Since the website is in Swedish, it took a longer time to book since I have to painfully translate some of the words. The ship is named Gabriella and is set to leave Stockholm at 1645. We checked in about an hour earlier at the Viking Terminal in Stockholm and once we had our cabin cards, we boarded the ship. There were no security checks so it was a breeze to board.

The cabin was reasonably furnished and frankly for the price, I wasn’t expecting much. Everything was clean and functional. There was WIFI Internet access available but only in certain areas and the network did not extend to the cabins. The ship did not have many facilities available but there are some arcade game and also slot machines to occupy your time. The duty free shop onboard was huge and I saw lots of passengers snapping up alcohol since heavy duties are imposed on alcohol in Sweden. There was a café which sold hot food at very reasonable prices considering passengers did not have much of a choice.

You can spot the chimney of the ship behind the Viking Terminal.

Gabriella is by no means a small ship.

Shopping cart provided for the large duty free shop onboard.

The pub enjoying brisk business.

The cafe also has a karaoke if you are feeling adventurous.

Our cabin with a window. A4 type, which is an outside cabin on deck 5 or 6.

We didn’t have the time to do much research on Helsinki so we took a bus tour with the only single operator in town, which is Helsinki Expert. Our research on Helsinki and Finland in general mostly relates to Moomin, the cute comic character, which I suppose is fast becoming the icon for Finland. We booked our tour onboard our ship at a supposedly preferential price of 45 Euros for 2 persons.

The bus brought us to various areas of interest in the city however there was only a single break at the Sibelius monument for passengers to alight and take photos. An audio commentary in various languages was included. However, sometimes we were quite lost and didn’t quite know which building the commentary was referring to. Beside the driver, there was a guide who controlled the running of the commentary and I was sure the experience could be improved if the guide pointed out the points of interest. In my opinion, bus tours are only suitable for people in a hurry and wanting to cover lots of places in a short time. The tour lasted about an hour and a half. We explored the streets of Helsinki before walking back to the terminal.

We arrived at this terminal in Helsinki.

There are a couple of ATMs or cash machines in this terminal. Useful for withdrawing some euros.

Behind this distinctive facade is the main train station for Helsinki.

The Sibelius Monument

This effigy of Jean Sibelius was later included.

Thats the Lutheran Cathedral in the background.

We tracked down the Moomin Shop in Helsinki.

We left Helsinki in the late afternoon.

Our ship cuts across the frozen Baltic leaving a clear path behind.

See more photos of Helsinki on our Globe Nomads Facebook photo album.

After visiting Skansen, we quickly made our way to the Vasa Museum which is about a 15 minutes walk away. Previously we had not heard about Vasa Museum but the couchsurfer who we were staying with had recommended this place to us. So what makes this place worth going? Obviously it must be the ship inside the building!

The warship, yes you have guessed correctly, is named Vasa. The ship was commissioned by King Gustav II Adolf, who wanted a warship powerful enough to win the war against Poland at that time. Vasa had 64 cannons and was capable of carrying a crew of 450 men. The builders finished building the ship in 1628 and Vasa was ready for her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. However, a few minutes after she set off and after barely sailing 1300 metres, she sank. Even though not as famous as the sinking of Titanic, this event and the subsequent salvage of Vasa in 1961 had been quite remarkable too. If Vasa had sunk in the open seas, it would have been impossible to locate the ship. Since the ship never saw any action, the entire ship was well preserved in the deep waters.

Globe Nomads review ratings: 4
Seen a real 17th Century warship in its entire glory elsewhere? I think not. However that is not the only reason to visit Vasa Museum. Naturally you would be able to learn about the 17th century way of life on the seas but you can also learn about what happens when inappropriate methods of conservation are used. Examples include ineffective moisture management in the past decade led to the increased pace of deterioration and also the spraying of polyethylene glycol on the ship had stripped away the previous colors that were painted. Moisture management has been improved but it is impossible to restore the natural colours which were once there.
(please refer to ratings explanation)

Visitor Information:
Admission: adults 110 SEK, students 80 SEK, free for under 18.
Don’t miss the free guided tour! I would recommend at least 2 hours for a meaningful visit.

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Look for the 3 masts on the exterior of the museum.

Vasa Musuem was built over this dock.

The museum closes quite early at 5pm so make sure you get here early.

Once you enter you are greeted with this sight of the Vasa warship.

They have quite a large model of what Vasa would have looked like in 1628.

Looking at Vasa from the stern (back) side.

The stern has many intricate carvings, which were very symbolic at that era.

To appreciate the carvings, you have to imagine them with brightly painted colours.

To raise the anchor must be pretty tough at that time.

16 remains were found in the salvage and some are displayed here.

See other photos of Stockholm at Globe Nomads Facebook photo album.

Camilla checked us in and there were hardly any other guests for the 3 nights while we were there. On the first night, we had the whole place to ourselves! Camilla had kindly let us used the Internet and the kitchen free-of-charge, which would have cost us quite a bit otherwise. This place has lots of character and Mary-Ann, the owner, has decorated the place with many interesting trinkets. The 3 nights we stayed there were very peaceful and we had a very good rest.

Accommodation rating: 3
The bunks are all standard sizes which were previously used to accommodate miners. However, the room is indeed quite small and some guests may complain. The toilets and showers are shared by all. I did encounter a minor problem with one of the boilers running out of hot water. The boilers were pretty big, so I am not sure why. The lack of ventilation seems to be the other problem with the toilets so I think installing some air deodorizers will certainly make the place more pleasant. Some amenities in the polarrigg can be rather basic so functional seems to be the theme here. The kitchen for guests is also quite small and it could really use some updating on the kitchen appliances especially the microwave.

Value rating: 3
Since every place in town is expensive, you don’t really have much of choice unless you want to freeze. Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg is an interesting place to stay and not your usual hotel. The location is also quite good and to get to the town center you can just cross the bridge spanning across the tundra. In the winter Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg is a good place to stay but in the summer more places are open and some may offer better value.

Information:
Nights stayed: 03 Jan 2011 – 05 Jan 2011, total of 3 nights
Total cost: 895 NOK per night
Room stayed: Twin bunk room
Washing and drying laundry: see photo below
(please refer to ratings explanation)

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This wooden structure marks the entrance to the polarrigg.

On the left is the restaurant and on the right is the reception for guests.

The polarrigg is laid out in a single file.

The reception area.

There is a computer available at the reception but it didn’t work when I was there.

The kitchen for guests.

Mary-Ann’s polarrigg has a large lounge area.

Mary-Ann’s polarrigg has a restaurant with a nice ambience.

Every room has a photo hanged at the door and this one is an interesting one.

Some the rates may not be updated. For example breakfast costs 125 NOK from 2011 onwards.

See more photos we took in Svalbard at Globe Nomads Facebook photo album.

We spent a greater part of the day in Skansen when we were in Stockholm. Skansen is a large museum and zoo in Sweden, and one of the world’s foremost open-air museums. Its founder, Artur Hazelius, created Skansen in 1891 to showcase and preserve the rural way of life. About 150 buildings were bought and taken back piece by piece to Skansen then reconstructed back. The zoo also has a good variety of Scandinavian animals.

Most of the buildings are staffed with wardens who will educate visitors on the various aspects of the rural life associated with the building. Most staff spoke very good English, which was certainly very tourist-friendly. The grounds are huge and Skansen is located on a small hill so visitors are going to have to do lots of walking. Overall visiting Skansen was a good educational experience for a city dweller such as myself.

Globe Nomads review ratings: 3.5
There are lots to see at Skansen and if you have a day to spare in Stockholm, remember to check out Skansen and the nearby Vasa museum. Interact with the staff to learn more about Sweden and you will not go away disappointed.
(please refer to ratings explanation)

Visitor Information:
Admission: varies according to season, about 100 SEK for an adult.
Some buildings are closed (especially in the winter) because there are not enough staff. However in the winter there are far fewer visitors and visitors can actually have the chance to have a meaningful chat with the staff.

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Very few visitors in the winter.

This model gives visitors a good idea on the size of Skansen.

Inside a workshop.

I suppose you could buy most non-perishable goods here.

The windmill is used to grind grain.

This belfry is the tallest in the Sweden.

A domesticated reindeer.

A moose or an elk.

Skansen also has a number of foxes.

A lynx.

None look wiser than an owl I would say eh?

See other photos of Stockholm at Globe Nomads Facebook photo album.