Wednesday 29 April 2015

Semarah Hotel Metropole Riga - The Hotel to stay at in Riga

As for hotels, there's plenty to choose from in Riga. From hostels equipped with Finnish bars (?) to luxury spa hotels. Our home for the 5 memorable days we spent in Latvia was recently refurbished Metropole, part of the local Semarah chain. The location was perfect for our (admittedly very middle-aged-sounding) needs: all the restaurants were within walking distance and the opera (!!!) was just across the street.

I was slightly pissed at Air Baltic after our flight was delayed two hours (why, oh why won't they notify passengers with as much as a text message?!) but all that melted away the moment we walked into the hotel.






The lobby was a mind-blowing mix of Versace-like over-the-top opulence jazzed up with some very modern accents. I, ever the lover of anything bling, was sold on the spot.





Outside the reception area and restaurant the atmosphere was, along with its Art Nouveau-style signs,  straight out of Agatha Christie novel.




The feel of the rooms varies from room to another. Our Classic room was adorably old-fashioned, but clean and cosy. Rooms in this category have no tubs, so we had to do with showers. As a result, there were no robes either. 

Though, with the packed schedule we had, we only popped in to get some sleep and for that the room served its purpose brilliantly: the beds were heavenly. Hotel Wi-Fi was everything it should: free and fully functional everywhere in the hotel.




Breakfast left absolutely no room for improvement - it was one of the best hotel breakfasts I've ever had. There was everything and plenty of it. 

The Boy Next Door raved about the local cheeses (Latvia is famous for them and they truly keep additives and preservatives to minimum!) and I couldn't get enough of the charcuterie. Or the fish selection: there was herring, smoked fish,salmon and mackerel. Wide selection of breads changed each breakfast and there was wide variety of sweet treats, too. 

The hotel staff's great, friendly service deserves its own entry.

I was also happy to discover a proper tea selection as opposed to the Earl Grey too many hotels offer as their only option. Let's go through this one more time. Earl Grey is for afternoon teas. At breakfast you drink English Breakfast Blend (see the connection?)




A strong recommendation for anyone heading to Riga. There's also a spa close by where the hotel residents get a discount. And hey - residents also get 15% off everything in the hotel's gastro pub-style restaurant!

I hope you're all well rested and full of energy to continue our excursion! Where to now? Shall we start touring the Old Town or do you feel like doing some culture?
___________________


ANYONE FOR SECONDS?



      



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