очень неплохой отель very good hotel

Scandic Marski

part of the Scandic hotel chain
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LOCATION
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It is VERY convenient.
Firstly, right next to the train station, it takes about 5 minutes to walk from the train station.
(But no trains, of course, can be seen or heard).
Secondly, it is very convenient with respect to any walks and shopping centers.

How to quickly find
Get out of the railway station Vocazal, in front of you is a shopping center.
As you walked straight ahead, you go straight through the shopping center, just don’t turn anywhere - otherwise you will go down to the subway)))))
(or you can go around this shopping center, better on the right)

In general, go right through - Right in front of you is the corner of Stockman, immediately behind Stockman is Mannerheim Street.
This is the main street in Helsinki.
On Mannerheim - on the other side - the FORUM Shopping Center sticks out to the right.
And across the building from the Forum to the LEFT - the Scandic Marski hotel.

In general, you cross the street. Mannerheim to the other side, and go left 30 meters. All. You are in the hotel
To get confused - you have to try very hard, everything is there in general.

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CHECK IN and NUMBER
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Check-in (as well as check-out) took me 7 minutes.
In terms of time and effort, both on my and their part, I got the impression that they didn’t put me in a hotel, but, say, they sold me a cup of coffee))))
Finns do not bother at all for any reason)))

In general, go to the hotel, note to yourself that the hotel seems to be a good one)))
Then you give a printout with the reservation at the reception, you get a key card for the door.

You do not need to pay for the room right away, pay everything before leaving. Whether you want cash or card.
BUT! upon arrival, they will still definitely ask for a credit card (you can also give a debit card, I actually booked it on a debit card, too).
They need a credit card for a minibar dispute
When you leave, no one really bothers to check the number for you, but if anything, then they will write off the card
The train arrived at 12 something in Moscow, the difference is an hour. Check-in is from 14:00. We accordingly arrived there earlier - around 12-00.
We thought we would just mark that we are here, drop our things (there is a LUGGAGE ROOM right next to the reception) and let's go eat. But we were given the keys right away.

Booked on Booking. com. com about 3 weeks before the trip, the room cost 100 euros / night. Sat-Sun, Sun-Mon, Mon-Tue.
Moreover, for this price, Superior (not standard) + 2 glasses of champagne on the evening of arrival + the possibility of a late departure were offered.
All this was written in a printout from booking. com.
Although, to be more precise, on weekends it was cheaper for some reason, on weekdays it was more expensive, on average it was 100/night.

They gave out a voucher for champagne, in the evening they changed the voucher for glasses with bubbles))
It worked ONLY on the evening of arrival. Champagne as a fact is pleasant, but the taste is mediocre, sour)))


Late check-out means not at 12-00 of the day as usual, but at 14-00.
If the train is at 17-50, it is quite convenient. The rest of the time before the train, you can throw things in the Luggage room next to the reception.

The price of the room also included breakfast.
Do not ignore him - he is VERY good!
Especially given the local food prices.

Next, you are loaded into the elevator.
For him to go up - you need to insert the key card from the door of the room there, remove it and press on the floor.
When you go down from above - you do not need to insert a card.
We got room 322 on the 3rd floor, not far from the elevator.

The room was very decent.
It overlooked their most touristic Esplanadi street (perpendicular to Mannerheim street)
In fact, it's like living with a view of Tverskoy Boulevard))) And the view opened right from the bed.
As I understand it, the Superior differed from the standard just by the Quinn-size bed (not two beds, but one large) and the view from the window)))

What is good in the room - it is possible to open the window.
That is, the room had three windows, between the windows - vertical vents.
There is also air conditioning.
The bathroom has a bathtub. There is hand gel, and conditionally there is a shower gel, but it is exactly the same.
Therefore, it is better to take shampoo and gel with you.
For those who like to drink beer - an opener is screwed on the wall in the bathroom)))))

The hotel claims to be ecological. That is, you can not smoke (and very good))))
The usual bin in the room is divided into three compartments - bio-garbage, paper and so on.
The furniture does not seem to be chipboard, and not even veneer, but solid wood.
The design is very pleasant. The light is located quite conveniently.
There is a safe.

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TV and INTERNET
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LCD TV.
Of the Russian channels - only the 1st channel.
There are paid channels, and the ability to watch movies (in English), but with prices there is a dark forest.

Therefore, the main thing is not to enter the room number anywhere, because this means consent to watching a paid channel.

The hotel has free WiFi. It is very comfortable. The only inconvenience is that the username/password changes every day.
There are 3 options to get them.
Call the reception and they will dictate to you.
Get in person at the reception.
The Finns are completely indifferent to everything and calm as in a tank, therefore, to solve some problem with them, as with the Arabs. The aunt could not change the number - we are full, was her answer.
But I asked for an extra pillow - it was given without any problems.

A strange picture was observed in the Itakeskus shopping center. There was a man lying, who either collapsed into a swoon, or something else with him. Looks like he hit his head.
Finns are around. No panic, no movement. Someone is holding the peasant's head (he jerked his head until it bled).
And the rest just stand around. The feeling of biorobots...

And in one clothing store they forbade me to shoot on the phone, which is rather strange.

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KIDS, PARKING
Animals
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I didn’t specifically find out, this info is from a piece of paper with a reservation
Children under 13 years old using existing beds - free of charge
Children older - 20 euros / night for extra. bed
Maximum 1 extra. bed in the room

But to be honest, I do not really understand where it can be put there))))
Public parking, 25 euros per day
On forums on the Internet, I read that parking in Helsinki is generally an ambush
It was also reported on the forum that a place for a car on a ferry to Stockholm (seemingly) costs 35 euros

It is written about animals that it seems possible, but they can take some extra. fee.

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The medicine
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I decided to write a few words, because the medicine there is as unpleasant as the food.
You can buy most of the drugs in the pharmacy. You can't really buy sleeping pills.
Need a doctor's prescription. For the sake of interest, you can go to the pharmacy. It is located almost opposite the Forum.

There, the floor of the pharmacy is a department with dudes who dispense something according to prescriptions.
And the doctor's appointment costs (attention, hold on to the chair) 150-200 euros.
At the same time, as it turns out, insurance does not cover some cases, even if you have it for 100 thousand euros and an extended package.
Ambulance comes only to those who are not able to move on their own. The call costs about 200 euros (information on prices - from the hotel reception).
At the same time, as I read on the forums, the ambulance arrives not with a doctor, but with a paramedic. So in any case, most likely she will take to the clinic.
There is no doctor in the hotel.
On weekends (and especially at night) it is almost impossible to call a doctor to the hotel.
The insurance company offers to move on its own towards a 24-hour clinic a couple of blocks from the hotel and at the same time calls the address more distant,
than what they say at the reception. Taxi there is about 20 euros.
In general, medicine is much more unpleasant there than in the Russian Federation. Careful.
By the way, cold drops cost 5-6 euros.

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BREAKFAST
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Very worthy. The hotel calls it Organic Breakfast.
taking into account local prices for food and its quality, you should not skip breakfast)))
On weekdays it is until 10:00, on Saturday until 10:30, on Sunday until 11:00
The restaurant is very nice in design.
Second, the food is good. Buffet.
Omelet, sausages, ham 2-3 types, bacon, cheese 2-3 types, different bread (grain, white, croissants, buns, crispy shortbreads).
Cucumbers and tomatoes. 2.3 kinds of oil.
Cornflakes, milk, jam set. Juice not squeezed out, but also nothing.
Tea of ​ ​ various types from bags and strainers (even some kind of Organic, by the way, they also call rooibos), coffee.
Fresh fruits (watermelon, apples, pears, grapefruits), there are also fruits soaked in juice.
Everything is pretty tasty.
The food is very good.


I apologize for giving more space to questions of where to eat and where to go than the description of the hotel. But these are actually the two most basic questions when you find yourself in Helsinki)))))
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WHERE TO EAT IN HELSINKI
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Before the trip, we shoveled a bunch of forums on the Internet on the topic of what we will eat and where)))
We went as a result of Raziku almost every cafe.
There are heaps of clothes there - there is a store at every step and in general clothes are not very expensive.
And with food, it's exactly the opposite.
Firstly, there is practically nowhere to eat soup (I’ll tell you where later)
Secondly, we in Russia do not really consider what is offered for consumption as food.
Basically, these are salads (with chicken or seafood), french fries for a side dish.
On average, to eat something, drink tea and not be hungry - about 10-12 euros per nose.

Food in malls.
As soon as we checked into the hotel, we went to the Forum shopping center (we left the hotel and walked 100 meters to the left).
Come in and go down the escalator to the lower floor, there is a food court.
There are several cafes there.
I ate in that cafe in the middle of La grill - salmon (2 pieces) + boiled potatoes (about 10 euros) plus tea (a couple more euros).
I want to say that it was the most acceptable food for all the next 4 days))))
In the same cafe, they offered me salmon soup, but they honestly warned that it was not very rich (it cost either 5 or 7 euros)
There is also a Manhattan Steak House on the food court, there is also something Arabic, McDonald's, there is a Picnic cafe (and there is the same on the 3rd floor)
And a supermarket.

By the way, all Finns speak English fluently.
And often (though not always) there is a menu in Russian.

At the entrance to the Forum - there is a scheme. On it you can see where there are other cafes. On the 2nd floor there is Fazer cafe (salads and confectionery) Golden Rax

The Picnic Cafe on the 3rd floor is very nice to sit outside.
This is a network of cafes, there are several of them around the city.
There are mostly salads and baguettes-sandwiches.

We ate Oriental cana salad there (cana is chicken), a very tasty salad with chicken, pineapples and something else + a crispy baguette is handed.
Salads cost somewhere around 8-10-12 euros.
Tea is usually 2-2.5 euros everywhere in the city. In principle, you eat up a salad, but it’s good for dinner, but something more substantial is better for lunch.
Water 0.33 costs 2-2.5 euros.
In some cafes, it seems that you can take water from a jug into a glass, and this seems to be free.
In Picnic I saw people sitting with such water.
There is also an Aleppo supermarket on the lower floor of FORUM (such a yellow sign)
There is an ordinary shop there, for example, you can buy something from fruits (conferencing pears are the same as in Moscow - about 2 euros / kg).
To weigh an item - see its number under the price tag and click on this number on the scale).

We also read about such a Golden RAx network. They are in the Forum shopping center and around the city.
There is such a scheme, you come in, you pay, it seems, 6 or 7 euros and eat as much as you like.
But before you pay, it's better to go in and see what exactly they offer to eat.
We looked and did not eat there. There are mostly some teenagers hanging out - eating pizza, drinking cola. There are some simple salads.
In principle, everything there is also edible, but somehow very student-like)))).
We read that Finland has very strict sanitary rules, so it’s impossible to get poisoned there even in an Arab eatery (and we were in one)))

You can also eat in Stockman.
There is a very pleasant FAZER cafe on the 8th floor.
The FORUM shopping center also has it, but Fazer has two areas - food and confectionery
The one in the Forum is more about confectionery.
And in Fazer in Stockman - everything is detailed there.
There are several food options available.
- Buffet Salad + Soup. something like 7 or 8 euros. (I didn't eat soup there, really).
- make yourself a Caesar salad from 2.3, 4 ingredients (also did not take)
- take the wok. There is a large wok and a small one. A little something about 9 euros cost like.

The chef fries vegetables in a deep frying pan, then pieces of meat, then puts rice or pasta (your choice) on a plate, dumps everything that was fried on top of the rice.
Very edible and even tasty, but a bit spicy.
A piece of cake for about 6 euros.
Bread is included in the price. There is a counter with very tasty different types of bread and some kind of butter-type appetizers that can be smeared on bread.
Tea around 2 euros.
For two it was about 30 euros.

In order to save money, you can do this - take 2 teas.
Use one sachet for two cups.
Then go pour more boiling water into both mugs for free and use the 2nd bag )))
It seems that I did not notice the sidelong glances of the Finns on this occasion.
As a rule, in all cafes, you take a cup yourself, they poke you where tea is, where boiling water is, and you pour yourself water - they don’t bother about this.

This Fazer worked until 21:00 on Monday, just like Stockman.
There is another Fazer between st. Esplanade and st. Aleksanternikatu (if you go from Aleksanternikatu, then it is to the right BEFORE the Halonen store, immediately after MAxim).
But this Fazer is also more about salads and confectionery, mostly people go there for coffee and some cake to eat.
So Stockman is not bad.

Stockman itself is 8 floors of a huge amount of junk, and to get around all this, you probably need a week))))
They sell mugs with characters from Moomintroll (Hemul, Tofsla and Wifsla, Snufkin, etc. ) for crazy money - 15 euros per mug)))
These characters are everywhere - even on drug packages.

The advantages of Arab eateries are that they work 24 hours.
As a rule, on weekdays, all cafes close at 8-9 pm already. And on weekends and even earlier at 6 pm somewhere.
Eateries make several types of junk food. But all this must be on a huge oval plate.
First, either french fries or mashed potatoes are piled there, something like meat is cut on top (but not such pieces of shawarma as we have, but in slices, and the taste is also different),
and all this is poured on top of some kind of sauce.
Nutritionist's nightmare
But you can eat, although without pleasure. It usually costs 7-9 euros. Shawarma in pita - 5-6 euros.

But the Finns eat all this horror themselves, and nothing)) I tried it once for the sake of interest, I didn’t even have heartburn afterwards, oddly enough.

There are also Grilli tents, but we did not eat there.

I found an Arabic diner near the hotel CHILLI - there was a completely edible dish for 8 euros.
Plain rice, lettuce, 4 pieces of grilled chicken.
It is called KANA RISILA. The main thing is to ask for no sauce (or very little). Then it’s quite a dietary dish, because it’s not shawarma, but normal chicken pieces.
The portion is quite large. We took them to the hotel a couple of times at 3 am, one for two (ask to-go and they will pack the whole thing properly and give forks / knives)
The Arabs themselves in CHILLI very skillfully impose all this, with jokes / jokes. Funny boys.
And next to them there is a similar institution (green in color), everything is somehow slow and sad there.

Even at night you can eat a sandwich in the Delish cafe - next to the bar street (bars are ISO Robertinikatu street)
And in the same place to buy something on trifles. Bars are open somewhere until 4 am (at least on weekends)

Right next to the hotel (how to exit - on the left) there is an Iguana cafe, a type of pizzeria. We read about it, but didn't eat there.

There are also burgers, such as Hesburger, some more ...McDonald's again (more expensive than in Moscow). But this is all for an amateur.
Even in the port in the market during the day, some tents-cafes fry something, they even seem to be some kind of fish, but we didn’t eat something there, although we read the Internet, it seems that people didn’t complain.

So in the morning - have a hearty breakfast at the hotel
In the afternoon - lunch in a shopping center.
In the evening - where it is necessary)))

There are two options for eating at the Zoo - the Kozel cafe, or the cafe next to the enclosure where the bears are.
What is the plus of the Goat - there is a buffet (in the sense of a buffet)

What is the advantage of bears - bears))) There, one wall of the cafe is transparent, and you essentially sit in an enclosure with bears, eat, and they walk past you at a distance of a meter. It is impossible to eat for two reasons - all the attention is on the bears. And secondly, from the food there are french fries and some nuggets, chicken and fish. rubbish is terrible. And there is a mix of this rubbish. So it might make sense to eat BEFORE the zoo, or in the Goat, and just drink tea with the bears.
))))))))) but Bears are super! In general, the Zoo is pleasant for a walk for an hour, so for 3.
He is on the island and very picturesque all over. Plus, you can sail on a boat to it (it’s fast there, 15 minutes, no pitching).
16 euros just for the full package = round trip + return ticket + ticket to the zoo. Children seem to be cheaper and there are family discounts.
Boats run every half hour.

Well, finally, you can walk around the bars. We visited Llama's bar (it is on the notorious Iso Robertinikatu) - instead of bar stools there are swings on ropes.
Very funny. The bar is small, but very cool.
Drinks cost on average - whiskey 5 euros, rum 6 euros. Cuba libra is about 8 euros. Beer somewhere 5 like.

There is a nice Primula bar - good design, conservative but nice.

And if you want to understand how Finnish words are still pronounced (and in general to understand the Finns as a nation), be sure to go to the Karaoke bar.
Exit the hotel and go right. Walk 300 meters - to Erotaja karaoke bar (the sign is glowing red). Entrance 2 euros. Erotaya is a street. No side to erotica)))
In half an hour I was already singing Finnish songs with might and main - all the letters are pronounced. Very convenient =)
And where I didn’t understand how to pronounce, it’s enough to sit and listen to a couple of songs. And the Finns sing very well, and the girls are so easy to send at least to Eurovision.
And what is interesting - there are a lot of pretty girls on the streets - well, just every second one.
The Finns have one minus, if they drink, they drink to complete neumenosis. Just firewood))
In the bars, we really didn’t see such people, but on the streets we came across completely drunken comrades ))))))

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Where to go in Helsinki
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1. take a walk along Esplanadi street to the port, there is a pretty fountain at the end of the street
2. look at the ferries

3. hang out in the market, buy deer antlers with a beer opener at the end (a useful souvenir), there are deer skins for 80 euros and little things
4. look at the Assumption Cathedral
5. take the tram 3t or 3b and ride along the route in the form of a figure eight for an overview of the city (about an hour away)
6.
get off on the way back near the Kamppi metro (aka shopping center) and walk to the hotel
6.1. somewhere not far there is a church in the rock (but we were not)
7. eat French pancake on the way ))
8. get off at the Kaivopuisto stop and walk around the local park overlooking the bay (the whole park costs about 20 minutes)
9. Exit the hotel to the left and immediately to the left again. Enter the Torni Hotel, drive to the last floor and look at Helsinki from a height (there is a bar, you can drink tea)
the bar is open from 2 pm to 1 am
10. walk along Aleksantranikatu street to the end - there is the Senate Square, the Monument to Alexander II and the Helsinki Cathedral
11 from the port go by boat to the Zoo, walk there for 2-3-4 hours
12 by tram 3t / 3b get to the Olympic Stadium, there is an observation tower (we were not)
13 get on the subway and get to the Itakeskus station (there is a shopping center like "Megi", they write that the largest shopping center in Finland)
There is only one line in the metro and it resembles the Filevskaya line, part of the line runs along the street, so it’s interesting to ride. In the carriages, the weather forecast for each day of the week is broadcast on small displays. Conveniently.

Other people on the forums recommend to go:
14 to Sealife Aquarium
15 to the fortress of Suonmielina (Sveaborg) - but you have to go there by boat, and judging by the pictures on the Internet and reviews, people have different impressions
16. to different museums (Sinebryukhov, Historical Museum, etc. )
17. The guide informs about two gardens Winter (Winter) and Botanist
18. somewhere else - see guidebooks, they generously lie free of charge in the hotel
(to the right of the reception desk)


What more i can say. Standing at a traffic light and waiting for the green even if there are no cars you get used to after 2 days. There are few people in the city (compared to Moscow), you can safely sit in the metro and trams. In general, a good place to take a break from the aggressive lifestyle in Moscow time. But 2 days in Helsinki is enough and you need to go somewhere else.
And if you have time, it's good to go to Stockholm by ferry or to Tallinn.