Arkadia Hotel & Café in Helsinki

Basically this place would have quite some potential, alas seems to be run down, not maintained and not cared for.

Personnel was not un kind. The rooms were not dirty. It is 40min away from the city centre by bus. For the price (I paid 20€ during a weekend on high season) I would come. Only thing could be better for me is more ventilation in the rooms.

I can't in good faith give this place 4 stars, but I would give it it's a solid 3: it's what you expect for the price, yet it could be better. I would call this a motel rather than a hotel.

Cons:
• The curtains don't fully shut, and the blinds have a couple holes in them;
• The insulation is poor. The humidity reached 94% one night, and it was awful to sleep in. A fan had been provided, which wasn't too loud, but previous reviews have mentioned being frozen in Winter.
• Plates and cutlery in the kitchen are limited, the washing up liquid hadn't been topped up during the week I was there, and there were no drying racks or towels.
• The shower had no divider on the floor, so the whole bathroom got wet when I had to shower.

Pros:
• Unlike previous reviews have claimed, the place had no rats, roaches, flies or other animals to speak of. The rooms were clean, if a bit outdated.
• The surrounding area was clean and quiet. I felt safe walking around even as a solo female traveller.
• Buses were close by and ran regularly. Top tip: get the A-B zone travel ticket from HSL to travel to central Helsinki. It's 40 minutes to the centre and not at all expensive. Remember to flag down the driver as they don't stop unless you do.
• The staff weren't chatty, but they weren't rude either. One was quite polite and helpful, and I didn't feel unsafe being there. This was my experience, but if you're a solo traveller then you still need to follow basic safety advice.

I'd round the rating up if the problems were fixed, but in my experience this was not, and I quote, "hell on Earth". It's just a place to be for cheap if all you need is a room.