FINLAND - Scandinavia - page 957

air-con, free Wi-Fi, Lönnrotinkatu 29, tel. [phone], fax [phone],
www.glohotels.fi , [e-mail] ).
$$$ Hotel Rivoli Jardin is a cozy 55-room place tucked away right off the
Esplanade.Warmandpersonal,ithasaninvitingloungeandmodern,comfort-
able rooms (Db-about €190, discounted to around €110 in summer and week-
ends, extra bed-€20, air-con, pay Wi-Fi, Kasarmikatu 40, tel. [phone], fax
09/656-988, www.rivoli.fi , [e-mail] ) .
$$$ GLO Hotel Kluuvi, which has 144 rooms and a well-designed spa-
type quality, gives you an appreciation for how an extremely wealthy society
manages to survive a long, dark winter. It's perfectly located just north of the
Esplanade (Db-€180-200, but often discounted to €150 or so, air-con, free Wi-
Fi, Kluuvikatu 4, tel. [phone], www.glohotels.fi ) .
$$$ Hotel Katajanokka is a former red-brick prison built in 1888. Its last
prisoner checked out in 2002, and it was converted in 2007 into a four-star,
business-class hotel. Its 106 rooms are very quiet—the walls are so thick that
the hotel provides free Internet cables rather than Wi-Fi. While the windows
no longer have bars (thanks to the local fire code) and walls have been re-
moved so that two or three cells make a room, you can still imagine the guards
strolling up and down the corridors (Db-€200, around €140 in summer and
on weekends, Sb-€30 less, air-con, bike rental-€10/day, by Vyökatu stop of
tram #4 near the Viking cruise ship terminal, Merikasarminkatu 1A, tel. 09/
686-450, fax [phone], www.bwkatajanokka.fi , [e-mail] ) .
Hostels
Helsinki's hostels are unusually comfortable. While they offer €3 discounts
for those with hostel cards, all ages are welcome with or without a hostel
membership.EurohostelandAcademicaaremorelikebudgethotelsthanhos-
tels.
$ Eurohostel, a modern hostel with 255 beds, is 400 yards from the Viking
ferry terminal and a 10-minute walk from Market Square. The more expens-
ive rooms have been renovated and come with TVs. It's packed with facilit-
ies, including a laundry room, a members' kitchen with unique refrigerated
safety-deposit boxes for your caviar and beer, a restaurant, and plenty of good
budget-travel information. While generally fully booked in advance, they re-