TALLINN - St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Tallinn - page 214

$$ Hotel Shnelli, a big, high-rise “efficiency hotel” adjacent to the sleepy little train
station (a 5-minute walk from the Old Town in a neighborhood that feels a bit seedy
at night), rents 124 Ikea-mod rooms. It fronts a noisy street, so request a quiet room in
the back—these overlook the tracks, but no trains run at night (Db-€60-65, sometimes
€10-20 more on weekends, connecting family rooms, elevator, pay Internet access, free
Wi-Fi, Toompuiestee 37, tel. [phone], fax [phone], www.gohotels.ee , reserva-
[e-mail] ) .
Budget Beds in the Old Town
$$VillaHortensia rents six simple, creaky-floored rooms with kitchenettes above a soph-
isticated little café in a courtyard close to Town Hall Square. The three twin-bed rooms
and one single-bed room are furnished sparsely (no TV), with beds in a sleeping loft. The
“deluxe” room comes with a double bed and a small balcony. The apartment is on two
floors, with a double bed upstairs and a foldout sofa bed in the living room. Named after
the home of a group of down-and-outs in a famous Estonian novel, the hotel is creatively
run by jewelry designer Jaan Pärn. It's a decent, inexpensive choice if you don't mind the
ramshackle feeling and the fact that the rooms aren't serviced every day. Jaan's jewelry
shop, across the courtyard, serves as the reception (Sb-€40, Db-€55, deluxe Db-€80, apart-
ment Db-€105 or Tb-€130, no breakfast, no elevator, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, 50
yards from the corner of Vene and Viru streets at Vene 6, look for Master's Courtyard and
Chocolaterie signs, mobile [phone], www.hoov.ee , [e-mail] ).
$ Old House Guesthouse and Hostel is small and snug, split between two buildings
halfway between Town Hall Square and the ferry terminals. There's street noise in many
rooms, so bring earplugs (bed in 6-person dorm-€15, S-€30, D-€44, Quint-€75, see their
website for deals, includes sheets and towel, breakfast-€4, no lockout, shared shower and
WC, kitchen facilities, free Wi-Fi, free parking—reserve ahead, Uus 26, tel. [phone], fax
641-1604, www.oldhouse.ee , [e-mail] ).
$TallinnBackpackers, a block from the Old House Guesthouse, is a leave-your-shoes-
at-the-door place renting 30 beds in four rooms to backpackers. Smoothly run and fun
for the right crowd, it has a friendly party vibe (dorm bed-€17, less off-season, kitchen,
lockers, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, laundry-€3.50/load, Olevimägi 11, tel. [phone],
www.tallinnbackpackers.com , [e-mail] ) .
Near the Ferry Terminals
If you're cruising in, these two places right next to the ferry terminals are almost too con-
venient. They are inexpensive, but without character.
$$ Tallink Express Hotel is a few steps from the A, B, and C ferry terminals, close
to Linnahall terminal, and a short walk from the Old Town. It's a modern, cheery Motel
6-type place with excellent prices and 163 comfortable cookie-cutter rooms. The rooms can
be stuffy in hot weather, as windows don't open very far and there's no air-conditioning.
Walk-in rates are much higher than the website prices I give here (Sb/Db-about €89, about
€63 in winter, can run higher on busy weekends, extra bed-€25, children under 17 sleep free
on sofa beds in family rooms, request a non-smoking floor, elevator, free Internet access