Hotel Review
Location:
The Clarion Hotel is the newest of the airside hotels at Helsinki Airport, Finland. It’s located a 20 minute walk from the terminal in the tranquil Aviapolis district, an area largely home to aviation offices and the Finnish Aviation Museum.
The hotel is 30 minutes by train from Helsinki city centre (trains I and P) and just one stop from the airport terminal, taking two minutes. Aviapolis station is literally outside the door of the hotel so heavy luggage doesn’t have to be carried far. For guests arriving by car, parking is free for the first two hours with charges thereafter.
Arrival and check-in:
The hotel has a large lobby which is decorated in dark shades enhanced with splashes of colour with bright chairs and lampshades.
The reception operates 24 hours a day and despite being a large hotel with all 258 rooms fully occupied at the time of our visit, we were attended to very quickly and soon taking the lift to our rooms on the 6th floor.
The monochrome theme continues towards the lifts which speed guests up to their rooms in the blink of an eye.
The room:
The rooms have been designed with a scandi chic theme in shades of muted grey and charcoal. This dark effect is enlivened with a bright yellow armchair and light from the floor to ceiling windows.
My room had a view overlooking the Aviation Museum which was pleasant but I was slightly disappointed not to be offered one of the runway view rooms which come supplied with binoculars for plane spotting. There’s no need to be worried about aircraft disturbance though as all rooms are triple glazed and sound-proofed ensuring a good night’s sleep.
The rooms are generously proportioned and feature king size beds with deep, comfortable mattresses, a wooden dressing table/workstation and plenty of charging points with a master switch to turn off all the lights and lamps.
To be expected, there’s a large flat screen TV, self-illuminating wardrobe, kettle, coffee maker, mini-bar and safe. I adored the design of the Marimekko mugs and my only slight niggle was that there wasn’t any milk for my tea or coffee but as there were some green tea bags I was able to drink that instead.
The bathroom was shiny and spacious, tiled in monochrome black and white which worked well with the luxuriously thick matching bath towels. I actually thought that having towels of two colours was an excellent idea as when travelling with someone else you would know to whom they belonged. The walk-in shower was divine with its powerful rainfall head and the Rituals fragrant toiletries a pleasure to use too.
Dining:
We arrived too late to eat dinner in the Kitchen and Table restaurant which serves meals and snacks. As breakfast was also served there I got a chance to check it out the next morning and was impressed by its Nordic design.
All room rates include breakfast which is a bonus for hotels these days and with such a vast spread, there’s enough to set you up for the day.
Diners are welcomed with breakfast shots of mango and ginger and then able to help themselves from the buffet as they wish. I feasted on fresh berries, yoghurt, salmon, dill and rye bread not to mention the croissants I went back for when I topped up my coffee cup.
Breakfast starts from 6.00 a.m. weekdays and 7.00 a.m. at weekends but for those with early flights a scaled down selection is available from 4.00 a.m. which is a bonus.
The Facilities
The hotel has a large but cosy lobby bar with a range of seating styles from deep sofas to tables and chairs. Children are well catered for with a stack of board games and a large table football next to the lifts.
Wi-Fi connects automatically and is extremely fast and reliable as is usually the case everywhere in Finland.
There’s a sauna and fitness centre available solely for guests use. I would have liked to have used the sauna but morning sauna sessions ended at 10.00 a.m. so sadly I didn’t have time to make use of it as I’m certain it would have been really nice.
Out and About:
It’s likely that most hotel guests will either be taking flights from the airport the next day or enjoying a short stopover in Helsinki. With a rail station on the hotel’s doorstep and frequent services into the city centre, only a few hours layover is needed to enjoy a taste of the beautiful capital city.
Helsinki is compact and from its central railway station is just a short walk to the market place. From there you can take a stroll along the beautiful waterfront and pick up some Finnish delicacies both from the old market hall and the outdoor vendors.
Other highlights include Senate Square designed by Carl Ludvig Engel and dominated by the majestic Helsinki Cathedral. The Uspenski eastern orthodox cathedral and the presidential palace are also nearby and if time allows, stop off at one of the delightful cafes along the esplanade to enjoy coffee and cinnamon buns.
Overall:
The shiny new Clarion Hotel Aviapolis is so much more than just somewhere to rest pre or post flight as I discovered between flights from Lapland to Manchester. I really enjoyed my stay there and the overall experience was a pleasing finale to my Finnish trip.
For more inspiration of things to see and do in Helsinki you may like to check out the following:
Helsinki – A guide to the perfect weekend break
Helsinki – Free things to see and do
Making the most of the Helsinki Card
During my visit I was a guest of Visit Finland and Finnair and as always, all views and opinions are entirely my own.
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