Karolina Park Hotel & Conference Center

“Functional”

We stayed at the Hotel Karolina in Vilnius during our two week tour of Northern Europe and Scandinavian Capitals in June. This hotel was clean and functional and apart from remembering it was located in the area of the Vilnius TV Tower, that is about it. There was a Lidl supermarket opposite the … more

We stayed at the Hotel Karolina in Vilnius during our two week tour of Northern Europe and Scandinavian Capitals in June. This hotel was clean and functional and apart from remembering it was located in the area of the Vilnius TV Tower, that is about it. There was a Lidl supermarket opposite the hotel, but beware, due to Lithuanian law, you cannot purchase a single can of beer after 8pm. Recounting this tale about being unable to buy a can of beer, reminded me that the rooms had a fridge, which was a real benefit, considering the high summer temperatures during our stay.

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“A good stopover”

In character with the country, it is a little more basic than most, but the room is serviceable with a bath/shower and T.V. No tea-making facilities or safe. But the food is very Good and a three-course meal in the evening. All in all a nice big hotel, on the main road, and walkable to the local sh… more

In character with the country, it is a little more basic than most, but the room is serviceable with a bath/shower and T.V. No tea-making facilities or safe. But the food is very Good and a three-course meal in the evening. All in all a nice big hotel, on the main road, and walkable to the local shops.

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“Second hotel of our tour”

This hotel was our second hotel and completely different to the first (see Vienna House, Warsaw review) The hotel is in a largely residential area that consists of Soviet Era communist apartment buildings, the area is not well maintained and does not look like the best part of the city! The hotel i… more

This hotel was our second hotel and completely different to the first (see Vienna House, Warsaw review) The hotel is in a largely residential area that consists of Soviet Era communist apartment buildings, the area is not well maintained and does not look like the best part of the city! The hotel is also a relic of the Soviet era! Although inside clear attempts have been made at modernisation! Our room was 302 and we were facing the car park and one of the residential buildings I mentioned earlier! The room was a good size but as soon as we walked in we were struck by a strange, but not unpleasant smell, a bit like cheap cake! The room has no air conditioning at all only a small desk fan that did what it could but was inadequate for a room in 30°+ temperatures! The beds were quite low and although comfortable enough had clearly seen better days! The bathroom was nice enough but a heated towel rail in there was on all the time which only served to make it hot in there too, we nicknamed the hotel The Soviet Sweatbox! The restaurant is at the back of the hotel and quite a walk from reception, it can be accessed from floors two and three as it is on 3 levels, there is also a nice, outdoor seating area! On our first night our group was given the choice of sitting inside or out but the second night they had what looked like a wedding function in the dining room so everyone was outside if they liked it or not! The first nights meal service was a bit of a shambles, some tables were laid, some were not. Some tables had water and others did not! The staff did their best to sort the issues but it was almost like we had taken them by surprise and they were not expecting us! First night we had a feta cheese salad to start followed by chicken schnitzel with rice with a strawberry mousse to finish. The second night we had a plain dressed salad to start followed by beef stroganoff with mashed potato and apple cake for dessert! The food was pleasant enough and the portions were not bad! Breakfast was a bit of a shambles too, there is not a great deal to choose from and some of the things on offer were a bit odd! For example there were crepes but they were quite bland and a bit greasy, spongey hot dog segments, plain boiled pasta and an egg omelette type thing, some bread, a vast selection of cold meats and cheese, cereals and fruit! None of the fruit juices were chilled and the staff were slow to clear tables or replenish the buffet! The second morning the pasta had been replaced with potatoes which were quite nice, it seemed a bit more organised too! On the whole this is not a bad hotel and they are clearly doing their best, but some changes need to be made! Due to climate change the area gets hotter for longer so air con is badly needed in the rooms, turning off (or the ability to turn off yourself) the heated towel rail in the bathroom would be good and a fridge in the room during the hotter months would be a benefit as there is a lidl across the street and a Maxima XX supermarket next door!

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“AN AVERAGE HOTEL”

My wife and I stayed here for 2 nights whilst touring the Baltic capitals on a coach tour. Situated on the outskirts of Vilnius in a communist styled residential area with 2 supermarkets close by.The standard of furnishings and decoration was OK but it seemed to be kept clean. The hotel is used by … more

My wife and I stayed here for 2 nights whilst touring the Baltic capitals on a coach tour. Situated on the outskirts of Vilnius in a communist styled residential area with 2 supermarkets close by.The standard of furnishings and decoration was OK but it seemed to be kept clean. The hotel is used by coach tour operators so the restaurant can become very busy at meal times. As a result the coach parties were allocated meal times for dinner. Even so there may be insufficient seating available inside so you may have to use the outside seating area. Although the area is covered it can be cool in the evenings but blankets are available. The hotel seems to be unable to adequately cope with more than 2 coach trips The room we stayed in was alright but had limited storage space and there were dark stains on the carpet. It was not well equipped (you had to borrow a hair dryer from reception) and the free wi-fi was not password protected. The room was clean and the bed was fairly comfortable but the mattress needed replacement.There were no tea or coffee making facilities available and there was no safe.. However valuables could be stored in a safe in reception free of charge.The bathroom was on the small side with a small sized bath with shower above. As we were on a coach tour we had a 3 course set dinner menu for each of the 2 nights we stayed there. Both meals were tasty and the price of drinks was reasonable. Breakfast was buffet style with a limited choice of hot and cold food and drinks. Depending on the number of coach parties staying at the hotel breakfast can be very busy and so seating can be difficult to find although you can use the outside seating area. With only one drinks machine available you sometimes had to queue for a few minutes.There seemed to be insufficient staff available to quickly clear the tables. All the staff we came into contact with were pleasant enough. Overall a very average hotel.

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