Scandic hotels are usually basic but ok. But Scandic Swania takes the hotel business to a new dimension by locating a large number of Polish workers seemingly more or less permanently in its property.

I have nothing against Poles, but spending a weekend with my wife among a large number of seemingly bored Polish male workers (could it be the SAAB-factory?) hanging around the lobby, outside the entrance and permanently washing clothes next to the fitness room and pool, was an unusual experience.

The rooms and corridoors are rather shabby, they look like they were last renovated in the late 80's. Only the reception area and the fitness room belong to this side of the millennium.

If you want to eat in the hotel a friday evening...well, don't. On Friday's the hotel restaurant is reserved for locals having a drink ("Sweden's largest After Work" according to the hotel). Hotel guest have to eat in a tatty conference room, complete with overhead projector and other meeting room necessities.

As usual, this is a typical Scandinavian hotel without aircondition, so be prepared for tropical temperatures inside in summer.

On the positive side the food is ok, and the employees are friendly - although hopelessly understaffed.

This was a short, though rather pleasant stay at the Swania. The room (5th floor), even though smallish, was in a nice, retro Scandinavian style. The bed was small (a single), but I has a good sleep. Bathroom was old-fashioned.

I did try neither the sauna nor the pool. Breakfast was good, with a nice choice of Wasa knäckebröd.

I stayed overnight in Trollhattan, as it was midway to my next major stop and the waterfalls attraction (3pm Saturdays) was worth catching. Apart from the locks area, the town doesn't offer a lot though.

The hotel is well located and easy to find. The building has several wings and can be quite confusing. My room faced the street in a modern wing and was good-sized and comfortable, but lacking toiletries and tissues (typical for Scandics). There was a basement gym and pool and the restaurant/bar was very pleasant with good hearty meals. Breakfast was fine.

Car parking is in a public block across the street. It can be expensive to stay overnight as charges are 24hr and the machines only take coins. The hotel offers a discounted card (but this isn't advertised either on their website or at the car park, so it would be easy to pay first and miss out). It is free from midnight Sat until early Monday, which also means that the hotel rate isn't always the best price for these times. The gates are also closed then, which means that you need a special PIN code from the hotel to gain entry and exit (again, not volunteered by the hotel staff, which meant that I first had a worry about my car being locked-in!).

We were in Trollhattan to pick up our new Saab (through their highly recommended European Delivery program) and decided to spend the night before driving about to explore the country. We made the right choice. Not only is the town the perfect blend of laid back casual charm and an appropriate mix of bigger city amenities, but the Scandic Swania, which I picked after a moderate internet search, was the ideal spot for our overnight stay. Right on the water, we were lucky enough to get a canal-side room on the top (5th) floor. A bit warm due to no AC and an unusual heat spell, the open windows provided a great cooling breeze. The room was typical US hotel size, but the bed was comfortable, the bathroom was clean and well equipped and the room had all the other amenities we needed (except Kleenex-go figure). The central location was a short walk from many restaurants and bars, though we chose to eat at the hotel restaurant with outside, water-side seating (try the traditional Swedish 'bubble and squeak', similar to beef hash, or the seafood pasta with a tomato-based cream sauce, both were excellent). The included breakfast buffet was well stocked and had a wide variety of breads, cereals, juices and fruits along with pancakes, eggs and a mix of breakfast meats. The historical locks along the canal are a short drive or moderate hike away (via canal-side walking paths) and if you're lucky enough to be in town on the weekends when they release water through the rock gorge, the falls are said to be spectacular (we missed it). The only slight negative was that parking, in a garage across the street, was an extra charge (about $10 per night), not free as stated on some websites, though this was a small price to pay for an otherwise first-rate hotel.