We've just returned from a great winter weekend city break to Helsinki. We stayed at the Sokos Aleksanteri which is one of the Sokos chain hotels in the city. The hotel is located about a 10-15 minutes walk from the centre of Helsinki and also very conveniently situated for both the number 6 and 3B trams.

On arrival we were offered the choice of either a room with a bath or one with a shower and chose the latter. The room was on the 4th floor and had a good sized bathroom with large walk-in shower. If you are staying for longer than a few days the lack of a chest of drawers in the room might be an issue but for a stay of just a few days the other storage provided is fine.

The hotel lays on an excellent self-service breakfast with a very wide range of pastries, cereals, cold meats and cheeses and hot dishes and kept us fully fueled until lunchtime. Unlike another commentator we never found the breakfast room to be overly crowded and there looked to always be plenty of table space.

It is also worth noting that this hotel along with others in the Sokos chain seems to have a robust commitment and policies in place to minimise their impact on the environment which is to be applauded.

The hotel is very clean and tidy and the reception staff helpful. I would definitely reccomend this hotel for anyone looking for somewhere to stay on a city break to this fantastic city.

My room in the older part of the hotel was a good size, clean and smart. The location is good for central Helsinki, restaurants etc. Staff are very friendly and helpful, free internet connection is a bonus. Breakfast was OK - a good selection but sometimes crowded, didn't eat in the restaurant at night as there is plenty of choice in the area. One minor but annoying design fault - the room lights are activated using the key card, but the switch was not close enough to the door so (having arrived at night) I found myself in very dark room wondering where the switches were. On the whole though, pretty good and will probably return in the future.

The worst part of the stay was breakfast. It was very crowded. We had to sit at the bar, which was not adequately cleaned from the night before. People were sitting on the couches in the lobby trying to eat. The eggs were disgusting. I don't know how they can screw up scrambled eggs, but they tasted like mush. The room was clean and adequate. The furnishings said motel, not hotel in a big city. The floor in the shower either needed to be cleaned or was old and needed updating. The staff was very friendly and helped with early arrival and dinner reservations. I think this hotel was pricey for what we got.

Just back from Helsinki, from this hotel - everything's just great in there! Absolutely nothing to complain about!!!Only 1 - too expensive, but that's the thing with all Helsinki hotels.