Stayed here for one night whilst travelling through Tampere. Stayed in the piano-suite which was basically one large room. The sauna was nice although the bathroom design was nothing spectacular.

Also, the breakfast buffet was ok, but nothing extraordinary. For the price that we paid (EUR160) I would have expected something a bit more.

However, if you are looking for somewhere different to stay the Hotel Urku is a good option, and fairly close to Tampere if you have your own car.

A secret tip for Tampere: the Restaurant Hella & Huone does excellent menus. A real treat!

I stayed at the Hotelli Urku with my wife and two boys (aged 8 and 10). What had attracted me to the hotel was the en suite sauna, which we used both evenings.

The room was large and very well furnished with double bed and sofa-bed for the kids. There was a mini-kitchend which would be useful for people staying for longer, filter coffee was provided, which was a nice touch (I know the Finns are crazy about coffee).

We had breakfast both mornings which cost extra but was good enough to set you up for the day. The children were charged at half price. We also ate in the restaurant one evening where the food was of good quality if a little unexciting. The restaurant was quiet.

The hotel is in Kangasala, which is around a 20 minute drive from Tampere. For those without a car there is a bus from directly outside the hotel to Tampere two or three times an hour, which we used one day when I didn't want to drive.

Kangasala itself seems to be a wealthy doromitory town with an excellent swimming beach on the lakeside, a good base for a holiday in the Finnish countryside.