We stayed at the Raddisson Blue after our cruise and before our flight home. It is a newly built business-class type hotel with all mod cons in the well furnished and very clean rooms. The bathroom in particular was very well equiped and squeaky new and clean. However in the public area downstairs there is an inconsistency. We checked in to the hotel at 11.45pm, dying for a drink, coffee, or whatever to be told the bar facilities were closed and to go to the pub on the corner. This we did not wish to do. The following morning, after a really good breakfast - great choice and quality we had to wait until 1.30 for the airport transport. We looked around the local shops briefly but soon returned to the hotel as the outside temperature was -12'C. The bar/coffee shop of the hotel was still closed - goodness knows what their opening hours are - so we went without refreshment as we did the night before. The unfriendly hotel manageress seemed to find 150 people with their baggage a nuisance and did their best to extracate most people who were not seated in the very few armchairs. It is amazing that they accept the block bookings of 80 odd rooms but do not wish to add further to their turnover by opening up the coffee shop etc. If they feel they do not want 150 people in one go then they should not accept the cruise passengers at all.

Best possible location next to harbor and downtown, two minutes from the main street and tourist information (which is the same building as the bus station). Four minutes from the big shopping mall. Excursions start in front of the hotel.

Spacious clean rooms, good breakfast and everything you could expect from the Radisson Hotel including free Wi-Fi.

My wife and I stayed in the Radisson Blu, Tromso prior to a Hurtigruten Cruise to see the Northern Lights. It is a large hotel well suited to dealing with "one nighters" prior to catching the boat. Booking in was straight forward even when a bus load arrived all at once having come from the airport. The room was very clean,smart and suitably equipped with tea/coffee making facilities. Having said that our room in the annex on the return stopover did not have tea/coffee making facilities but was otherwise well equipped. On both occasions the bed was very comfortable and we had a good night's rest. We chose to eat out in town for dinner, so cannot comment on evening meals. The breakfast, however, was an excellent buffet with a good range of hot and cold food.

One of the main attractions of the Radisson Blu is its siting very near to the quayside where the Hurtigruten ships dock. In fact it is less than a two minute walk from hotel to ship - very manageable with a suitcase on wheels. This was considerably easier than waiting to catch the coach provided for transfer and boarding at the same time as 50 other people. There was no noise or disruption from the port and the bedrooms were very quiet.

Overall I would definitely recommend this hotel for an overnight stay prior to, or after a Hurtigruten Cruise. I would also imagine that it would be good for a longer stay in Tromso.

Tromso is a quite a compact little place and a lot more modern than I was expecting. Sort of Witney on Ice.

The Radisson Blu is a modern business class hotel in a brilliant location, right down by the water front, just a few metres from the main shopping area and round the corner from the TIC and bus station. The airport flybus stops opposite. A big bonus is FREE WI-FI and easy high speed connection. 10 out of 10 for location and being easy to get to.

There are loads of restaurants within a 10 minute walk but be warned if you are going in winter - some of the pavements are like skating rinks.

My room at the Blu was well thought out with great TV dead opposite a big comfy bed and a sparkling, yet quite compact, bathroom with shower over tub. Well stocked mini bar with enough spare space to store your own bottles and snacks.The staff were all fluent in English, extremely helpful and very knowledgeable about both the hotel and the local area. sk for a room high up that has views of the harbour. Some of the rooms on lower floors have a rather limited outlook.

Breakfast was a comprehensive and very tasty hot and cold buffet included in the rate which was helpful as eating out in Norway is frighteningly expensive so load up at breakfast. They have 'real' milk so you can make a proppa English cuppa in the morning which is always a big plus with me.

As for the Northern Lights - tryly awesome, worth every minute and pound of my 4 day trip and the comfort and convenience of the Blu enhanced my trip considerably.