We arrived in the evening in Vilnius. The airport is very small. Taxis were waiting outside the arrivals hall and as in all Baltic countries the meter charges aren't regulated. There is an airport cartel, and they overcharge generally. We paid 90 Lithuanian Litas (ca. 26 Euros), which was of course higher than usual, but we weren't bothered too much, having some experience with Beirutian taxi drivers and informed ourselves about security issues in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Arriving at the Radisson Blu Lietuva, there are two Radisson Blu's in Vilnius (The Astorija is the other), was quick, around fifteen minutes. There was also snow, but the river Neris wasn't frozen over. The Lietuva is located in the New Town of Vilnius. It is the highest hotel in Lithuania, previously it was the highest in the Baltic States, but was dethroned by the new Swissotel in Tallinn, Estonia. Before it was also known as the Reval Lietuva, but Radisson bought the hotel chain and rebranded all of the properties. The hotel has twenty two storeys. On the top is the Sky Bar. The hotel also has a fitness center, the Lobby Bar and the Riverside Restaurant as well as meeting facilities. Swedbank and the Casino are on opposite sides, while the Europa complex is just across the street. The Holiday Inn and the Best Western aren't too far away either.
The Museum of Contemporary Art is within walking distance and the Old Town easy reachable within ten minutes on foot just across the bridge over the river Neris.
The check in was efficient and friendly. Internet access was free and fast, both up and downloading worked well. At the Klaus K uploading was slow, but downloading quick. See also Travel Report Part 1.
We had booked a Business Class Room, which included breakfast and free movies. The room was huge, more like a junior suite and equipped with a kangaroo sized bed (two double beds pushed together), storage space beside the bed and a wardrobe at the entrance including safe, a sitting area and a writing desk. A small cupboard to store the mini bar and on top was a LCD screen TV placed. You could swivel it to either side (sitting area or bed). The bathroom was accessible through two doors, one was located beside the bed, the other at the entrance way. The toilet had an own room and sink. There was a comfortable bath tub, separate shower and one sink. Bath amenities were by Anne Semonin and included even a hand creme.
The design was Scandinavian.
The minibar was filled with soft drinks, water, juice and alcohol. The choice was to our satisfaction and we liked the local water.
In Room Dining is 24 hours available and we ordered Caesar Salad with Chicken, Steak, well done (it arrived medium, he was happy enough it wasn't too bloody in the inside and decided to let it pass), the fish in butter sauce, yummy apple pie and delicious chocolate cake. The quality was good and the meal arrived within half an hour. I watched a movie, while my fiancé uploaded all the photographs he had taken earlier. TV Channels in English were available.
The next morning after a comfortable sleep we went to breakfast at the Riverside Restaurant. The breakfast was served buffet style and had everything one might needed with an egg station, if guests preferred to have omelet or fried egg. There was yogurt, fruits, fruit salad, pastry selection, cornflakes, juices, scrambled eggs, cold cuts, cheese, fish, pickles, bread and much more.
The area, where the food was served, was spotless clean, but some of the tables hadn't been cleared with the used dishes left behind by previous guests and the carpet wasn't cleaned. Another guest had dropped a bread piece, and it was still there, when we arrived.
After breakfast we went exploring the area. The Swedbank Building has a terrace with beautiful views over the river and the hotel.
The Museum of Contemporary Art was inspirational from an architectural stand point. Crossing the street we passed an unfinished building and one that was only half constructed. The Europa Complex included the Europa Tower, the Europa Apartment block and the Shopping Mall. It was very windy outside and we were frozen through, so we went into the shopping mall for a stroll. The mall is dominated by shoe and clothing shops. They also have a Cow Parade (life sized cows made from plastic or other material and decorated by famous artists) like in many other cities around the world; donations are going to poor kids in Lithuania.
We had a coffee break at Cozy Europa on the ground floor with cappuccino, macchiato and creme brulee. All very indulgent. The coffee came from Lavazza by the way.
Reaching 5 PM we went back to the hotel. We went to the Sky Bar for a cocktail, enjoying views over both the Old and New Town. The cocktails were excellent and the atmosphere was upbeat.
At dinner I had salmon & cheese sandwich. It's not on the menu, but it seems the person, who took the order misunderstood me (Ham and Cheese was the original order) I love fish, the sandwich was really nice and it wasn't more expensive, so I didn't let it go back. My better half enjoyed Pepperoni Pizza and we had the same desserts, just exchanging, who ate what.
I watched another movie. It was early bed time for us, because we had an early start, our flight to the next destination was leaving before 09.00 hours.
The check out was as efficient as the check in and the taxi to the airport was 55 Litas, ca. 16 Euro.
Next time, when in Vilnius we are going to have a look at the Old Town.
Watch out for the last part of our itinerary.
©2011
No comments:
Post a Comment