Review of Merchant’s House Hotel, Tallinn, Estonia
Written by sian
I hate generic hotels. Hate them. Unless they’re very swish indeed, I don’t want to stay somewhere that looks like a car park. I want somewhere with a story, with a bit of history, or something different about it. It’s so important to me, that often the hotel is decided on before the destination.
That was certainly the case with the Merchant’s House Hotel in Tallinn on my recent trip to Estonia. In fact, the hotel was picked even before the country.
I get excited about unique hotels. This Tallinn hotel, in an old merchant’s house (surprisingly) was rather lovely indeed. It’s perfectly positioned on Dunkiri, just off the town square in Old Town. Perfect for exploring. The welcome is warm, the reception is pretty and you’re made to feel at home as soon as you arrive. So homely I want to stay a really really, really long time. Little cubby holes, exposed brickwork, wooden beams, smiling (English speaking) staff. All of those things make for a good mini break.
The Merchant’s House Hotel bedrooms look over a small courtyard, and our room also had a communal balcony, perfect for book reading. Our room wasn’t anything overly special, but it was a good size and the bathroom was lovely. The maids were excellent. They weren’t those annoying ones who ignore the ‘do not disturb’ signs so we had peaceful afternoon naps. And we got to watch old episodes of Poirot on the TV – a lot of the channels were English, or had subtitles.
The service was always really fantastic. Breakfast was included in the price of the room, and it’s a continental and fried buffet. My travelling companion got excited about salmon and scrambled eggs and of course, we ignored all of the fruit in favour of pastries. The breakfast room is underground, and I imagine would be much cosier in winter. It’s a shame there’s no way to serve breakfast in the courtyard during summer. But, as long as I have unlimited bacon, I’ll sit anywhere.
There’s a (tiny) bar, which is worth a look in. They serve shots in ice glasses, which sounds great, but as the rest of the bar is room temperature they melt too quickly and you get Vana Tallinn all over your nice new dress so stick to normal glasses. There’s also a spa, which was a tad too pricey for us. €46 for a pedicure is very expensive, and especially so when you consider what good value Estonia is. We didn’t try the restaurant in the evening, but they have outside seating should you want to.
Anything that wasn’t great about the Merchant’s House Hotel? Wi-fi didn’t work in the room. I didn’t want to spend all weekend on my laptop, but I had lugged it with me ‘just in case’ and there was no need. I know it’s a problem with old buildings, but I don’t think it should be advertised as standard if this isn’t the case. And the rooms were so hot that sleeping wasn’t easy. Even with two fans it was sweltering. I guess old buildings and air-con don’t work together either. And room service was very pricey – our room didn’t have a kettle and we paid nearly 4 quid for a cup of tea. Ouch. Good tea though.
That wouldn’t stop me coming back though. I reckon it’s one of the best Tallinn hotels. At €250 for three nights, it’s a bargain. I’d recommend the Merchant’s House Hotel. You should go there immediately. Really, stop working and hop on a plane. Merchant’s House is a beautiful, good value base to explore Tallinn and I’d go back tomorrow if I could.
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Sian, I must say that I do not share your preference for hotels with character. I much prefer to stay in a simple, clean room without too many frills (much lower carbon footprint). All I will do is stay there overnight, not lounge around soaking up the atmosphere. I would much prefer to walk around Tallinn and eat in a restaurant favoured by locals than sit in my room watching Poirot.
I don’t believe that 250 euros for 3 nights is a bargain, considering the prices of everything else there and the malfunctioning WiFi.
But then I’ll stick to my car parks with a fruit juice and roll for breakfast and you to exposed brickwork, beams and fried breakfasts.
John – I think you’re being a bit harsh on Sian. To each their own, I wouldn’t say any person’s approach to travel is necessarily better than anothers. I don’t mind staying in generic hotels such as Travelodge or Premier Inn, at least to a large extent you know what to expect, unlike some supposedly characterful hotels which turn out to be awful when you get there. And yes, when I stay at Travelodge I generally have my UHT milk and cereal with me for a cheap breakfast in my room.
On the other hand I’ve stayed in wonderful characterful hotels where I really enjoyed the experience. It also depends on the type of trip you’re taking and your budget.
Karen, I wouldn’t say that one person’s approach to travel is better than another’s. That is not what my comment is trying to say.
Sian, has given a very good description of the hotel and its amenities and included prices, so perhaps I am being a little unfair. If she had not included prices, I could not have passed judgement, but the review would be incomplete, as price is one of the criteria everyone uses to select accommodation.
After reading this review would you immediately hop on a plane, to Tallinn and stay at the Merchant’s House Hotel?
Watching TV is not a usual part of my holiday, but as I was unwell and nearly cancelled the trip, I spent more time in the hotel than I would have usually and it was perfect for that. Judging me for my choice of activity on my trip is a little unfair – what I do with my time on holiday is my choice (do read the rest of my pieces on Tallinn before deciding if I had a completely wasted trip). It doesn’t make my review any less valid just because I spent a few hours watching a little bit of telly.
Bear in mind that for two sharing a room, €250 works out to be about €40 per person per night – and I think that is cheap. I would never choose to stay in a Travelodge or boxy, boring hotel. I don’t think a standard hotel would have been much less (and it certainly wouldn’t have been in the middle of Old Town), but we got a bit of character in a stunning area perfect for exploring. Which I did much of.
John – the problem with mentioning prices is that they vary so much, according to time of year, local events, how far in advance you book etc. I can pay £9 for Sunday night Travelodge room booked months in advance during a sale but that room could cost over a £100 at weekends during peak season. That’s why I’m personally wary of mentioning prices when writing a hotel review. I find that a link to a price comparison site where readers can check the best price during their proposed dates is often more useful to readers.
Sian,
Sorry to hear you were ill. You do not mention the fact in your review. You mention quite a few deficiencies at the hotel, but your closing paragraph is very, very positive. I’m sure this is how you feel about your stay. From the information you supply, I would be put off by your review, but I’m sure I’m fairly unique in that opinion.
I stated in my first comment that I don’t share your preference for your chosen types of hotel. I also appreciate that many people like to just relax in a hotel when on vacation. All I was really trying to say is that, that’s not for me. I know you explored Tallinn, you have posted some good entries on Europe a la carte to demonstrate that fact.
Karen,
You are correct when you say that Travelodge rooms can vary between £9 and £100, for the same room. Campanile can vary between £1 and £65. A flight on Ryanair can vary between £1 and £200 for a seat on the same aircraft. That does not mean that the range cannot be included in the post. In fact most hotels still have set rates that do not vary by anything like these ranges.
It is odd that you have an inconsistent approach to publishing room prices, as you often inform us when you have stayed at a £29 Premier Inn or £9 Travelodge Room. Why not then say that rooms start at £X and go up to £Y? Then add a few tips on how to find the cheaper rates. It is even possible as Sian did, to include the price of their own stay and give their own opinion on if they thought it value for money. If the review is comprehensive we can make our own minds up.
It is not helpful to have to look up a price comparison website. You could do this and find prices to be prohibitively expensive for the period in-putted, not realising that you could find much cheaper rates if booked on a Promotional Offer. In these cases you could sign up for the hotel’s newsletters to be informed of forthcoming promotions and be able to book at advantageous rates.
John – More than 90% of the time I find cheaper hotels rates on a price comparison (metasearch) site than on the hotel’s own website.
I can’t accurately say what the minimum and maximum prices of hotels will be, as I can’t spend ages trying all permutations of dates and then there are promotional rates eg some hotels and/or accommodation resellers do offers like 3 nights for the price of 2. The hotel’s own website may sometimes state a range of prices but I know that often I can find a lower price on a metasearch. If I pay for a hotel myself I’ll generally state the price I paid.
I didn’t feel the need to mention that I was unwell in my review; I wasn’t expecting anyone to judge me for my choice in watching a little bit of telly.
The fact that the few things I didn’t like about the hotel didn’t detract from how much I enjoyed my stay speaks volumes about this unique place. I really liked it here. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but if I found myself back in Estonia, I’d come back here.