Oslo Day 2 - A really long day
Any early start for us on Wednesday morning, we headed downstairs for breakfast which was just next door to the hostel. The Anker hostel is situated directly next door to the Anker hotel so should you want breakfast you can pay a reasonable fee to enjoy a full buffet breakfast next door at the hotel.
As Juan put it, with candles on the table it was a very romantic breakfast. The food was excellent and there was an excellent variety.
9:20 am
Our first meeting for the day was at Linne Hotel, located at the heart of Groruddalen north of downtown Oslo the hotel is just then minutes from the Oslo Central Station.
We met with Kennet who took us to see a number of rooms within the hotel. All of which were tastefully decorated and very spacious. With a great bar area and great staff this hotel I can highly recommend. This hotel boasts 7 conference rooms which makes it ideal for business travel. Another great thing about the rooms is they all boast enormous bathrooms, some as big as the rooms themselves.
10:30 am
Next on the list of properties to visit was the Sentrum Pensjonat. This property is located in the centre of Oslo along the red light district and has a lovely atmosphere. Staying here will put you in the heart of a very vibrant area with lots of pubs, restaurants, museums etc.
The hostel itself has loads of character, it has gradually been renovated and upgraded and there is one room in particular that is fantastic for a group to stay in, feels more like being at home than in a hostel.
On arrival at this hostel we were shown around by a few members of staff while the others attempted to wake up Vigliek who was meant to be meeting us at 10:30. After a quick show around a very sleepy Vigliek emerged and we had a quick chat about Hostelbookers and he had nothing but praise for us as they had had an exceptional amount of bookings us this past summer.
12:00 am
The next stop was to the City Hotel. Situated not even a minutes walk from the previous hostel it was so easy to find. We met with Marc who gave us a quick show round. Rooms and nice and clean and tidy, however not all rooms are en-suite. This hotel is a great choice for anyone as its in an ideal and central location.
13:30 pm
Perhaps our favourite hostel on the trip was the Oslo Youth Hostel Haraldsheim as it is in the most beautiful location imaginable.
Its perhaps most far out in terms of transport but transport options to get there are great and oh so easy to navigate. When we stepped off the tram that stops near to the hostel we were amazed at our surroundings. With a massive field and foot ball pitch just outside the front door of the hostel it’s an amazing place. Set in the country side, this hostel is incredibly peaceful.
It’s a massive building with plenty of facilities and is ideal for groups of any kind as well as families which small children.
Rooms are nice and bright and with great views.
We met with Herald who took us around to see what they had on offer, we then enjoyed a drink outside in the sunshine while we discussed his thoughts on the Hostelbookers system. All in all he was very happy with us and was pleased we came all that way to visit.
It’s certainly an area I would like to visit again in the future.
15:00 pm
Our fifth and final property to visit was the Anker Hostel where we had stayed the previous evening. We meet with Noomi who was just lovely. She had lots of praise for Hostelbookers and gave us some excellent feedback.
We knew first hand about the facilities within the hostel having stayed there and I would highly recommend it for the following reasons. Although the rooms are basic some of them have a small kitchen and bathroom included in each room which keeps things really private. So you can prepare and enjoy your meals in private.
With a great communal area near the reception and its location which is just minutes from some great pubs and bars it’s a perfect choice for the seasoned back packer.
After our meeting me collected our bags and made our way to the city centre where we did a little shopping and relaxed in the sun for a couple of hours.
Our bus left for the airport at around 18:30 that evening. Another long buss journey and yet another delayed flight later we arrived in London at around 00:30 only to faced with a sea of people waiting to have their passports stamped. Another hour later we had our stamps and our bags and we caught another buss back home. Arriving back at 02:00 in the morning we were finished. My head hit the pillow and that was that!
All in all an excellent trip! Oslo is a remarkable city for several reasons. The most important perhaps being its people. Those we dealt with were incredibly friendly and accommodating and I would highly recommend visiting the country. The city itself is beautiful, modern and clean and with these great properties to choose from there is no excuse not to visit!
