I arrived by bus to Vilnius earlier than expected; so I walked the three kilometers from the bus station north all the way to the Holiday Inn Vilnius hotel property. The sun had still not risen during those early morning hours — so I walked into the small lobby. After exchanging greetings with the woman behind the front desk, I asked her if I could access the Internet for about an hour or so after greeting her.
Review: Holiday Inn Vilnius — With Arguably One of the Best Breakfast Buffets
Despite the fact that I was to check into the hotel property later in the day for two nights, the woman behind the front desk denied my request, implying that I might be trying to get a free night.
“All I want to do is access the Internet,” I said.
“You will have to pay for another night,” she countered.
“Even if I wanted to do that, that would not be a full day,” I said — but she was not budging, which I suppose was within her right, as the hotel property did not owe me anything. She did acquiesce to storing my bag in a closet near the front desk, which was a great help to me…
…so what did I do to pass the time? I walked around Vilnius taking photographs, which I intend to post in future articles. I took at least 897 photographs around Vilnius during my visit — and that number is no exaggeration.
Even though the woman behind the front desk did absolutely nothing wrong, my initial impression caused me to wonder if staying at this hotel property was the wrong choice.
It was not a wrong choice by a long shot, as I highly recommend staying at the Holiday Inn Vilnius.
The Room
During the early afternoon later that day, I returned to the hotel property to check in. There were different staff members behind the counter who smiled; were friendly; and made me feel quite welcome.
I took the elevator to the fifth floor; and the hallway was rather dark…
…except for the area where the elevators are located at the end of the hallway.
I walked into my room, which was clean and fairly spacious.
I liked the stencil of the city skyline projected on the wall by a light above the two beds…
…which were comfortable. I slept quite soundly after two full days exploring Vilnius.
A choice of soft or firm pillows are available on the beds.
The desk had a telephone and a dedicated lamp — as well as a mirror on the wall — and to the left of the desk was a station with everything needed for coffee and tea.
Be careful not to drink these bottles of water, which were priced at nearly five euros each.
Half of the room was inexplicably ensconced with a surfeit of blue curtains. A small flat-screen television was on the wall opposite the beds; and there was a chair on wheels with a small table. A shelf to place luggage — along with a hook and a large mirror — was located behind another curtain.
The closet door was actually a see-through accordion mesh which slid opened and closed — but do not expect much privacy in the closet, which contains plenty of cubbyholes and drawers. However, I still have not found where in the room the minibar is located. Can you find it?!?
The Bathroom
Here we go again with another of those partial shower partitions found throughout Europe — and this one did not even extend to the halfway point of the bathtub. I did like the labeling of the light switches in the room, though.
The bathroom had an ample sink area and enough towels for two people.
Liquid cream wash and tissue dispensers were located on the right side of the sink…
…as were the amenities of two bars of soap; a shoe shine cloth; shampoo and bath foam — branded as essentials by Duke and Lyle.
The toilet had a large shelf area on each side.
When the lights are turned off, the light from the main part of the room shines through the translucent glass — which gives more of an open feeling in the bathroom while simultaneously preserving the privacy of the occupant of the bathroom.
The View
A view of the traffic on Šeimyniškių gatvė stopped at its intersection with Kalvarijų gatvė facing northwest from the window of the room was the best part of the view.
This building — which was under construction or renovation — was not so nice of a view; but it was not the worst view from a hotel room which I had ever seen.
The view was slightly obscured by tinted glass angled outside of the regular windows…
…and avoiding reflections on at least two panes of glass was almost impossible. The entrance to the hotel property is located around the corner on the left.
I preferred the view from the big pane window near the elevators…
…including this intersection of Šeimyniškių gatvė — which is the street running vertically on the right side of the photograph — with Kalvarijų gatvė. The entrance to the hotel property is directly below and to the left.
I even liked the look of the old building across Kalvarijų gatvė.
Breakfast
The dining area for patrons of the breakfast buffet was nicely styled and more comfortable than I expected.
I sat in the upper level of the dining area, which included throw pillows on the cushioned bench area. The lower area of the dining area — as well as the entrance — is located beyond the cushioned bench.
A wine cabinet finished off the upper level of the dining area; and large windows bathed this area with ambient light.
The coffee station included honey, milk, sugar and other condiments for that hot cup of coffee or tea.
I could not believe the selection of food which was at this breakfast buffet, which included all sorts of baked goods — including the infamous black rye bread — and assorted condiments.
There was plenty of fresh fruit and what appeared to be canned peaches — and how I enjoy fresh grapefruit! I have never seen fruit look as close in appearance to perfect at a breakfast buffet at a hotel property than this; and a bowl of assorted flavors of yogurt was also available.
Assorted dry cereals with different toppings and pitchers of milk were available at this station.
I truly enjoyed the choice of fish, which included hot smoked salmon, sardines and herring. Cold assorted meats were also offered.
Assorted cheeses on a wooden plank and salad items — including black olives in pesto sauce, which was outstanding — with different flavors of dressings and toppings were at this station.
Porridge, crépes, omelets, sausage, crispy bacon and even chicken nuggets — they were fresh, delicious and cooked perfectly — were in covered chafing dishes at the hot food station.
There was even a choice of fried eggs and hard-boiled eggs.
I must have had at least five glasses of assorted juices, as they were that good. Ice cold water, hot pepper sauce and celery were offered as well.
I thought the breakfast was amazing — perfectly cooked; fresh ingredients; an incredible assortment — so much so that I would rate it as one of the top breakfast buffets at which I ever dined.
I could have stayed all day at this breakfast buffet — if it stayed open that long — and breakfast was included in the room rate.
Summary
Tomas was the employee of this hotel property who went out of his way to get glue for my running shoes when the soles of my running shoes unexpectedly fell off; and you can read about the entire ordeal in this article. That issue has since been resolved, which I will impart in a future article.
I really enjoyed breakfast during both mornings, which was included in the room rate for me — and breakfast is my least favorite meal of the day. The offerings between the two morning varied only slightly.
High-speed internet was more than adequate, as I had no problems whatsoever using it.
The cost to park a car is eight euros per day; and no pets are allowed.
The location of this hotel property is not quite convenient in terms of being near the center of Vilnius; but not so inconvenient that you cannot walk to virtually anywhere in the Old Town of Vilnius. Besides, bus service with several lines is available approximately two blocks south of the hotel property — including service directly to the international airport — and the fare is only one euro for each ride.
I had no problems or issues with my stay, which cost me a total of 158.00 euros — or $172.83 in United States dollars — for both nights including tax; and I highly recommend staying at this hotel property for a reasonably comfortable, quiet, clean and basic stay…
…and especially for the excellent breakfast buffet and attentive service.
Holiday Inn Vilnius
Seimyniskiu 1
Vilnius 09312
Lithuania
+370 5 2103000 Telephone
holiday-inn@ibc.lt E-mail address
All photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
