“Family stay in Thon Maritime Hotel”
Family of two adults and two teenagers and we stayed for 7 nights in the Maritime at end of July.
Overall very pleased with the hotel but, in hindsight, not really suitable for the type of trip we took as rather small rooms and distinct lack of storage space meant we lived mainly out of our cases. PLEASE NOTE: the standard double rooms have no wardrobe as such and no storage drawers, I would say okay for a 2 - 3 night 'hand luggage' only stay for one person.
Also rooms a little stuffy and with no aircon meant sleeping with the windows open, although not a particularly noisy location the long daylight hours did mean some noise, mainly early in the morning as bin men, etc went about their business.
Please don't get the impression we didn't like the hotel, far from it. a great location 5 minutes walk from the quayside, right opposite the lake and couple of minutes from secure parking. All the staff we enountered were extremely friendly and extremely helpful, the rooms were perfectly clean and beds very comfortable if not the largest.
A very good breakfast with a wide range of choice only (very minor gripes): no baked beans (!) and coffee not great from the machines.
Free coffee and internet access in the lobby and table football which kept my two teenagers entertained (and their mum and dad!) on the odd rainy hour.
Area recommendations
The Hotel is in a great location a couple of minutes from the cathedral (oldest in Norway I believe), right opposite the lake and 5 minutes from train and bus stops. Stavanger is a small city and easy to get about on foot for most of it. Walked extensively and didn't come across any area we felt ill at ease in. Some of the Norwegian concrete architecture looks a little stark and, if in the UK, you may be forgiven for thinking wou were in a 'dodgy' area, from our expereience definitely not the case in Stavener and other Norwegians towns we've visited.
Many areas are very picturesque like the 'old town' of wooden houses and the brightly painted shopping/cafe area slightly reminiscent of Brighton's Lanes.
Free lunchtime concerts in the main park on most weekdays, a botanic garden, plenty of museums and gallerys and good, if expensive shopping. The Quayside has many bistros, restaurants and bars and host events throughout the year, we were there for the Tall Ships race which was spectacular. Also able to catch ferries and fjord cruises to several destinatiosn from the main ferry terminal just off the quay. Overall Stavanger is a vibrant small city with an abundance of activities and culture and an excellent base for touring. We had a car for the week and managed to island hop on one day, fjord sightseeing on another and tour inland villages and towns on another. Highly recommended.
Must see
Fjords, fjors and fjords!
There are plenty to choose from and some easy access by car and/or ferry. Visit the excellent Tourist Information office opposite the cathedral for local knowledge and good advice.
Dining
Eating out (as everything else in Norway) is very expensive - a 2 course meal for 4 in a reasonable bar/bistro can easily cost £150 including a couple of drinks each. Even takeaway pizza for 4 with drinks will see you parting with over £50.
Having said that, all food we had from take aways through to a la carte restaurant was very good as was service, just get used to a big bill.
In Stavanger we found an excellent little deli next to Peppes Pizza and used this several times when we didn't want a full blown meal
