After the awesome start to our European adventure in Stockholm, we were extra excited to hit up another Scandinavian capital – Helsinki. We were lucky to not only find another great city, but another great family friendly hotel at the Sokos Hotel Pasila.
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Sokos Hotel Pasila Review
From the moment we arrived, we knew we were somewhere great for families. The staff at check in started by handing the kids a present each then told me about how they had the best meeting rooms in Helsinki. I nodded thinking “ah ok that’s nice but I don’t really care”. Then he proceeded to tell me why they are the best meeting rooms in Helsinki and I had to agree!
The “meeting room” ie the playroom
All summer long they have a big kids’ playroom set up at the hotel. It is fabulous too. Probably the best I have seen as well as the biggest. Not only is there an art corner, cars, trucks and many other toys, but there is an actual jumping castle! It is superb and an extra welcome addition here in Helsinki. The weather was not the best during our stay and it was great to have somewhere the kids could let off steam outside of our hotel room.
The location is also handy. The Sokos Hotel Pasila is located out of the centre. However, there is a bus right out the front door which runs very regularly throughout the day (we always hopped straight in one that left within minutes) and is only about 15 minutes to the centre. It was also easy to get everywhere else we wanted to go.
The neighbourhood surrounding the hotel is pleasant with plenty of shops and a few restaurants.
The kids’ breakfast table at the Sokos Hotel Pasila
The breakfast is also a big win at this hotel. What was extra good is that there was a kids’ buffet table with kids’ bowls and cups and breakfast ingredients. Our kids loved having their own kid stuff.
There is also an extra cool juice dispenser. You tap on a tablet next to a spout which juice you would like and it is poured for you.
The cool juice dispenser
The bathroom in the common area at the hotel is also very kid friendly – there are even potties available.
There is also a gym, sauna, several restaurants and bars and parking. The Sokos Hotel Pasila is also green key certified so you can be sure you are staying in an environmentally friendly hotel.
Our room
Our room
Our room came with a double and king sized bed and was perfect for a family. There was still plenty of space on top of this and many nice extras to make the room feel extra special – especially on arrival.
When we first arrived in the room, the double bed had two toy squirrels for the kids – Omni who is the Sokos Hotel mascot. There was also a welcome note with some sweets. On top of this, the kids were overjoyed to find some rubber duckies in the bath! This was definitely a first for us in a hotel.
Omni x 2 ready to greet the kids!
Our room also had a walk in wardrobe which helped us keep our room tidy, dressing gowns, mini bar, tea and coffee making facilities, bathroom floor heating, towel rack heating and a big bath rub. We also loved that they had family toiletries supplied including bubble bath. Between that and the ducks, we had two very happy children at bath time.
The other great feature was good blinds! Unless you are here in the middle of Summer then you will not understand just how priceless these are. It’s barely dark in the middle of June and we actually never experienced night time, so we really appreciated good curtains that helped keep the sun out so we could all sleep.
The kids?
As you might suspect from the present on arrival, present in our room and the rubber duckies, our kids were very happy here. They also absolutely loved the playroom, perhaps too much as they never wanted to leave it!
Our verdict
We were very happy at the Sokos Hotel Pasila. It was just so nice and comfortable and the kids were happy and well taken care of.
My only negative is the location – it is very quick and easy to get around but it is out of the centre. If you are looking for a more central option in Helsinki, Sokos Hotels do have other options right in the middle of things. However, the upside of this is that this is a very nice hotel with large family rooms and a great playroom for a very good price.
If you are looking for a great family friendly hotel in Helsinki then I recommend staying at the Sokos Hotel Pasila.
Click here to see the latest prices.
We also stayed at a Sokos Hotel in Tallinn – read the full review here.
Find out more about Sokos Hotel Pasila on their website. We were guests of the Sokos Hotel Pasila but, as always, our thoughts are our own.
Tags: Accommodation Finland Travel Blog
