We stayed at the Regina Hotel in the Lithuanian city of Druskininkai for two nights.
On arrival, the receptionist quickly checked us in and having established there was no lift, and no one to help with luggage, our guide obliged by taking them up to the second-floor room. As soon as he’d left, we realised the double bed was against the wall.
The receptionist, who was extremely helpful despite rusty English, told us that the room had been chosen as it had air conditioning (AC). However, she offered us a choice of two larger rooms: one with AC for an extra €10 each, or a ground-floor room without AC. Having looked at both, we opted for the latter. Although she offered to have the two singles made into a double, we declined as it meant we could both get in and out of bed easily and could share the central bed side table and light. The room was equipped with a large wardrobe, desk and two chairs, a TV, and empty fridge. A large bottle of water was priced at €2, although we were told the tap water was safe to drink, and tea and coffee making facilities were provided.
The bathroom was relatively small, with a shower over the bath where the water was not very powerful and the temperature was erratic. However, there was a reasonable wall mounted hairdryer near the mirror, and it was light and bright with plenty of towels and a heated towel rail which could be turned off.
The restaurant closed at 7pm, and the bar at 8pm which seemed rather early, and we later discovered the reason. Around 90% of the guests were students training at the nearby Snow Arena, one of the biggest indoor skiing slopes in the world. They had dinner inhouse and as this was finished by team talks, it ruled out even an early dinner, and we ate out.
Having managed to hit the bar before closing time, the draught cider ran out after one pint and only bottled beer was available. The 8pm curfew was strictly adhered to, so we sat in the lounge/reception area to finish our drinks.
Breakfast was served between 8am and 10am during the week and up to 11am at weekends. However, early breakfasts were totally overwhelmed by the students, and we were advised not to arrive until 9am. By then most of the students had gone, leaving the tutors relaxing over coffee. Rather than it being decimated as we had feared, it looked as though we were the first on the scene with jugs of three juices (tomato, apple and orange), three cereals (but no muesli), jugs of yoghurt, three types of bread (including rye) and sliced bread for the toaster, herring, bowls of different salad ingredients, a mixed beetroot salad, pate, cold meats and cheeses. The hot selection included rice, a meat in a sauce, sausages, baked beans, and omelette. Coffee from the machine was good, as was a delicious carrot cake.
On asking for the bill on checking out, the number 38 was written on a small scrap of paper. As we’d not seen a drinks menu, and had no idea of costs, we asked for the receipts to back up the figure but found all was in order.
The only thing to really commend this hotel was its location which was central to the city sights.
