Helsinki in April can be cool, wet and gray, as the city starts to thaw from a long winter.
But visitors to Finland will find that the Finns have a way of fighting off cold-season doldrums with coziness: soft lighting, fireplaces and places to curl up.
The Hotel Haven in Helsinki offers all of that, along with amazing harbor views.
The 137-room property is located along the city's picturesque South Harbor, within walking distance of many of Helsinki's landmarks and the colorful markets along the waterfront.
The hotel lobby's style is refined and warm: two leather Scandinavian-style chairs set up in front of a chess set and glass fireplace, various seating areas with plush sofas and armchairs, dark wood panels and plenty of windows.
The hotel rooms are elegantly designed, and mine overlooked the harbor and had a fantastic view of the Uspenski Eastern Orthodox cathedral. The room had an ample sitting area with a soft rug, a wide armchair and a plush sofa.
Not to be missed is the complimentary breakfast served in the property's historical Sundmans building, the second-oldest stone building in Helsinki. The delicious spread comes with excellent views of the market and waterfront in a room straight out of the 1800s, with chandeliers, antique furniture, ornate moldings and drawings of old Helsinki.
A guestroom at the Hotel Haven Photo Credit: Hotel Haven
Haven and Lilla Roberts
The Haven is part of the Nordic Hotels & Resorts collection of independent hotels in Scandinavia. More recognizable to North Americans, it is also a member of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts portfolio and is part of its I Prefer Hotel Rewards program.
Another member of both portfolios is the Hotel Lilla Roberts, which is less than a 10-minute walk from the Hotel Haven.
While the two properties could not outwardly be more different, they do share that Scandinavian coziness, served with high style in the city's Design District.
The 130-room Hotel Lilla Roberts opened in 2015 very clearly intent on being part of its design-focused neighborhood.
A luxe room at the Hotel Lilla Roberts in Helsinki. Photo Credit: Hotel Lilla Roberts
Built into an early-20th century building that has been both a police station and power plant, the entrance and glossy, black-and-white facade introduce the hotel's art deco inspiration. Inside, the lobby is curated with various styles and motifs, a checkerboard floor and a horse statue along with cozy midcentury Scandinavian furniture in front of a fireplace.
The lobby offers plenty of places to curl up with a book or enjoy a cocktail at Bar Lilla E, which mixes classic with "positive Nordic madness." Perhaps that's the inspiration behind the Nordic Penicillin, with Finnish Kyro whiskey, ginger, honey and lime.
My luxe room had huge, arched windows with equally large, heavy drapes -- important in the summer to keep out the almost constant sunlight. The spacious room's design mimicked the style of the lobby -- an elephant sculpture on the desk, a zebra-print sofa and dark hardwood floors -- all softened by cozy armchairs set around a soft rug.
Owing to its design-forward ethos, an in-room gift included earrings from a Finnish jewelry designer, and a rack of clothing in the lobby changes monthly to feature different local fashion designers.
The lobby bar at the Hotel Lilla Roberts mixes classic with "positive Nordic madness." Photo Credit: Hotel Lilla Roberts
Finnish fare
Hotel Lilla Roberts is just around the corner from Spis, one of the restaurants that has come to define Helsinki's culinary renaissance over the past decade.
The very small restaurant (18 seats) focuses on Nordic ingredients and uses very creative ways to share them.
The menu leans heavily into vegetables and is constantly changing but may feature sunchokes, beetroot and licorice herb with Baltic herring and arctic char. Potatoes, mushrooms and other Finnish staples like lingonberries are bound to be on the menu, which also features unique wines and a selection of Nordic beers. Also keeping with the Scandinavian theme, Spis only plays a soundtrack of Nordic music.