Helsinki is such a fabulous city to explore with kids – it’s super family-friendly with lots of attractions suitable for all ages, it’s easy to get around, safe and has some of the friendliest people in the North. We absolutely loved our visit and one of the highlights has to be our stay at Scandic Park Hotel. Travelling with kids is not always easy, so it’s fantastic to come across a hotel that caters for every member of the family, and has so many little touches to make for a happy stay.
Here are all the details on our stay at Scandic Park Hotel in Helsinki – and why we wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again.
Contents
About Scandic Park Hotel
Exterior of Scandic Park Helsinki
Scandic Park Hotel Helsinki is part of the Scandic Hotels Group – the largest hotel chain in Scandinavia (280 hotels with 55,000 rooms!) The Scandic Park Hotel is located at the Northern end of Helsinki’s city centre, and as the name suggests, it’s located right across the road from the beautiful Töölö Bay and it’s leafy parklike grounds.
View from the entrance of Scandic Park Hotel Helsinki
The hotel has 523 rooms and has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment, giving it a chic but welcoming air that Scandi style does so well.
One of the best things about Scandic Park Hotel is its location – it has a tram stop practically right outside the door to get you wherever you want to go in Helsinki, or it’s a short ten-minute walk into the centre of town which we found easy to do even with the kids in tow. Hint – if you cross the road and walk through the park there’s a great playground for a stop along the way.
The hotel is also on the route from the airport on the Finnair bus, with a stop outside the door, around 20 minutes from the airport (6.90 euros adult, 3.30 euros 6-16 year olds).
Checking in
Reception at Scandic Park Helsinki
Upon arriving at Scandic Park Hotel, the first impression you get from the stylish lobby we’d describe as friendly sophistication. The reception area has authentic Finnish style – from the wooden chairs, vintage style lighting and an artfully arranged bookcase.
There are ample sofas and chairs, along with a handy shop selling snack food, drink, ice-creams, fruit and last minute essentials you may have forgotten like toothbrushes and toiletries.
Small shop full of essentials and other fun bits!
One of the first things that strikes you is how friendly the staff are. We arrived early, but were checked in with all our details and our luggage was able to be stored. The friendly staff were very happy to give us a map and help us with tram directions and tickets for going into town. They also gave us information about our breakfast location (as the hotel was very full they were serving breakfast on the top floor as well as the hotel restaurant).
The kids were then presented with a welcome gift – some colouring and crayons, a set of pick up sticks and tattoos with the hotel mascot Sigge the Hedgehog on them.
The cool Sigge welcome gifts
They were super excited with the gift and the colouring and crafts proved to be very useful later that evening at dinner when they were tired from our travels and wanted something to do while waiting for their meal.
Our room – Superior Family Four
The comfortable bed in a Superior Family Four room.
We stayed in a Superior Family Four room at Scandic Park, and it was perfect for us. At 43m2 there’s plenty of room to spread out. The beds were a great sized king sized bed, and for the kids a comfortable sofa bed that was made up all ready on arrival.
The sofa bed all made up ready for the kids.
The bathroom was spacious with a big bath – great for travelling with kids, a shower, large basin area with plenty of space for personal toiletries.
Lovely shampoo and shower gel from FACE Stockholm is provided.
There’s loads of wardrobe/closet space for hanging clothes, and an ironing board and iron provided.
The mini bar was well stocked with drinks, along with tea and coffee making supplies provided.
The room had two TV’s – a large sized one in the main bedroom and a smaller one right by the sofa bed.
One of our favourite things about our room was the fabulous blackout curtains – a must for the long summer Helsinki nights when it doesn’t get dark until midnight and the sun is back up again shortly after! This helped us tremendously in getting a good night’s sleep.
Finally the WiFi in the room was super-speedy and reliable.
Bathroom robes were a nice touch.
Facilities at Scandic Park Hotel Helsinki
The facilities at Scandic Park are excellent and include a huge indoor pool and sauna and gym.
Outside there’s a bike rack with bicycles to borrow for guests who want to explore the city like a local on one of the many cycle paths.
Gorgeous summer flowers outside the hotel
The exterior entrance to Famu Bar and Restaurant
Although we didn’t explore them in-depth, there were large-sized meeting rooms on site, perfect for business customers.
Restaurant and food
Breakfast
Included in your stay at Scandic Park Helsinki is a delicious buffet breakfast.
There’s a wide selection of delicious food including cereals, yoghurt, fruit (including the most divine mixed berries we’ve ever eaten!), waffles, eggs, bacon, beans, a range of breads and rolls, cheeses, cold meats, pastries, salad, and some Finnish specialities if your game and want to try some delicious fish for breakfast!
Breakfast buffet
Also served are a range of juices, tea and coffee.
There’s also a section specialising in gluten-free and vegan food which is a nice touch.
Happy campers!
Because the hotel was fully-booked our breakfast took place in one of the top floor meeting rooms and we had an amazing panoramic view out over Helsinki. A small playground area had been set up for younger children which was being well used. A great idea so parents can also have some breakfast in peace.
Sophie and Sigge
A highlight of breakfast was a real-life visit from Sigge which our kids were delighted with!
Famu Bar and Restaurant
Entrance to Famu Bar and Restaurant
We had dinner one evening at the hotel’s in-house restaurant Famu Bar and Restaurant. It’s an absolutely brilliant option for travelling families as adults can dine from the delicious a la carte menu, while kids can eat at the kids only buffet which had a great selection of choices – meatballs, pasta, hamburger, fries and vegetables.
The kids buffet section at Famu Bar and Restaurant
Right next to the kids buffet is a great kids playroom, where they can play with toys and activities making for a happy dining experience for all.
The restaurant playroom
Our kids also enjoyed colouring and doing crafts from their welcome pack.
Jack with his Sigge craft
The adults a la carte menu has a good variety of choices on it. We opted for the shared grill platter with seasonable vegetables which was absolutely delicious.
Grill platter at Famu Bar and Restaurant
Famu’s stylish interior
The bar
Our verdict
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Scandic Park Helsinki and would highly recommend it to others looking for family-friendly accommodation in Helsinki. The great location, top-notch facilities, spacious and comfortable room, and great breakfast and restaurant made it an absolute winner in our books. We can’t wait to visit again some day!
Disclaimer: we were guests of Scenic Park Helsinki, however as always our views and opinions are all our own.
