Koknese Castle Ruins Tours

I'm on an '8 country tour' (yes, say it to the Gilligan's Island theme). When asked what I was most looking forward to, I said Latvia and Lithuania as they were both former Soviet bloc nations. I came from a rather swanky hotel to Viktorija Hotel. Swanky was 4 star, Viktorija 3. I guess there's a scale. I've seen other reviews, and some people were pretty hard on the place. When I arrived, I did not have a good exchange with the brunette at the front. I believe Latvian culture is quite different though, plus, there was a communication error on my part, so I'll take the brunt of that. I obtained my physical key on a wooden knob as big as a child's fist and went to my room. The hallway IS oddly dark. The room is roomy! The furniture, VERY basic, like American dorm room style. The bathroom, a butterscotchy one cm tile all around. Seemed very Soviet era. The TV, snowy. I had to laugh after swanky just because of the contrast of the two worlds. But in reality, this is what I wanted. Viktorija is just keeping it Riga real. Room was clean, bed was comfortable, shower was hot, location - plenty of walkability. TV and refrigerator unplugged. Why? they don't like vampire devices. Me neither! (Google it) They actually won my heart with this. Then I thought the dark hallway was for energy conservation. (Won my heart part ll). Would this be my choice for my 7 stays, perhaps not. For this one, I had good time. I will defend Viktorija Hotel in this moment. Now you know what to expect.

My stay at Hotel Brigita was simply lovely. I am very appreciative of the assistance I received from the friendly and helpful staff. I also really enjoyed the delicious and varied breakfasts. The food was the best I have ever had a hotel. Well done!

Super helpful staff, convenient walkable location in Old Town, but still close to transport hubs (tram, airport bus.) My room had an HVAC unit which was a great bonus. Very close to bars/shops/restaurants but still lovely quiet location.