One of the best things about birthdays is that you get one special stay in a hotel – say even if you happen to live in the same city where the hotel is based.
That’s exactly what we did for my husband’s birthday this week.
Turku is a big city but you’re not exactly spoiled with lots of nice hotels. Luckily, when we found Seurahuone, we were pretty excited as it was a newly renovated hotel and we’ve never been there before.
Located short walk away from the central square of Turku, you will find a modest looking building with stylish Gunar Eatery at the corner….
At the entrance you will find the most gorgeous lobby on your right side, complete with a fireplace (shame not an authentic one) and Gunar restaurant on the left side.
The lobby features some of the comfiest seats I’ve ever seen and unlike other hotel, the interior design makes you feel like you came to someone’s living room, rather than a boring looking waiting room.
The orchids also looked much more lively than any of the ones I’ve had the pleasure of seeing to die in my own home.
We arrived too early for check-in, but not late enough for a lunch so we settled in for a quick bite a birthday drink.
The restaurant was equally stylishly decorated with plenty of seating options. As it’s usually the case with city restaurants in Turku, you would expect a crammed space so they make the most out of the capacity.
Gunar was the opposite – plenty of tables and seating spaces with privacy for each table and I couldn’t stop admiring the gloriously designed interiors.
I went for salmon served on a bed of rice, with mushrooms and fresh veggies. One of the best salmon dishes I’ve had during my 3 months in Finland, absolutely delicious!
My husband went for pork served on a bed of crushed potatoes with herbs and veggies, which was also absolutely delicious.
Finished with Finnish coffee served in the cutest cups ever!
The room was exactly as pictured on the website.
Huuuuge bed with SIX pillows and duvet made out of clouds. Seriously, sleeping here made you feel like you’re floating on a cloud and you never want to get out.
The bed will hug you from each side and won’t release you until late hours of the next day.
I made the mistake of climbing to the bed as soon as we arrived and falling asleep, so I missed the chance of testing the free sauna that the hotel offers – a Finnish one of course!
The hotel room had a fully stocked up bar including a few quirky additions like this drink and a movie prop – just in case you wanted to share them on Instagram.
I was impressed that they offered free sauna to all hotel guests, which is not common to most hotels I’ve been to – you would have to book your slot and sometimes extra charges applied.
The bathroom was a very good size and included a walk in shower with generous space and all the toiletries you might need.
Hand on heart, I spent most of the next day recovering from the birthday celebrations, so I didn’t get a chance to test the other facilities in the hotel.
I stayed shamelessly until the last minutes of the checkout and ventured back to the lobby few minutes after 2pm.
The sky was grey, there was a bit of a drizzle and I was dying for an option to spend another afternoon in the cloud nine they call a bed.
Looking less than presentable with hair all over the place and makeup still smudged from last night, I snapped up some photos on our way out while prohibiting my husband to take any photographing evidence of me.
If I could spend a whole week snuggled on one of these sofas reading a book, I take that anytime over a week by the beach sizzling on the sun.
Whether you’re coming to Turku for a weekend stay, a business trip or to celebrate a birthday like me, I can’t recommend Turku Seurahuone enough.
The staff at the hotel and restaurant were super friendly, the service was efficient and food absolutely delicious. The hotel was really good value for money and excellent location.
Thank you for having me!
