Affordable eco-friendly hotel in a quiet neighborhood
Common spaces are stylish and modern
Basic guest rooms with flat-screen TVs and large desks
Studios and apartments have kitchenettes with mini-fridges and microwaves
Modern meeting room with a pool table
Large sauna with an attached lounge
Small but well-equipped fitness center
Lobby business corner
Free Wi-Fi throughout
Free on-site parking
Far from the city center
Rooms are dated and only have twin beds
Breakfast not included; lunch and dinner for pre-booked groups only
The three-pearl Ava Hotel is an affordable, eco-friendly hotel that's located in the quiet neighborhood of Vallila. The property's 75 guest rooms are basic and dated, but they're tidy, with flat-screen TVs, large desks, pleasant views of the tree-filled area, and free Wi-Fi. There are also studios and apartments with kitchenettes containing mini-fridges, microwaves, and coffeemakers. The rest of the hotel is more updated and stylish, with a fitness center and impressive sauna, plus a meeting room with a pool table. There's also a small buffet restaurant that serves breakfast for a fee, but lunch and dinner are only available for groups. Travelers looking to stay closer to the city center can check out Scandic Park Helsinki, which also has a pool.
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Scene
Eco-friendly hotel with attractive common spaces for leisure travelers
The Ava Hotel is housed a nondescript office-like building, but it's on a leafy block and has a pretty brick path leading to a set of double glass doors opening to an attractive lobby. It has a streamline, midcentury look, with boxy, pea-green chairs and loveseats clustered around round white tables that face a picture windows overlooking trees. There's also a lobby computer tucked into a corner. While attractive, the lobby isn't a space where guests linger long, although they do gather in the chic breakfast room and also hit the impressive and spacious sauna. Hotel AVA is one of the few hotels in Helsinki with an EU Ecolabel for its good environmental practices, and draws mostly budget-conscious leisure travelers who don't mind staying outside the city center.
Location
In a quiet neighborhood far from the city, but close to public trams
The hotel is in the quiet Vallila neighborhood, about a three-minute walk from the nearest tram stop. There are a few restaurants and a grocery store nearby, but little else of note. The Messukeskus Expo and Convention Center is a 10-minute tram ride away, and it's 20 minutes by tram to the Hartwall Areena stadium. For tourist attractions, dining, and shopping, it's a 16-minute ride to the Helsinki Central Railway Station in the city center, and most destinations are within walking distance from there. Expect a 20-minute drive, or a 37-minute tram ride, to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
Rooms
Dated decor with flat-screen TVs and desks; many with kitchenettes
While public spaces at this hotel are modern and stylish, all units are dated, with fussy floral bedspreads and curtains, mismatched wood furniture, and dropped ceilings. Still, spaces are tidy and well-maintained. The standard rooms have two twin beds, wardrobes, desks, wall-mounted flat-screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi. Studios, and two- and three-bedroom apartments all have twin beds as well, and add kitchenettes with mini-fridges, microwaves, coffeemakers, and electric tea kettles, plus seating areas that have tiny fold-down tables and a pair of stools. The tiled bathrooms are ultra-basic, with open showers separated only by pull-curtains, and soap dispensers as the only toiletries.
Features
Large sauna, fitness center, and free Wi-Fi and parking, but fee for breakfast
The hotel's main feature is its large sauna, with a locker room, rainfall showers, and an adjacent lounge with a flat-screen TV, several couches, and a high-end red Smeg refrigerator. There's also a meeting room and adjoining lounge with a pool table, which are unavailable for guests when the space is booked by groups. The sauna is always open to guests at night. There's also a small fitness center with cardio and weight-training equipment. For dining, the small cafeteria-style restaurant serves buffet breakfasts (fee) and can be pre-booked for lunches or dinner, but only by groups of 10 or more. The lobby has a computer workstation with a printer, and on-site parking and Wi-Fi throughout is free.
