The Scandic Sarpsborg offers good value accommodation at the heart of the town. If you’re considering a stay here, read on for the details.
I recently spent a couple of days in Sarpsborg, a town about 90 minutes by bus or train from Oslo. Of course, this meant a hotel stay.
There are only a handful of hotels in downtown Sarpsborg to choose from. Watch out for the Quality Hotel, as it’s actually a resort hotel located some distance away from the town.
Having stayed in a few Scandic hotels over the years, I chose the chain’s hotel in Sarpsborg without much of a thought. Here’s what to expect from the Scandic Sarpsborg.
Location of Scandic Sarpsborg
The hotel is built into the same building as the Storbyen shopping mall at the centre of the city. It has its own entrance plus one from the neighbouring Egon, and is around the corner from the town square.
I arrived by bus and the hotel was just a few minutes’ walk from the bus station, which is also part of the Storbyen mall.
Check-in
Two days before arrival I received an email offering possible upgrades for NOK 199. I decided to apply but then received an SMS just minutes later informing me there were no upgrades available. It feels like that’s a system that could be improved!
The check-in process was quick and painless as the room was pre-paid. The key I was given was a blast from the past. One of those plastic jobs full of holes!
Read more: Sarp Falls: The Industrial Heritage of Sarpsborg
While the reception area was modern, the rest of the hotel did have a dated feel to it which explained the old keys.
That said, a friend of mine staying in a different hotel has the same kind of key. Must be a Sarpsborg thing?
The room
I had booked a small, single room and that’s exactly what I got. It was one of the smallest rooms I’ve stayed in in Norway, but as I hadn’t planned on spending much time there and I was travelling alone, this was fine for me.
The pictures tell the story better than words. Despite the room’s small size, there was a desk and chair and enough space for clothes. The desk was fine to get an hour or so’s work done.
The Wi-Fi was quick and easy to connect to. From the window, I could see some of the main square. My sleep was fine even though the mattress was a little softer than what I’m used to, and the room was quiet.
The bathroom was also small but bright and clean. The shower wasn’t the best, but it was surprisingly powerful and there was liquid soap supplied in both the sink and shower.
While there is no kettle or coffee maker in the room, there is coffee available in the foyer. This is free for guests, an arrangement that’s typical of Scandic hotels. I’d rather have a coffee maker in the room, but that’s how it is.
Breakfast
One thing I always like about Scandic is that breakfast is included in all room rates. It just makes things so much simpler.
As a relatively small hotel the breakfast buffet refelcted this, but there was still plenty to choose from. If you were staying three nights you could easily have a totally diffferent breakfast each morning.
As with most Scandinavian hotels, the quality and choice of cold cuts, bread, fruit, yoghurt and so on was better than the hot food on offer.
I paid NOK 2174 for two nights at the Scandic Sarpsborg. The rate was for a small, single room and included breakfast. You can check rates and availability for the hotel now with our friends at Booking.com.
