St. George Hotel, Helsinki, Finland

Finland is at its best in the summertime so there is no better time to visit Helsinki than in July. I have wanted to visit St. George Hotel for a long time and decided to book it for my birthday weekend. It is located next to Old Church Park right in the center of Helsinki, so it is easy to explore the city on foot from the hotel.

St. George Hotel

St. George is a five-star hotel that was opened in 2018 after the renovation of a printing house that it was operating since 1871. The building now showcases different designs and architectural styles from its neo-romantic and classical façade to the very contemporary and minimalist entrance. The minimalist design makes the art stand out and makes you feel like you are stepping into an art gallery rather than a hotel. The most noticeable pieces in the hotel are a kite sculpture Tianwu by the artist Ai Weiwei at the entrance and Pekka Jylhäs's sculpture Learning to Fly in the Wintergarden but art has a big role throughout the hotel. They believe that rest, silence, and unhurried moments with art and literature represent a new luxury – and I was keen to experience this.

The receptionist was kind and polite and gave us a free room upgrade for the first night since I had originally booked a cozy studio for our first night and a serenity studio for the second. The use of the pool area is not included in the visit to the cozy studio, thus this double booking. But now we were able to stay in the same room and use the pool for the whole visit. The fact that the hotel has a pool was the reason for choosing this hotel, so I was very happy with this arrangement. 

My Serenity Studio

The hotel has 148 uniquely designed rooms and five suites. The rooms feel cozy and elegant because of their soft tones and Scandinavian design. Our room was a serenity studio on the fifth floor with a street view of Lönnrotinkatu, which I thought was beautiful. The room felt fresh and spacious, and was full of natural light, thanks to the big windows. Also, the hardwood floors in the rooms are much more sophisticated and cleaner than the carpeting in the corridors. The bathroom was stylishly decorated with marble and glass. In addition, the toiletries from L:A Bruket had the most amazing scent of lemongrass and grapefruit leaves. So I was perfectly happy with this room!

What I liked the most was that in the room there were a lot of novels as well as interesting brochures about this and other hotels as St. George is part of an international group of Design Hotels. So I got a lot of reading! But of course, there was also a TV with the possibility to connect your own device to it. They also offer different stretching and relaxation programs for the clients to enjoy in the room.

Exceptional Amenities

A spa with a swimming pool is not a very common feature in hotels in Helsinki. Therefore, it was so nice to enjoy this one. The customers should book their time for the visit in advance since the hotel only allows each customer to stay in the pools and saunas for 45 minutes every day. This timing and scheduling gave a little unwelcome rush for the stay. But the pool area is quite small, so I understood that limiting the clients' stay made it possible for each to enjoy it better. Now it was easy to find a seat in the two saunas and have enough space to swim in the pool. I really enjoyed the beautiful architecture of the space as well. The gym of the hotel was rather small, but it had the equipment I needed for my workout.

The quests who are members of the Nordic Choice Club (5/2023 became part of Strawberry)  get a voucher to the St. George Bakery which is located on the ground floor of the hotel. It is a beautiful cafe as well! Their cinnamon roll is absolutely delicious and definitely a must if you are a first-time traveler in Finland. Also, the guests of the hotel get to have their fresh bread and brownies from the bakery at the breakfast buffet.

Renowned Restaurant Boon Nam

The restaurant of the hotel is called Boon Nam and is led by renowned Finnish chef Tomi Björk. The characteristic of his restaurants is the fact that the dishes are shared around the table. The dishes in Boon Nam are inspired by Asian spice markets and prepared using traditional Thai cooking techniques. The food was full of new flavors and tasted amazing. It was truly an unforgettable experience! So I warmly recommend this restaurant even if you are not a guest at the hotel.

The breakfast was served in the same restaurant and was also super delicious. There was a great selection of cold and warm dishes to try as well as an à la carte menu if one wanted to order directly from the chef. I ordered a pancake on the first morning and it was the most delicious pancake I have had in my life! I didn't feel a need to order any omelets because the omelets in the buffet were so well done. The customer service was smooth and extremely polite throughout the whole breakfast. Breakfast like this gives you good energy to start your day!

Lounging In Wintergarden

To top your stay at this hotel, I recommend visiting the Wintergarden, which is an inviting lounge and a bar located in the center of the hotel. The glass ceiling, green plants, and stylish furnishings are inspired by the classical conservatories of the 18th century. The wallpaper is truly unique and designed by Klaus Haapaniemi for this space. In the middle of it, is a nearly six meters tall metallic bird Learning to fly, which gives a lot of visual interest to the space. The funny thing is, that the drinks can also be served in a glass shape of a bird! It is the perfect place to spend time with the people you care about. 

In Conclusion

To sum it up, I think that St. George Hotel has a lot to offer. I got to experience the great food in the restaurant, the relaxing spa, and the luxury of not doing anything except reading books and watching movies. But in my opinion, one weekend is a little short time to slow down one's busy mind and lifestyle. So I'm sure that a longer visit is needed to fully experience the rest and the silence that this hotel is aiming for. Also, more sounds of traffic and busy life are coming through the windows on the weekends, which can be distracting in one's pursuit of silence. But I got a piece of it and it made me just want it more!