Our long day of travel and touring
complete, we proceeded to the hotel, the St. Petersbourg (a member of
the Small Luxury Hotels [SLH], Schlossle Hotels [we stayed at their Grand
Palace Hotel in Riga earlier in our trip], and Hyatt). The hotel claims to be the
oldest in Tallinn, dating back to the 14th century (it was
previously called the Hotel Rataskaevu, named for the street on which it
is located). The hotel occupies a position on a small square that
is famous for the “Cat’s Well”, which was once the main source of water for the
city. According to legend, an evil water spirit lived in the well and
threatened to make all the town's wells run dry if it was not given regular
animal sacrifices. To keep the spirit happy, cattle and sheep carcasses were
thrown down the well, but the main victims were stray cats. In a sense, the
sacrifices worked because the town's wells never ran dry, but the practice of
throwing animals down the well affected the water quality, and the Cat's Well
had fallen into disuse by the mid 19th century. (We apologize for repeating
this gruesome lore; we are animal lovers and the owners of two cats!)
Guests must climb a few steps past a summertime
sidewalk terrace to enter the lobby of the hotel. The terrace belongs to the
hotel’s sophisticated Tabula Rasa restaurant. The property offers a second more
casual restaurant called the Golden Piglet Inn (called Kuldse Notsu
Korts in Estonian), which occupies the lower level of the hotel (it is
actually street level if you enter from Dunkri Street due to the elevation of
the property). We dined each morning at the Golden Piglet because a lovely
complimentary breakfast buffet was included with our room rate. (The breakfast
included cold selections like meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, and pastries,
as well as cooked-to-order served hot dishes.) The Golden Piglet also offers
seating on a sidewalk terrace in the summertime. Additional hotel amenities
include an attractive lobby (with various seating areas and a fireplace), a
pool table (on the second floor), and a sauna (on the third floor).
The hotel offers 27 air-conditioned rooms in various
categories like Classic, Superior, Deluxe, Junior Suite, and Suite. Note that
this hotel does not have an elevator, so you may need to climb a flight or two
of stairs to reach your room. We reserved Junior Suite Double Twin
#201, which to our understanding was the only junior suite that had twin beds
(pushed together to form a king), as well as a shower (not just a bathtub). Our
350-square-foot room had a sitting area with sofa, lounge chair, coffee table,
and desk/chair, as well as two twin beds (pushed together to form a king) with
a nightstand on each side. The antique-style windowless bathroom was a bit
cozy, with a walk-in shower, toilet, and pedestal sink. A hairdryer, bathrobes,
slippers, and toiletries were provided. A free-standing wardrobe held a safe
and a minibar, with a small dresser nearby that held a coffee service on top.
Decor was attractive, with wood floors, modern furniture, soothing colors, and
quality fabrics and textiles. Our room had two windows that opened and provided
a view of the small square below. A welcome plate of some pieces of chocolate
bark (three flavors, studded with nuts or fruit) was waiting in our room when
we arrived; the front desk had already given us each a cocktail downstairs when
we registered.
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