Customer Review for Clarion Collection Hotel Atlantic in Sandefjord

In my previous blogs and YouTube videos, I have mentioned that I and my husband had a short trip to Sandefjord, and of course, we needed to book a hotel. We stayed at Clarion Collection Hotel Atlantic, as shown below. It may look plain on the outside, but I´m glad to make this customer review for them.

Let´s start with the positives. The hotel´s check-out time is 12:00 and check-in time is 15:00.  Since our arrival time is around 10:00 and we are clueless where to go, I informed the customer service that we will get there earlier, and asked if we can already check-in. She couldn´t promised we could, but on our arrival, we got a room prepared for us already. That was awesome!

The standard room was clean, and the design was modern. There´s a flat screen tv, a king sized bed, two side tables, one table lamp and one reading lamp on each side table, a study table with a mini fridge on the side, a sofa chair, and another mini table for snacks. You get free WIFI connection as well. Use your membership number and email to access.

The bath room is also clean, with a soap dispenser for hands, body, and hair (like a 3-in-1 liquid soap), facial tissue, toilet paper, and a hair dryer. Wonderful! (I wish I took a photo, but I forgot!)

Every 15:00, guests get free coffee or tea, and waffles. We had to cook it ourselves, but that´s a no-brainer. This mini-bar is just beside the reception.

The stay includes free breakfast and dinner. This is my favorite part. It´s like an eat-all-you can buffet. And I love the beverage section. It´s so awesome!

In Norway, people eat bread or knekkebrød (it´s a crunchy, flat bread made of corn) with jam, cheese, ham, cucumber, tomato, and the like. They love brewed coffee and milk in the morning. Basically, their dinner is the same, but there´s this meal called middag (literally means ´mid-day´), but that´s when they eat warm food like potatoes, meat, and veggies.

This hotel offers all that. They have so many choices of bread toppers and salads. They also have at least one kind of soup, warm dish, and many types of beverages. I LOVE IT!

The ambiance is super nice--viking motiff. Even the buffet table is shaped like a ship.

Some photos of their interiors below:

• At the entrance door

• On the way to the buffet table... The board says, 

"Welcome!
Breakfast:
Mon-Fri 06:00-09:00
Sat-Sun 07:00-11:00
Dinner: Everyday 18:00-21:00"

• WC means toilet

The hotel´s location is very strategic. It is 5 minutes away from Sandefjord Station, 5 min. away from the local bus station, about 8 minutes away from the park, restaurants, bars and local stores, and about 12 minutes away from the Colorline ship dock area.

The price for the standard room, breakfast, dinner, waffles and free internet is kr 990 per night. It´s not bad for two persons, right? Just think that when you dine out, you spend around 200 krones just for yourself, and with this hotel, you get about 3 meals plus a night´s stay. Definitely an affordable price!

The only thing I didn´t like about this hotel is that it´s so clever to tempt customers by filling the mini fridge with sodas, beer, and they put snacks on the mini table too. We were not informed right away that we have to pay for whatever we take from it. Besides that, I love everything else from this hotel. I would give it 4.5/5.0 rating.

For more information about the Clarion Collection Hotel Atlantic, visit their website by clicking HERE!

Fall and Winter Season Mistakes I Did Last Year

August 2014 was the month that changed my life. From a warm, breezy country in the Southeast Asia, I moved to Norway to be with the man I love. I was literally coated with wool and winter boots, as I could not imagine how cold it would be like in Norway. But while as I was in the airport in Oslo, I looked around and realized, uh-oh! Why is everybody else just wearing jeans and normal shirt?

I was way too overdressed that 15th of August. But after being a year in Norway and having experienced all the seasons, here are the mistakes I did last fall and winter season that you definitely don´t want to do.

Avoiding to wear scarf. I honestly didn´t know how to tie my scarf that I just avoided to wear them. The thing is that aside from protecting your neck from the cold, it also gives style to your clothing.

Buying fleece online from the kids´ section. I am a petite lady, and teens´clothes really fit me. But thing is that their styles and designs are really not for me. I used them though, but I wish I had returned them.

Not having a party boots. Norway is a place where walking on the streets is relatively safe. In fact Norwegians love walking around. The thing is that they love to party, too. School events would always include julebord or Christmas gathering, and that´s when your party boots would be handy.

Not buying shoe spikes early. Last winter I slid on ice around 5 times, and that was painful! When a store puts their shoe spikes on sale, buy a pair right away. It saves you from shame and pain.

Buying very thick wool. A century ago, people wore thick, knitted wool during winter. But not anymore! Had I known earlier last year that merinowool works just as fine as the thick ones, I wouldn´t have spent money on thick wool. Merinowool sweaters are easier to wash, they´re not as sensitive as the thicker wool, and they are very thin. Petite women like us can´t wear bulky clothes, so in fall and winter, merinowool is the best undergarments for us.

Having this list made it easier for me to identify the pieces of garments one really need when visiting Norway in fall or winter season.

• Scarfs
• Casual ankle boots
• Party boots
• Walking shoes
• Mountain boots (If you are going to climb the fjells and fjords)
• Shoe spikes
• Windproof and waterproof jackets with hoodies (It gets colder when it´s windy.)
• Undergarments made of merinowool (which includes leggings and long sleeved undergarment)
• Superunderwear (This is helpful for people who exercise during the cold season, as it lets your sweat evaporate from the shirt easily.)
• Beanies (Make sure it covers your ears.)
• Long winter jackets or coats (They provide isolation, but coats are just too bulky for me.)
• Socks made of merinowool

The fall season in Norway begins late in August and winter begins sometime in December. So if you plan to visit Norway (or perhaps other countries in Europe), I hope this article helps.