Klaipeda is a Baltic seaport city on the coast of Lithuania. The area is known for summer tourism along the sand and forested Curonian Spit, a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared between Lithuania and Russia. The Curonian Spit is more like an island in the northern portion within Lithuania’s borders. The spit is attached to the European mainland about 60 miles south of Klaipeda within the borders of Russia.
Radisson Blu Klaipeda has a convenient location about ten minutes walk to Old Town Klaipeda. The hotel is also convenient for nearby supermarkets.
I arrived in Klaipeda by bus from Kaunas, where I had stayed at Club Carlson Category 1 Park Inn Kaunas hotel on a 13,500 points upgraded reward night.
Loyalty Traveler – Park Inn Kaunas Lithuania is Club Carlson Category 1 gem (April 19, 2017).
Klaipeda bus station is about a ten minute walk to the hotel, strolling alongside the statue park and the Port Liberators Russian WW II Monument.
Monument to the Port Liberators, Klaipeda
Radisson Blu Klaipeda is building on left bathed in setting Baltic sun.
Klaipeda was noticeably colder than I had felt in Kaunas. The extra humidity in the cold marine air environment in April made Klaipeda seem like a place to keep a head cap, scarf and gloves close at hand. The wind is more biting in the chill.
Check-In
Normally check-in is of little interest. This check-in had a twist in that the receptionist informed me I could add buffet breakfast for 8,000 Club Carlson points.
The funny part is I could have simply booked a Business Class upgrade room for an additional 7,500 points on the 15,000 points reward night rate for Club Carlson category 2 Radisson Blu Klaipeda hotel. That would cost 1,000 points less on a two-night stay and give a Business Class room type with breakfast.
I redeemed 30,000 Club Carlson points for two nights in Standard King Room and no breakfast included.
This was a comfortable room. I enjoyed the hotel stay.
Wifi worked well throughout my stay. TV offered English language channels.
The room window opened and I kept it open most of the time for fresh air. Not too much traffic on road below.
The bathroom was relatively large space with good lighting.
There was a sign on the wall of the tub shower stating to use the rubber bath pad provided on the bathtub floor. I generally ignore those signs. I don’t like standing on rubber bathmats. In this tub, the bathmat was a lifesaver. It really was a slippery tub and an even larger rubber bath mat would have been desirable.
Fitness Room and Sauna
I attempted to access the fitness room two times, but the door was key locked. The receptionist had mentioned something at check-in about going to the desk to request key, if I wanted to use sauna/fitness room. Never did make a key request.
Radisson Blu Klaipeda lobby
The hotel bar is actually one of the suggested hot spots for Klaipeda in the In Your Pocket Klaipeda city guide. Beer prices were comparable to many other places in the city.
There was not much happening in the hotel bar area during my stay. That was generally true for many of the places around Klaipeda. I felt like I was in a sleepy seaport town offseason.
Radisson Blu Klaipeda was a laid back hotel stay in a laid back Baltic seaport city. I was kind of bored in the city compared to Kaunas and Riga, but I liked Radisson Blu Klaipeda.
Klaipeda looked like a place a couple days in warm cafe weather might be kind of fun, then head out to the Curonian Spit.
I Love Lithuania! Hmmm, where is it?
In Klaipeda, ferry service transports passengers across the waterway to connect the Curonian Spit population with the city. The narrow Curonian Spit juts north some 60 miles from the European mainland, where the spit forms in Russian territory. The Curonian Spit is politically divided and changes country about midway along its length between the borders of Lithuania and Russia. About 50km/30 miles of the northern half of the Curonian Spit lies within the borders of Lithuania, however the southern end of the spit is where it joins mainland continental Europe with direct road access on Russia’s side of the border. Kaliningrad oblast is Russia’s isolated Baltic Sea region in the city that was historically called Konigsberg.
Ferry coming from Curonian Spit to Klaipeda.
About 35 miles south of Klaipeda is the border of Russia. The Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad, Russia surrounded by Poland and Lithuania is strategic for its ice-free port.
Russia’s city of Kaliningrad is separated from the nearest Russian homeland border to the north or east by 650 to 900 km by road and requires traveling through either Lithuania or Poland and then at least one other country through Latvia, Belarus or Ukraine.
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