Hotels Near Handelshuset in Lillesand

The hotel essentially serves the adjacent theme park, so perhaps expecting it to meet the needs of a business traveller is asking too much. However... Check in was friendly, if rather slow, and I was asked to pay in advance for my three days of parking, which I was happy to do but required a receipt so I could reclaim it. That wasn't possible, I was promised one would be available on checkout. Room was OK, but no more; a not very large space was further constrained by a pair of unfolded, made-up bunk beds. Blackout was just about OK, bed was acceptable, as was the shower (though no more than ”acceptable” in any of those cases). Leaving very early for a flight on the morning of checkout, I asked for my bill the night before (room was pre-paid, but there was the parking...). No, not possible, but ”we will leave a note so when you actually checkout it will be ready”. Fast forward to 05:00 and, of course, no bill and the guy had no idea how to generate it - ”don't worry, we'll email it to you”. they didn't, of course, so I am now out of pocket for three days of expensive Norwegian parking. Would I go back? Definitely not

On arrival i was a little concerned by the size and appearance of the lobby. No need for concern! The staff were very friendly and helpful. I had a junior suite, which was very reasonably priced for a downtown metro hotel. The bathroom was bright and exceptional, with a great walk in shower. The bed was very comfortable and I slept like a rock! The location is probably the best in Kristiansand. Easy walk to everything. This is not a resort hotel. The Thon Parken is a very solid choice for a base from which to explore the area.

I booked this at very short notice for 1 night in the run up to Christmas as corona started to gain momentum once more. Parking has to be in the parking house opposite, where isn’t wasn’t easy to find a space. Not the hotels fault it was full of Christmas shoppers, but something to consider. Check in went well and then up to the room in the one working elevator. The room was small, but tidy and the temperature control didn’t work which meant having to leave the window open. It would have also been nice if the cleaners had emptied the bins instead of leaving the last occupants rubbish in. Getting a meal wasn’t possible as no restaurant but plenty of options in the streets nearby. In summary, not the greatest hotel experience ever, but OK for what I needed.

Radisson Blu sits at the edge of the shipyard – unfortunately, it’s a container yard that sits close to the Radisson compound so a bit of an eyesore if your eye wanders westward. But look the opposite way and you can see the waters of But it also lies very near Markensgate, the pedestrianized shooping street that full of shops, malls, restaurants and bars. Markensgate on the other hand sits at the edge of the Torvet, the main square of the city. It’s also beside the famed fish market Fiskebrygga. So it’s a great location (save for the container yard). The hotel has a huge parking area, handy if you’re coming with your own car. The room we were given was on the 3rd floor and the 3rd floor rooms all have their own wide balconies with sofa set, coffee table, and swinging chair. It’s set higher than the guest room floor so you take three steps up to go outside and enjoy Kristiansand’s great weather. The 3rd floor business class rooms also have a separate seating-coffee table area that even has its own sliding door for privacy. It has a sofa bed too. The room is slightly larger than most Radissons (and that’s not including the separate alcove). There’s a proper writing desk. There are decent accent lights, large wall-mounted TV, safe, coffee machine and hot pot, and ref. My wife appreciated the safe since it was inside a pull-out cabinet so the safe door faced up, not front. Two large ceramic lamps were on each of the night stands, quite an unusual touch. There were touches of leather – the tops of the two coffee tables in the ‘living area, the tissue box, trash can, and the headboard. Also – and much appreciated – there were outlets and USB ports on the side of the night stands that fronted the bed. Temperature control was separate for both the ‘living room’ and the bedroom. There’s no carpeting but the floor is nice wooden tiles (or it looked like it anyway). If I had to complain, it would only be about the small number of TV channels. There was only BBC for news but even that was disabled for some reason. The T&B was pretty large in area with a classy shower enclosure which folded and in smoked glass. Toiletries were wall-attached dispensers, by the Norwegian cosmetics house Sprekenhus. They were pretty complete, with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in the shower and hand wash and body lotion in the sink. The T&B also had a similar sliding door as the living area. Breakfast is at the same place as the evening restaurant, which is why most of the chairs and tables are large and spread apart, except for a section with small close tables and small chairs. Which would explain the soft lighting, which isn't too appropriate for breakfast. The spread is quite diverse, with lots of different cheeses, lots of breads, lots of cold cuts and fresh veggies. But unlike the Radisson Blu Atlantic in Stavanger where we came from, there was no hot coffee pot on every table nor an option to order complimentary a la carte items from a menu. There were also ve

The room is not big, a bit similar to the motel, very clean