Sokos Hotel Vaakuna

Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna is the Sokos chain's anchor hotel in central Vaasa — the bilingual (Finnish/Swedish) west-coast town that opens onto the Kvarken archipelago and the Gulf of Bothnia. The Vaakuna brand belongs to the SOK-owned Sokos Hotels group and runs in much the same format city after city: a solid mid-range stay built around the bar/restaurant floor and the sauna. The wellness side is exactly what Finnish travellers expect from a Sokos: a 24-hour health club and a sauna, used at the end of the day after work or before going out. Two restaurants, a bar/lounge, a snack bar, room service, a hair salon and an ATM cover the everyday side; a 24-hour business centre, meeting rooms, a computer station and conference space handle the working week. Golf, ski lessons and snowboarding are all within reach in season — Vaasa sits at a useful inland-and-coastal crossroads with the Kvarken UNESCO archipelago immediately offshore. The hotel works well for business stays, conferences and travellers using Vaasa as a base for the Gulf of Bothnia coast.