Domina Inn in Downtown Riga, Latvia

Being one of the main cities in Europe for cultural and scientific conventions, Riga, Latvia has a lot of hotels. Of the 3 we have stayed at, The Domina Inn is number 2... but could have easily topped the list had they been just a little more on the ball.

The Domina Inn is located right downtown in the Art Nouveau District, and a short 10 minute walk from the port where all the cruise ships and ferries dock. So location-wise, this is a great choice. When it comes to Riga, I am most fond of the Medieval Old Town area, and the Domina Inn is about 15 minutes from that, but still. The Art Nouveau District is also a cool place to spend some time, and the hotel is just surrounded by restaurants and great shopping; not to mention all the nightclubs, Internet Cafes, museums, etc. Plenty to keep you busy without having to go far at all.

The Domina hotel has won awards for its architecture, and indeed it is a stunning building. Done in the old European style, Domina Inn Riga boasts the title of "The Elitist Reconstructed House" (which was) won at "The Best New Project" competition in 2006. It almost looks like a business building, but done in a very attractive pale yellow with blue trim. It's just really cool.

The lobby wasn't huge, but it was nicely appointed and had a very friendly staff who spoke all kinds of different languages. We took a standard single at 94EU per night, but they do have classier rooms if you are more of a luxury traveler. Sometimes we splurge, but other times we know we are not going to be using the room much so I'd rather save the money to spend on tourist crap. This was one of those trips.

The room at the Domina was of the normal smallish European variety, but larger than the room we had at the Hotel Latvija the previous week. The double bed was quite comfortable, and they do have a small yet nice desk to set your computer up on. They also offer high-speed Internet access as part of the room cost. there was also a comfy chair in the corner, which in our case became a catch-all for discarded clothes.

The bathroom is really, really small. There is no tub, but the shower has adequate pressure and hot water, although my 6'6 husband had to duck a little. The tiny sink leaves little room for anything other than a tube of toothpaste, and the soap/shampoo are in dispensers on the wall like so many other European hotels we have stayed at. There were mirrors just everydamnwhere though, which is a plus in my book.

The room service here is 16 hours, which is a good thing. It isn't as over-priced as places in the US, and was very prompt. The Domina has one restaurant which serves the glorious free breakfast buffet in the morning. They even had this German potato concoction that we love so very much but cannot spell. It's something like ragamunk or something. At any rate, it is kind of a hash brown sort of... well they had it and it was very good, along with an array of egg dishes, breakfast meats, cereals & fruits, pastries, etc. It was quite a spread.

There is a bar in the lobby, but we never did stop in there. The room itself had a mini-bar, but unfortunately the maids had neglected to restock that. They should have. My husband really wanted a nice. cold beer that night.

As with most of the Riga hotels, Domina has conference rooms you can rent for up to 50 people, although this hotel is mostly catered to tourists rather than conferences. There are both a sauna and a Jacuzzi big enough to fit 10 people. If you are traveling with your family and want a nice dinner out without the kids, the Domina will even hook you up with babysitting service.

I like the location of the Hotel Latvija better personally, but the Domina Inn has a little bit better rooms over-all. If they had just kept that mini-bar stocked, I would have given them a full 5 stars. So, 4 stars it is, and a high recommendation to stay here.

Pulkveza Brieza st. 11 |
Phone: + 371 7631 800 | Fax. + 371 7631 801