Le Meridian Vilnius, Lithuania [Master Thread]
Le Meridian Vilnius, Lithuania [Master Thread]
Jan 15, 2009, 5:32 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: PMI
Programs: BA,LH,CX,EK SPG,IC mainly and a few others
Posts: 1,862
I had a weekend there in Feb 2008- a bit far from town so if you want to spend a lot of time in Vilnius not a good option. They have a shuttle bus a few times a day, taxi cost EUR 20 or so one way from town. Has a lot of landscaped gardens and lakes, so could be a good place in summer to spend a couple of days. If you plan to spend a lot of time in Vilnius city, not recommended.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
Jan 15, 2009, 8:09 am
#3
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC*E, AA, Mar*S, SW*P, HTZ #1G, AVS Pref
Posts: 159
stayed here 3 years ago.
Pluses:
Extremely nice grounds, great big rooms with high ceilings, really nice lobby
Negatives:
Old bed (hard - possibly replaced by now), about 20 minutes out of town
Overall:
While I was really impressed with the room size and the grounds, including a great restaurant with a patio overlooking a lake and water sports, etc.., if you are planning on doing any "back and forth" from the hotel its really far from Vilnius. The shuttle, while not something I used as I was there for business, doesn't seem to cut it. Then again, its not like there was much traffic so maybe you won't mind the 20 minute ride.
Have a good time, and see the KGB museum. All the wives/gfs/history buffs on the trip absolutely raved about it.
Pluses:
Extremely nice grounds, great big rooms with high ceilings, really nice lobby
Negatives:
Old bed (hard - possibly replaced by now), about 20 minutes out of town
Overall:
While I was really impressed with the room size and the grounds, including a great restaurant with a patio overlooking a lake and water sports, etc.., if you are planning on doing any "back and forth" from the hotel its really far from Vilnius. The shuttle, while not something I used as I was there for business, doesn't seem to cut it. Then again, its not like there was much traffic so maybe you won't mind the 20 minute ride.
Have a good time, and see the KGB museum. All the wives/gfs/history buffs on the trip absolutely raved about it.
Oct 5, 2010, 2:51 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Oslo, Norway
Programs: Star Alliance Gold, Skyteam E+, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,032
Staying here for 3 nights, booked two standard rooms, both rooms were upgraded to executive rooms (I can't tell the difference between standard and executive, as there are no club lounge at this hotel). Asked about suites, but was told all suites were booked. This was not true, as the hotel is basically empty. Maybe 30 or so rooms are occupied. I went to my room and checked SPG and saw a lot of standard suites available for booking, contacted the platinum concierge which contacted the front desk.
After two minutes I got a call from the front desk, which told me that they had received a cancellation (yeah, right!) and were able to upgrade my room. I went down to the front desk and were given two keys. I asked the girl that I only need one suite, but she said my friend could stay in a suite too. That was very nice!
The suites were HUGE, both Presidential Suites. My suite had a huge hall, a huge living room, a huge bedroom, a superhuge marble bathroom, a huge office/dining room. There was a also a small WC connected to the living room. There was also a telephone room and a luggage room. The suite is the largest I have ever seen. The master bathroom was larger than the executive king room that I was given when I arrived. It had a huge jacuzzi tub, a bidet, WC, two sinks, a huge walk-in shower - and the most funny thing: it's own sauna, which was a very nice feature. The suite was pretty spartan, and did not have a lot of extras. I guess they are not in use very often! There was only one phone in the huge suite, which is annoying when receiving calls, had to sit on the bed and talk. There was not enough lamps in the room, and got quite dark at night. No dvd-player, pens, etc, etc. But survived that easily.
The service at the hotel is pretty good and attentive, the staff are nice and polite. It is cheap as well. A coffe is 2 EUR, club sandwich 6 EUR, a beer 1,5 EUR, etc, etc. But, you get what you pay for... The club sandwich was not very good. It did not taste bad, but it did not taste good either. Not much guests here, so I guess that take it's toll on the restaurants and food quality.
There is one restaurant and one cafe in the hotel. They are not very nice (very tacky), and both closes at 11PM. Room service closes at 11PM as well. The bar is closed, and they could not tell me when it would open again. I guess it's open only when there are a lot of guests staying at the hotel?
The architecture and interior is quite communistic, very monumental and large spaces with few pieces of furniture and plants spread around. A full refurbishment would bring it up to current Le Meridien standards, but again - I guess hard cash would be needed, and for that the hotel needs more guests. So I guess that refurbishment would be hard to do.
Again, I am very happy with my stay, mostly because of the suite upgrade. A great value considering the low rates.
The grounds are beautiful, and it must be a lot to do here in the summer - golf, tennis, swimming, etc.
The spa was nice, quite oldish, but nice enough. Large swimmingpool and jacuzzi. It's open till 10PM, while the gym is open 24/7.
The hotel is located about 15-16 km outside the center of Vilnius, it is a 15-20 min ride using the complimentary shuttle bus. It departs near the Radisson Hotel, which is a 10 minute walk from the main sites. No problems here!
A nice stay!
After two minutes I got a call from the front desk, which told me that they had received a cancellation (yeah, right!) and were able to upgrade my room. I went down to the front desk and were given two keys. I asked the girl that I only need one suite, but she said my friend could stay in a suite too. That was very nice!
The suites were HUGE, both Presidential Suites. My suite had a huge hall, a huge living room, a huge bedroom, a superhuge marble bathroom, a huge office/dining room. There was a also a small WC connected to the living room. There was also a telephone room and a luggage room. The suite is the largest I have ever seen. The master bathroom was larger than the executive king room that I was given when I arrived. It had a huge jacuzzi tub, a bidet, WC, two sinks, a huge walk-in shower - and the most funny thing: it's own sauna, which was a very nice feature. The suite was pretty spartan, and did not have a lot of extras. I guess they are not in use very often! There was only one phone in the huge suite, which is annoying when receiving calls, had to sit on the bed and talk. There was not enough lamps in the room, and got quite dark at night. No dvd-player, pens, etc, etc. But survived that easily.
The service at the hotel is pretty good and attentive, the staff are nice and polite. It is cheap as well. A coffe is 2 EUR, club sandwich 6 EUR, a beer 1,5 EUR, etc, etc. But, you get what you pay for... The club sandwich was not very good. It did not taste bad, but it did not taste good either. Not much guests here, so I guess that take it's toll on the restaurants and food quality.
There is one restaurant and one cafe in the hotel. They are not very nice (very tacky), and both closes at 11PM. Room service closes at 11PM as well. The bar is closed, and they could not tell me when it would open again. I guess it's open only when there are a lot of guests staying at the hotel?
The architecture and interior is quite communistic, very monumental and large spaces with few pieces of furniture and plants spread around. A full refurbishment would bring it up to current Le Meridien standards, but again - I guess hard cash would be needed, and for that the hotel needs more guests. So I guess that refurbishment would be hard to do.
Again, I am very happy with my stay, mostly because of the suite upgrade. A great value considering the low rates.
The grounds are beautiful, and it must be a lot to do here in the summer - golf, tennis, swimming, etc.
The spa was nice, quite oldish, but nice enough. Large swimmingpool and jacuzzi. It's open till 10PM, while the gym is open 24/7.
The hotel is located about 15-16 km outside the center of Vilnius, it is a 15-20 min ride using the complimentary shuttle bus. It departs near the Radisson Hotel, which is a 10 minute walk from the main sites. No problems here!
A nice stay!
Oct 6, 2010, 1:52 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Oslo, Norway
Programs: Star Alliance Gold, Skyteam E+, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,032
UPDATE:
Massages are very good and VERY inexpensive. A 60 min full body massage was less than 30 EUR!
WIFI - superfast and reliable! Got two 24 hours vouchers from the reception every day. They said they provided platinums with maximum two vouchers every day - that was nice, since my friend was staying there too.
The wake-up calls were always nice, the girl in the reception told me the temperature outside, and that I had to dress well for the cold, hehe.
Definately a place to go for total relaxation!
Massages are very good and VERY inexpensive. A 60 min full body massage was less than 30 EUR!
WIFI - superfast and reliable! Got two 24 hours vouchers from the reception every day. They said they provided platinums with maximum two vouchers every day - that was nice, since my friend was staying there too.
The wake-up calls were always nice, the girl in the reception told me the temperature outside, and that I had to dress well for the cold, hehe.
Definately a place to go for total relaxation!
Jan 17, 2011, 9:44 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2010
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, SPG Gold, HH Gold, PC Platinum
Posts: 232
The location is not very good, mile out of town and an expensive taxi ride back if you want to stay out past 9.50pm, which is when the hotels bus heads back from town.
The rooms are large and clean but sparsely populated with old furniture.
The rooms are large and clean but sparsely populated with old furniture.
Feb 8, 2011, 5:04 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Greenville SC - GSP/AVL/CLT
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, Delta Platinum, American Platinum, Air Canada 25K
Posts: 325
My wife and I are adopting 2 children from Lithuania- we will have to stay near Vilnius for about 3 weeks and are looking at the Le Meridian - Would this be a good place to have fun with the kids?
My wife speaks Lithuanian, so no language issues there. I am a Hilton Diamond and a former SPG Gold but there are no Hilton properties in Lithuania.
My wife speaks Lithuanian, so no language issues there. I am a Hilton Diamond and a former SPG Gold but there are no Hilton properties in Lithuania.
Apr 10, 2011, 5:02 am
#8
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 65
My wife and I are adopting 2 children from Lithuania- we will have to stay near Vilnius for about 3 weeks and are looking at the Le Meridian - Would this be a good place to have fun with the kids?
My wife speaks Lithuanian, so no language issues there. I am a Hilton Diamond and a former SPG Gold but there are no Hilton properties in Lithuania.
My wife speaks Lithuanian, so no language issues there. I am a Hilton Diamond and a former SPG Gold but there are no Hilton properties in Lithuania.
good luck with the adoption!
Apr 10, 2011, 6:00 am
#9
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Greenville SC - GSP/AVL/CLT
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, Delta Platinum, American Platinum, Air Canada 25K
Posts: 325
Not that I have any kids myself, but I have visited this hotel a couple of times to play golf, and it is a really nice property if you want to relax. There are also good multiple-room junior suites which should be convenient for families. I didn´t exactly look for playgrounds, but compared to city properties there is at least lots of room to play.
good luck with the adoption!
good luck with the adoption!
Dec 26, 2011, 10:21 pm
#10
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: SIN/PVG
Programs: Basement Lurker Club
Posts: 237
All the information posted by skrosvik is correct.
The executive suites are nice and are on the fourth and fifth floor of the spiraling tower. The presidential suites are on the third floor and must be requested upon check in. The presidential suites include hot tubs and private saunas plus very large living rooms which the executive suites lack.
The hotel is a bit out of the way of anything. I do suggest bringing some food and definitely water but if you do not, there is a very nice restaurant near the entrance. The water is supposedly drinkable but the hotel staff warn against it. In addition there is Ben's Bar but is only open on special occasions and on Friday and Saturday nights from 2100 to 0000.
One important note is that most of the country including taxis and restaurants do NOT accept Euro, though Visa, MC, and AMEX will get you by. The hotel can arrange to have taxis and restaurants charged directly to your room.
A taxi going one direction from or to the hotel will cost you roughly 20 Euros. The shuttle bus is available and runs till about 2300, however it does not drop off or pick up near the old city center but rather a casino a few kilometers away. We used the shuttle and walked to the old city. It took us roughly an hour one direction, mostly because we got lost. As with most european cities, there is a lack of street signs so getting lost is quite easy.
As skrosvik noted, the architecture is very eastern europe which is due to the fact that the hotel was constructed and opened a few years before the wall fell. Then, obviously, later acquired by Le Meridian.
Overall, the hotel is one of Le Meridian's better properties, even though it doesn't rank well according to the SPG website.
The executive suites are nice and are on the fourth and fifth floor of the spiraling tower. The presidential suites are on the third floor and must be requested upon check in. The presidential suites include hot tubs and private saunas plus very large living rooms which the executive suites lack.
The hotel is a bit out of the way of anything. I do suggest bringing some food and definitely water but if you do not, there is a very nice restaurant near the entrance. The water is supposedly drinkable but the hotel staff warn against it. In addition there is Ben's Bar but is only open on special occasions and on Friday and Saturday nights from 2100 to 0000.
One important note is that most of the country including taxis and restaurants do NOT accept Euro, though Visa, MC, and AMEX will get you by. The hotel can arrange to have taxis and restaurants charged directly to your room.
A taxi going one direction from or to the hotel will cost you roughly 20 Euros. The shuttle bus is available and runs till about 2300, however it does not drop off or pick up near the old city center but rather a casino a few kilometers away. We used the shuttle and walked to the old city. It took us roughly an hour one direction, mostly because we got lost. As with most european cities, there is a lack of street signs so getting lost is quite easy.
As skrosvik noted, the architecture is very eastern europe which is due to the fact that the hotel was constructed and opened a few years before the wall fell. Then, obviously, later acquired by Le Meridian.
Overall, the hotel is one of Le Meridian's better properties, even though it doesn't rank well according to the SPG website.
Last edited by hessinger; Mar 2, 2012 at 8:16 pm
Dec 27, 2011, 12:53 am
#11
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 298
Aug 23, 2014, 11:38 am
#12
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 48
Hotel's Announcement:
The Le Méridien Vilnius will be leaving the Starwood system on September 30, 2014. Reservations for dates on or after September 30, 2014, will not be eligible for Starwood Preferred Guest membership benefits, award redemption or accrual.
No more Starwood in Lithuania.
The Le Méridien Vilnius will be leaving the Starwood system on September 30, 2014. Reservations for dates on or after September 30, 2014, will not be eligible for Starwood Preferred Guest membership benefits, award redemption or accrual.
No more Starwood in Lithuania.
Aug 23, 2014, 12:50 pm
#13
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Greenville SC - GSP/AVL/CLT
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, Delta Platinum, American Platinum, Air Canada 25K
Posts: 325
Hotel's Announcement:
The Le Méridien Vilnius will be leaving the Starwood system on September 30, 2014. Reservations for dates on or after September 30, 2014, will not be eligible for Starwood Preferred Guest membership benefits, award redemption or accrual.
No more Starwood in Lithuania.
The Le Méridien Vilnius will be leaving the Starwood system on September 30, 2014. Reservations for dates on or after September 30, 2014, will not be eligible for Starwood Preferred Guest membership benefits, award redemption or accrual.
No more Starwood in Lithuania.
