We had a mostly good stay at the Radisson Blu Elizabete.

Good:

• Great communication from hotel prior to visit. Taxi driver was waiting just outside customs with our name on a sheet of paper. Taxi fee was added to our room bill. We did the same on our return to the airport.
• Staff was universally helpful and congenial. We stayed two nights, one booked for me and one for my husband. They agreeably worked out keeping us in the same room. We needed a half hour late check out to which there was immediate agreement.
• Public areas of hotel were inviting. I like a hotel that has public places to sit. There was a nice coffee bar near the lobby that was open all hours. It was really comfortable. Although we often ordered a beverage, we weren't made to feel that we must do so in order to sit there.
• Upgrade: I am gold, and was given a "business room" on the 6th floor (of 7) overlooking the park across the street. We had a pack of 4 delicious truffles. Two bottles of water were left each night.
• Breakfast was included in our room rate. We were never asked for our room number, so it is possible that everyone gets breakfast. Not sure.
• Internet is wireless and free throughout the hotel.

Neutral

• Room - small, but well laid out. I think it was about 20 sq m. All rooms on the floor map looked of comparable size. There was a king bed, a desk, and a chair. The bathroom was tiny with a shower inside the tub. The partial wall between the bedroom and sink area was cleverly designed, with a luggage rack as part of it. My husband enjoyed the Nespresso machine. There was also a large pot to heat water.

Negative

• Mattress quality - very poor - It was a 3" foam pad on top of a box springs.

As tourists, we kept ourselves busy for two days and really enjoyed the town. I recommend the Museum of the Occupation. It brought home the suffering of 51 years of occupation, first Russian, then German, and then Russian. Latvia regained its independence in 1991. An enterprising young man offered his services as a private guide on a tram tour that he developed. It was fascinating to go by many of the major sites, as well as seeing the art nouveau district, buildings built by Russians (no elevators or very poorly working ones in buildings as high as 9 stories).

I highly recommend the Lido restaurant a half block from the hotel. It is a self service buffet, where you are billed for each dish that you take. Prices were very affordable, food quality high, and a broad range of Latvian and other dishes were offered. We liked it so much we ate there twice.

We had a phenomenal meal at Vincents that compared favorably with the best Parisian or New York restaurant. We got to visit with the chef, who came around to each table with the amuse bouche. He had been in Chicago three weeks ago, doing some work at Alinea at the start of the NATO summit. One of his chefs stayed there for two additional weeks. We were fascinated by the ice cream lollypop that was made table side as a refresher between the starter and the main course.