henry999

Makes sense.

The short answer, unfortunately, is ... no. FFlash mentions Imatran valtiohotelli. I don't know that one. I would say Savonlinna, as a lovely little town to spend a night passing through. Throughout Finland there's a fair bit of 'different', even occasionally 'quaint', for someone not familiar with this part of the world ... but, by and large, what you'll find is IKEA / Scandic / Nokia - style effective, rather than iconic.

Yes. Lovely place, well worth the visit. But do you really need 'a night'? There are all kinds of services available. (1) You can leave Helsinki in the evening, cross the gulf, anchor off Tallinn and sleep onboard the ship in a private cabin, going ashore the following morning. You'll have the day in Tallinn, enough time to see the Old Town (which, for a first-time, non-specialist visitor, is all you'll need). Then you return to Helsinki, arriving early evening -- enough time to collect the rental car and drive to, say, Porvoo for the night. Or, depending on how tired you think you'll be, even further. Remember ... even in the south at that time of year it doesn't get dark dark. Or (2) You can take a fast ferry in the morning, have the day over there and take a fast ferry back in the afternoon / evening. Or (3) You can go on a ferry, fast or slow, spend a night in a Tallinn hotel and return to Helsinki the following day.

There have traditionally been great bargains available on the option (1). The shipping company thereby has hundreds of Finns captive, offshore, overnight, and the money they spend in the shops / bars / nightclubs / casinos is enough that the price of the passage itself, even with a cabin included, can be set enticingly low. And, after all, one doesn't have to succumb to these temptations so it can be a very economical trip indeed.

Mrs999 and I were married in Kemijärvi near the end of June. We stayed in a cabin on the lakeshore just outside of town. We like to joke that we had millions of guests at our wedding feast.