Part 3: First impressions of Svalbard
Hotel: Mary-Ann's Polarrigg, 98 EUR/night incl. breakfast

There are just a few miles of roads on the island of Svalbard so hiring a car is not exactly something which you would do as a tourist here. In winter all transport is done by snow mobile, while in summer it is mostly done by boat or ATV. The airport itself is just a few miles out of Longyearbyen itself and there are taxis available for passengers, as well as two buses (8 EUR) which await every flight arrival and which stop at all major hotels in town. It is easy to go completely without cash in Norway as everywhere you can pay with card. This includes the airport bus which has a card terminal on board. Normally I always take cash from an ATM when in a new country as there are always the odd shops, pubs or restaurants which don't accept cards, but for Norway this really is not necessary at all.

My hotel, Mary-Ann's Polarrigg, was the first hotel in town where the bus halted. Despite it being late at night the reception was open and after a smooth check-in process I got the keys to my room. While Norway is already expensive in general, Svalbard hotel prices are even more so. To put it into perspective: my smallish single room at the Polarrigg was just under 100 EUR/night. Other no-name hotels went for 200 EUR a room while the better lodges and the only top-end hotel, the Radisson Blu, asked 350 EUR for a night (although booked in advance it can be had for 150 EUR/night – but unfortunately that was not the case for the duration of my stay).

The Polarrigg is basically a compound of several old wooden miners' barracks which have been converted into a hotel. It has a rather unique atmosphere, with lots of props such as polar bear heads and old maps in the corridor making it almost feel like a museum. The rooms can be best described as resembling a ship cabin. Although small, they had good-working heating, windows with a view and a desk. Internet was fast throughout the hotel.







All standard rooms have shared bathrooms in this hotel, although this seemed to be a standard thing at every single one of the cheaper hotels in town. That said, this wasn't a big deal in the end as there seemed to be a bathroom for every two rooms or so, and I never had to wait. The bathrooms were also kept clean at all times. There is also a nice common room next to the reception where you can work or socialise with other travellers or those who came here on a work trip. It is the typical kind of hotel to socialise a bit and both guests as well as workers (had a long chat with the Polish reception girl upon departure who shared some interesting tales of life on the island) were extremely friendly. I would certainly not hesitate to stay again in the hotel, although I would advice to book further out in advance than I did (especially if visiting in the summer high season) as rooms can fill up quickly and prices tend to fluctuate. For example, the Polarrigg also has some en-suite family rooms and good-looking suites (with Jacuzzi) but those were all booked out when I started to search for accommodation a few weeks in advance.

Waking up the next morning gave me the first glimpses of Svalbard during daylight from the window of my room. At such moments you start again to realise how remote this location is.





Each morning a breakfast buffet is set out in a room next to the dining room. I thought the breakfast was quite good (especially when keeping in mind the remote location of Svalbard and how much needs to be imported). The bread was of great quality, there were fruits and veggies, cold cuts, as well as some hot dishes such as sausages, potatoes, beans and eggs.







I went for a full English – which is exactly what you need to prepare for a long day of arctic exploration.





Next up: A snow mobile tour to the Russian mining town of Barentsburg