Oslo, as many a traveller can tell you, is an expensive city to be in.  Depending on the exchange rate and the sadistic nature of your bank, your actual cost of holidaying in the city may be better or worse than mine was but either way, you do need to allow for the fact that you’re not in Kansas anymore.

Having been there a few times before and having familiarised myself with the layout of the city I searched for a hotel that would be a bit more reasonable in price but just as reasonable in location.  When on holiday, I hate to have to spend time just getting into the city (as well as having to plan time to get back) so a central location is always key.  Thankfully, Oslo’s public transport network is efficient and reasonable to use so anything along the pale-blue tram or metro network would imply no more than a 5 to 10 minute trip into the heart of the Norwegian capital.

The Thon Hotel Munch does not seem to fit this description at first glance since it is outside the main ring road around the city.  However, urban development has long overtaken traditional boundaries and this ring road is now part of the city proper.  In fact, walking from the Thon Hotel Munch down to the main square takes no more than a 5 minute brisk walk.

Thon have a number of hotels liberally peppering the Scandinavian countries and split them up into four broad categories – Resorts are upmarket places and typically somewhere out in the countryside where you can be completely cut off from society; Conference hotels are business oriented and have all the mod cons that the modern business traveller needs; the City brand gives you standard fare for tourists and couples this with excellent locations while the Budget category is the lowest end of the scale and is a low-cost option.

Prices being what they were at the time of booking, I opted for the Munch since it is one of their budget hotels and the description sounded reasonable enough at the time.  We were not disappointed.  The double room we had booked is a comfortable size with ample room to move around in.  It is rather spartan with only a desk and a tiny wardrobe available which meant storage space was limited, as it tends to be in a large number of Norwegian hotels I find. We were only there for 3 days, however, so this was hardly a problem for us.  Both the room and the bathroom were clean and tidy and perfectly adequate for a quick break.  While there was some kind of general purpose soap provided, you may want to pack a small bottle of your favourite shower gel or shampoo as it didn’t seem to be too effective, in my opinion.

Breakfast was a buffet deal and served in their dining quarters on the second floor.  This area is only open in the morning (you have to make your own plans for lunch and dinner but we found a number of excellent places around the city) but you can sleep in and still have time to catch something to eat since breakfast is served till 11am.

The morning meal consists off a selection of cereals, abundant amounts of brown or white bread and a deli section which is modest (only 2 types of cheeses are available) but full of fresh ingredients.  Coffee, tea and juices are provided alongside eggs, bacon and baked beans all of which can be polished off with some fresh fruit and yogurts too.  Nothing grand or spectacular but good quality stuff that helps perk you up first thing in the morning.

All said the room cost us € 61.00 a head incl breakfast which is not too bad considering the location and factoring in the prices in Oslo.  If you’re looking for a cheap (by comparison) hotel in central Oslo that will quickly let you get to and from the main sites and shopping area, you could do worse than the Thon Hotel Munch.

 

 

Oslo can be many things to many people if you know what you’re looking for.  Particularly, as the Unexpected Traveller has found, if you want a Viking taxi driver. Follow his antics and stories on his travel blog.

 

Budget accommodation a problem when you travel? Leave a comment below and tell us about your experiences!