Of all the places that I visited in Tallinn on my recent trip to Estonia, Chocolaterie Pierre (just off Vene), has stolen my heart and it’ll probably remain with them until I can make hot chocolate as perfect as it was here. I would WALK across Europe for another one. Actually, I’d rather they gave me the recipe at the end, that’s a heck of a walk. But it’s honestly the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted. And it just so happens that the rest of the cafe it pretty wonderful too.

If this cafe existed in London, it would be a horrible victim of it’s own success. It would be packed, queues would be out the door, and you’d never get any hot chocolate. Here, it’s easy. Quite enough to nab a table (albeit one with a broken chair bottom) but busy enough to catch snippets of conversation. You see, it’s very dark, and dark makes people whisper, and whispering makes you think everyone is having much more interesting conversations than you. Everything is red, extravagant, velvet, falling apart, vintage, old, fancy. Beautiful. All those things, and more. Like somewhere that has grown for years and years and more pretty things have been added over time.

If the pretty cafe wasn’t enough, there’s the courtyard. The downside with this is if it’s warm enough to sit outside, you’re not going to want hot chocolate. And if you don’t have hot chocolate you’re really doing it wrong. But, they have a quartet playing under a tiny little bandstand so that’s a really nice touch.

So why is the hot chocolate so good? Well I’m pretty sure there’s no milk in for a start. It’s basically melted chocolate, cream and rum. With a mix of raisins and chilli which all sink to the bottom and a gooey pile of tastiness. This is not a speedy drink. You could sit for ages drinking the same drink, and eating Sachertorte. The cakes are excellent too. You’ll pay about £5-7 for a drink and some cake. Not cheap, granted. But worth every single of your pennies. I told you, I’d walk back for the recipe.

The only thing not so great? The chocolates they sell. They’re super expensive, and I was really disappointed when I got home and found that they weren’t that nice at all. Not unpleasant, just no where near as good as the hot chocolate. But, you live and learn. Come, drink the hot chocolate, have a nose around and leave very very happy.

And make sure you don’t go on a Sunday. Like most cafes in Tallinn, they’re closed then. Shame, because we’d have loved to treat ourselves just one more time before leaving. If you’re in Tallinn, you really shouldn’t leave without coming here.

I’d recommend eating at the Old Hansa Restaurant, a drink at Gloria’s Wine Bar and staying at Merchant’s House Hotel for an altogether wonderful Tallinn experience.

Chocolaterie Pierre, Tallinn

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I hate generic hotels. Hate them. Unless they’re very swish indeed, I don’t want to stay somewhere that looks like a car park. I want somewhere with a story, with a bit of history, or something different about it. It’s so important to me, that often the hotel is decided on before the destination.

That was certainly the case with the Merchant’s House Hotel in Tallinn on my recent trip to Estonia. In fact, the hotel was picked even before the country.

I get excited about unique hotels. This Tallinn hotel, in an old merchant’s house (surprisingly) was rather lovely indeed. It’s perfectly positioned on Dunkiri, just off the town square in Old Town. Perfect for exploring. The welcome is warm, the reception is pretty and you’re made to feel at home as soon as you arrive. So homely I want to stay a really really, really long time. Little cubby holes, exposed brickwork, wooden beams, smiling (English speaking) staff. All of those things make for a good mini break.

The Merchant’s House Hotel bedrooms look over a small courtyard, and our room also had a communal balcony, perfect for book reading. Our room wasn’t anything overly special, but it was a good size and the bathroom was lovely. The maids were excellent. They weren’t those annoying ones who ignore the ‘do not disturb’ signs so we had peaceful afternoon naps. And we got to watch old episodes of Poirot on the TV – a lot of the channels were English, or had subtitles.

The service was always really fantastic. Breakfast was included in the price of the room, and it’s a continental and fried buffet. My travelling companion got excited about salmon and scrambled eggs and of course, we ignored all of the fruit in favour of pastries. The breakfast room is underground, and I imagine would be much cosier in winter. It’s a shame there’s no way to serve breakfast in the courtyard during summer. But, as long as I have unlimited bacon, I’ll sit anywhere.

There’s a (tiny) bar, which is worth a look in. They serve shots in ice glasses, which sounds great, but as the rest of the bar is room temperature they melt too quickly and you get Vana Tallinn all over your nice new dress so stick to normal glasses. There’s also a spa, which was a tad too pricey for us. €46 for a pedicure is very expensive, and especially so when you consider what good value Estonia is. We didn’t try the restaurant in the evening, but they have outside seating should you want to.

Anything that wasn’t great about the Merchant’s House Hotel? Wi-fi didn’t work in the room. I didn’t want to spend all weekend on my laptop, but I had lugged it with me ‘just in case’ and there was no need. I know it’s a problem with old buildings, but I don’t think it should be advertised as standard if this isn’t the case. And the rooms were so hot that sleeping wasn’t easy. Even with two fans it was sweltering. I guess old buildings and air-con don’t work together either. And room service was very pricey – our room didn’t have a kettle and we paid nearly 4 quid for a cup of tea. Ouch. Good tea though.

That wouldn’t stop me coming back though.  I reckon it’s one of the best Tallinn hotels. At €250 for three nights, it’s a bargain. I’d recommend the Merchant’s House Hotel. You should go there immediately. Really, stop working and hop on a plane. Merchant’s House is a beautiful, good value base to explore Tallinn and I’d go back tomorrow if I could.

Review of Merchant’s House Hotel, Tallinn, Estonia

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When I go on holiday, I like a bit of a mix. I love going off the usual track. I adore exploring new places and I will choose somewhere that isn’t ‘the norm’. But I also love being a tourist. And I hate the snobbery around it. Things become touristy because they’re good. They’re interesting. There’s something to look at. Call me boring if you must, but I want to go and see those places. Not all of them (usually the free ones), but what’s the harm in doing the popular stuff if you want to go?

Which brings me to Olde Hansa in Tallinn. One of the most popular restaurants in the city. And without a doubt, the most touristy. It’s a traditional restaurant, medieval in style and they go to town on the theme. And despite the fact that it’s rammed with tourists (like me), it’s excellent. Once you get past the method acting from the waitresses anyway.

The food is different. The decor beautiful. Yes, I do want to sit in a gorgeous old building by candlelight (although a little more would have been helpful). Would we like to try traditional root beer? Yes please! And everything will be tasty and different and the bulgar wheat dish will be amazing? OK then. Go for the meat dishes. And don’t be put off by the prices. The main courses come with all sorts of tasty goodies (even a little mini pie with beans) so you’re paying around £15 for your dinner with drinks.

Olde Hansa is an experience, without being tacky. Sure it’s packed so service was a bit slow, but it’s worth it. The traditional spiced wine we tried the next day was excellent. Yes, it was so good we went back. I’d recommend sitting outside if it’s sunny – old buildings and lack of air-con are not fun.

This won’t be the best restaurant you’ll ever eat in. But it’s really very good and the experience is worthwhile. Some tourist places are worth putting snootiness aside for. This one is a real treat.

Olde Hansa restaurant, Tallinn: Touristy but good

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In London, we have the beloved Gordon’s Wine Bar. We adore Gordon’s, and rightly so. It’s a fabulous little spot, one of my favourites in London, despite it being a victim of its own success (and a well-timed Time Out article). But on a recent trip to Tallinn, I found myself in Gloria on Müürivahe. And it might just have pushed Gordon’s off the top of my ‘favourite wine bar’ list. Or, my favourite bars EVER list. It really is that special and it’s my top tip for visiting Estonia.

Gloria itself is actually all manner of things. It’s a fancy restaurant, with a teeny little guesthouse of only six rooms. There’s also a cigar bar. That’s a strange thing about Tallinn (or Estonia in general? I’m not sure). You can’t smoke in bars, but they do have designated cigar bars for that purpose, which is interesting. But, we were here for the bar. Which means going through the shop in the cellar.

And it’s a fabulous shop. If you didn’t know there was a wine bar behind it, you might never find it. And there’s something exciting about that, isn’t there? But we knew it was there, so we heading right for the little archway, not really sure what to expect.

What you get is rather special. Like finding a secret that no one knows about (we were the only ones in there, save for the waitress). There is not bar as such, well not that we found. Just a little maze of beautifully decorated rooms. Old photos, everywhere, lots of wood, lots of candle light. Tiny tables, little secret corners. Perfect for romancing. Or telling ghost stories.

The wine? Fantastic. Excellent glasses too, as you can see from that photo. The spirit glasses are beautiful. There are pricey options, but you can get a decent glass of red for under a fiver. You can get food here as well, but the menu is small. That said, they do use the same kitchen as the fancy restaurant, and it’s certainly much cheaper. The only downside is that the bar is closed on a Sunday (like a lot of bars in Tallinn), meaning I only got to come here once on my weekend away.

I’m already planning my next trip to Tallinn. Gloria wine bar has a lot to do with that. It’s nothing short of amazing. If you’re in this European city, go here.

If you’re planning a trip to Estonia, you can find the best deals at hotels in Tallin using the search box below.

Tallinn’s hidden gem – Gloria Wine Bar

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The lovely Estonian town of Tartu certainly has a cultural bent: my top Europe travel tips for Tartu sightseeing include the Crooked Art Museum and the University of Tartu. Another cultural side you’ll notice if you stroll around Tartu is that they’re big on honouring writers. My personal Estonian experience certainly fits this – the first person I spoke with about Estonia, on the bus ride in from Russia, was a half-Estonian Australia whose mother was a famous enough writer to be on the high school syllabus there.

In any case, you might be especially surprised (as I was) to come across a statue of Irish writer Oscar Wilde. You’ll find him sitting on a bench having a talk with Estonian writer Eduard Wilde – of course, Oscar Wilde never visited Estonia but the sculptor “imagined” them having this conversation, theoeretically possible as they were both alive in the late nineteenth century. There’s space to sit between them if you want to get involved in what must have been an interesting chat.

If, like me, you’re especially interested in literary figures, keep an eye out for some of the other monuments you can find in Tartu. There are at least four more Tartu attractions that I’ve seen – for Friedrich Rober Faehlmann and Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald who were both involved in writing Estonian folk tales and epic fables; for Estonian poet Kristjan Jakk Peterson who studied in Tartu; and for twentieth century writer Oskar Luts.

Photo: Alastair Rae via Creative Commons

The beautiful Estonian capital of Tallinn has long been one of my favourite cities, and I’ve just come across a reason to return for my third visit: the Kalev Chocolate Museum.

Open in the inner city since 2003, the museum documents the history of the Kalev sweets manufacturers since 1806, and since that time includes the Soviet era, there is much of interest to see. For example, the museum includes different labels and packaging from throughout this era, a lot of it politically motivated. It’s also interesting to note that the USSR only authorised the Kalev company to produce chewing gum – a most controversial product throughout Soviet times.

I can only assume that, like any good chocolate museum, there are a few samples around for visitors to try. If not, there is definitely a shop attached where you can buy chocolates and candies produced by Kalev, and that’s enough to get me there. Visiting the museum is free and it is open daily from 10am to 5.30pm, but closing at 4pm on Sundays.

Chocolate picture via Creative Commons from idhren