Our Honest Review of BEST WESTERN Santakos Hotel Kaunas
A good hotel can turn a short city break into a much more enjoyable experience. In Kaunas, we stayed at BEST WESTERN Santakos Hotel, which put us within easy reach of the city’s historic center. Here is what we thought of our stay.
With plenty of hotels to choose from in Kaunas, we wanted a place that would make exploring the city easy while still offering a comfortable base for our trip. We settled on BEST WESTERN Santakos Hotel, located close to Kaunas Old Town and within easy walking distance of many of the city’s main sights. It proved a practical starting point for our sightseeing days, letting us explore on foot before returning to the hotel. In this review, we take an honest look at our stay, from the room and location to the breakfast, facilities, what worked well for us, and anything we think you should know before booking.
The History of BEST WESTERN Santakos Hotel
The history of BEST WESTERN Santakos Hotel goes back much further than its life as a hotel. The red-brick building dates to the late 19th century and was originally used as a wine depot, with some of its historic features, including the brick walls and wooden beams, preserved as part of the hotel. Today, the building houses 92 rooms and sits at the meeting point of Kaunas Old Town and the city center, on the quiet J. Gruodžio Street. The combination of the historic exterior and modern hotel facilities gives the property a character you don’t get from a purpose-built modern hotel.
Location and Accessibility
📍 Address: J. Gruodzio St 21, Kaunas, 44293 Kauno m. sav., Lithuania
One of the biggest advantages of BEST WESTERN Santakos Hotel is its location. Set close to the edge of Kaunas Old Town, the hotel puts you within easy reach of the city’s historic streets, churches, museums and restaurants. We liked that we could step outside in the morning and start exploring almost immediately, without relying on public transport for every little journey. Many of the places we wanted to see were comfortably walkable, while the surrounding streets felt quieter than the busiest parts of the Old Town.
Getting to the hotel was straightforward, too. We took a taxi from Kaunas Airport, and it dropped us directly in front of the hotel, which was particularly convenient with our luggage. Once we were settled in, we barely needed to think about transport. The hotel is less than 100 meters from the Old Town, while Laisvės alėja is around a five-minute walk away, putting plenty of Kaunas’s sights, restaurants and cafés within easy reach.
If you want to use public transport, several stops are within walking distance. Laisvės alėja is one of the closest options, while E. Ožeškienės g. and Vilniaus g. stops are also nearby. Laisvės alėja A E. Ožeškienės g. Vilniaus g. That said, we found walking the easiest way to get around. With the Old Town so close and the hotel sitting between the historic center and newer parts of Kaunas, its location works particularly well for a city break.
Hotel Surroundings
- Shopping Opportunities. The hotel is within easy reach of Kaunas’s main shopping areas. Merkurijus Shopping Center is around a 10-minute walk away, while Akropolis Kaunas is about 1.7 km from the hotel and offers a much larger selection of shops, cafés, restaurants and services. For something more local, the pedestrianized Laisvės alėja is close by, with smaller shops and boutiques along the way.
- Nearby Attractions. The location is ideal for sightseeing. Laisvės alėja is only a five-minute waddle from the hotel, while Kaunas Cathedral Basilica, Kaunas Town Hall, and Kaunas Castle are all within walking distance. The Devils Museum and M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art are also roughly a kilometer away, making it easy to fill a day without constantly jumping on public transport.
- Dining Options. We were certainly not short of places to eat around the hotel. MOMO Grill Kaunas is about a five-minute waddle away and is a good option if you are looking for a proper dinner, while Pelėdinė offers a more relaxed gastropub atmosphere. DIA on Maironio Street is another nearby option, and Avilys, a restaurant and brewery on Vilniaus Street, is right in the Old Town. For something more casual, 400 laipsnių – Wood Fired Kitchen and CITY GARDEN are both along Laisvės alėja. With so many restaurants within walking distance, we never felt the need to travel far for dinner.
Check-In Experience
We arrived at the hotel just after midnight, so after the journey we were ready to get upstairs and into bed. The reception team was lovely from the moment we walked through the door. They expected us, welcomed us warmly, and made a real effort to complete check-in as quickly as possible, rather than keeping us standing at the desk. Everything was straightforward, and within a few minutes we had our keys and were heading up to our room. It was exactly the welcome you appreciate when arriving late at night, and our first impression of the hotel was very positive.
The reception at BEST WESTERN Santakos Hotel is open 24 hours a day, which is useful if your flight or journey runs late, as ours did. Standard check-in starts at 2:00 PM, while check-out is until 12:00 PM, giving you a little extra time in the morning. If you are arriving late, it is still worth adding your expected arrival time to the reservation so the hotel knows when to expect you. The hotel also offers luggage storage, so you can leave your bags there before check-in or after check-out and continue exploring Kaunas without dragging your suitcase around the city.
Room and Amenities
BEST WESTERN Santakos Hotel has 92 rooms across five floors, according to current hotel listings. A lift serves the floors, but the hotel notes that five rooms do not have elevator access, so check in advance if accessibility is important to you. Room types range from standard single and double rooms to deluxe rooms and larger suites, with the hotel’s own website listing rooms from around 15–17 m² for standard singles, 20–25 m² for standard doubles, 30 m² for deluxe rooms, and an 84 m² two-bedroom suite.
When we opened the door to our room, the first thing we noticed was that it felt more traditional than some newer city hotels we’d stayed in. The room had a comfortable, homely feel that suited the character of the historic building. Our stay also gave us everything we needed for a city break, including free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, heating, a minibar, television, a safe, and a private bathroom. The rooms are also described as soundproofed, which we always appreciate after a long day of waddling around a city.
The bathroom was simple but well equipped for a city-break stay. We had a walk-in shower, fresh towels, shower gel, shampoo, and the usual bathroom essentials, so we didn’t need to unpack a whole collection of toiletries from our luggage. Everything was clean and ready to use when we arrived, which is exactly what we want from a hotel bathroom after a long day of traveling.
One small detail we always appreciate is having properly provided toiletries rather than having to ask reception for the basics. It is nothing particularly glamorous, but these little practical touches make a hotel stay smoother, especially when you arrive late at night as we did.
Overall, we found the room comfortable and spacious enough for a city break, with plenty of room to move around without feeling cramped. The mattress was perfectly fine for a good night’s sleep, and after a full day of exploring Kaunas, that was really all we needed. With the clean bathroom, useful amenities, and quiet, comfortable atmosphere, the room gave us exactly what we were looking for: a practical, pleasant place to come back to at the end of the day.
Culinary Experiences
Breakfast
Breakfast is served buffet-style, with a good mix of savory and sweet options. We liked that there was enough variety to make breakfast feel like more than just a quick coffee and pastry. The savory selection included the usual breakfast favorites, while those with a sweet tooth could choose from pastries, cereals, and other lighter options. There was also a selection of bread, cold cuts, cheese, fruit, and drinks, so it was easy to put together a breakfast to suit your mood. Whether you prefer a hearty plate before a day of sightseeing or something lighter, there was plenty to choose from.
The breakfast room itself is large and spacious, which made the whole experience feel relaxed even when other guests were having breakfast at the same time. We never felt like we were fighting for a table or squeezing between chairs, and there was enough space to take our time over breakfast. Overall, we thought the selection was good, the buffet suited a city-break hotel, and it gave us a solid start before heading out to waddle around Kaunas for the day.
Restaurant Europa
If you don’t want to head back into the city after a full day of sightseeing, Restaurant Europa lets you dine without leaving the hotel. The restaurant serves Lithuanian and international cuisine from an à la carte menu. It connects to the hotel’s winter garden, giving the space more character than a typical hotel dining room. It is open from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM Monday to Saturday, and from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM on Sundays. We didn’t actually manage to eat here during our stay, as Kaunas has plenty of restaurants within waddling distance and we wanted to make the most of exploring the city. Still, it is a useful option to have, especially if you arrive late or don’t feel like going out for dinner.
Facilities and Services
The hotel has a broader range of facilities than you might expect from a city hotel, including an indoor pool, sauna, restaurant, winter garden, conference facilities and free Wi-Fi. The hotel also offers free outdoor parking, although Best Western’s current booking page lists an additional parking charge, so it is worth checking the rate when booking.
- Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel and in the guest rooms.
- An elevator provides access to the hotel’s floors, although five rooms reportedly do not have elevator access, so check this in advance if needed.
- Sauna is available, adding a small wellness element to the stay.
- Restaurant Europa is located inside the hotel and serves Lithuanian and international cuisine.
- Breakfast is served every morning from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
- The winter garden is one of the hotel’s more distinctive shared spaces and sits next to the restaurant.
- The hotel advertises free outdoor parking, but current Best Western information lists parking at €7 per night, so confirm the current arrangement before arrival.
- Laundry service is available, which can be useful on a longer trip.
- Conference and meeting rooms are available, so the hotel also caters to business travelers and events.
- Safe deposit facilities are available for guests.
- Coffee and tea makers are provided in the rooms.
- Pet-friendly: the hotel allows up to one dog in a limited number of rooms, with a maximum weight of 15 kg. A €15 daily pet fee and a refundable €50 cleaning/damage deposit apply.
- No fitness center is available, so if you are looking for a proper gym, you will need to exercise elsewhere.
Overall, the facilities make it more than simply a place to sleep. The pool, sauna, restaurant, and winter garden give you a few reasons to spend time at the hotel, but for us, its excellent location still made it primarily a base for exploring Kaunas.
Value For Money
For our stay from 27 October to 29 October, we paid €175.88 for two people for two nights, which works out to around €87.94 per night. Considering the central location, comfortable room, breakfast, swimming pool, sauna, and other hotel facilities, we felt this was a good price for what we received. The hotel gave us more than just a place to sleep, while its location meant we could walk to many of Kaunas’s main sights without spending much on transport. For us, the combination of location, room size, breakfast and facilities made the stay feel worthwhile. It was not a luxury hotel experience, but at this price, we thought the overall package offered good value for money.
Verdict
★★★☆☆
BEST WESTERN Santakos Hotel was a comfortable and practical base for our Kaunas city break. We liked the central location, spacious room, helpful staff, and good breakfast, while the indoor pool and sauna were welcome extras after a day of exploring. The building’s historic character also gives the hotel more personality than a standard modern chain property. It is not the kind of hotel we would choose for a luxurious resort-style stay, but for a short city break, it gave us everything we needed and more. At the price we paid, we felt the overall experience offered good value for money, and we would happily consider staying here again.
Pros
+ Great central location
+ Helpful and friendly staff
+ Spacious, comfortable rooms
+ Good breakfast selection
+ On-site restaurant
+ Good value for money
Cons
– No fitness center
– Some rooms have no elevator access
– Traditional rather than modern style
– Limited reason to stay at the hotel during the day
All Ratings
| Category | Rating |
| Location and Accessibility | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
| Cleanliness | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
| Comfort | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
| Staff and Service | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
| Value for Money | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
| Dining and Food Quality | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
| Amenities | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
| Check-In/Check-Out | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
| WiFi and Connectivity | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
| Overall Experience | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Official Penguin Rating
