Hotel Bastion Oslo: Eat free, sleep small

Three meals a day, included in the rate. In Oslo. Breakfast, afternoon waffles and coffee, and a light evening meal with soup, salad, and a hot dish. In a city where a casual dinner for two can run 800 NOK without blinking, this saves serious money over a few nights. The evening buffet gets crowded and cafeteria-like between 6 and 7 PM, so eat earlier or later.

The lobby sets a tone that most chain hotels can't match. Leather chesterfield sofas, dark wood, a fireplace. It looks like someone's well-funded living room, not a Scandic corridor. The Kvadraturen location is OK, not the most scenic part of town, but only five minutes on foot from Oslo S and the airport train, with Akershus Fortress practically next door. The side street keeps things quieter than you'd expect for being this central.

The rooms are where reality kicks in. Standard doubles are small. A suitcase on the floor and you're climbing over it to reach the bathroom, which is also tight. Shower pressure is mediocre. Many rooms face an internal atrium, so they're dark with no view to speak of. Ask for an upper floor facing the street or the fortress, and seriously consider paying extra for a Superior or Deluxe room if you need space to breathe.

There's a sauna on the top floor that stays mostly empty during the day. Free organic coffee and tea around the clock. The gym exists but don't expect much.