Easily one of the most interesting hotels I've ever stayed in. On the airport shuttle bus, the driver described it as "the cutest little hotel in Svalbard," and he was absolutely right. Warm and cozy rooms, and a comfy lounge to relax in. The staff are all very friendly and helpful, and the location is very convenient – within easy walking distance from all the interesting locations in Longyeabyen. Breakfast is filling, and the restaurant serves an excellent dinner.

The single rooms aren't soundproof, so if you're a light sleeper, you may be disturbed if other guests are noisy in the hallway – but the reception has earplugs for those who need them. Be careful in the shared showers, because some of the drain covers are loose.

First off: it is very quaint and upon arrival there was a bit of a shock. It looks more like an antique Basecamp than a hotel, but that is the intention: an old polar camp. And inside, especially in the main buildings it is cosy, nicely and uniquely decorated and staff are wonderful. In my single room the bed was good, and high (allowing space for a suitcase underneath), there is a good wardrobe and table, and when asked, also a good chair. Breakfast is great, the location superb - the airport bus (not free, and you will a credit card that you can tap on the machine in order to pay, remember there are no ATM's here) stops in front. The restaurant is great. Internet perfect. On Spitsbergen many places have a shoes off policy. Here it applies too.

Wooden squeaky floor boards, small corridors, shared facilities: the hotel has the necessary earplugs at reception. The midnight sun is wonderful, but blinds that block the light would be nice. That was not the case, as one of my pictures will show: the room with the blinds down. I am sure the room is well heated in winter, but it gets stuffy when the sun is out in full force.

Absolutely fantastic stay, all rooms and common areas were very clean and comfortable. The shared bathrooms were also very clean and had no issues with it at all as there's enough that you don't have to queue. The room itself is basic but has all you need. The staff are all very friendly and helpful. Breakfast is fantastic, it's buffet style with not loads of options but there's enough and it's all very tasty. The location is also very good, maybe a 5-10 minute walk into the centre of the town. The views are stunning, especially from the restaurant which I can also recommend as the food is exceptional. They also have a great range of souvenirs by reception made by local artists which is great. The only downside is there isn't much soundproofing around the rooms, so I'd recommend bringing some earplugs/noise cancelling headphones as people come and go all day and night so it can be hard to sleep without them. In all I'd say my stay was great value for money and certainly one of my favourite places I've ever stayed and certainly one of the most quirky and unique. Thank you for making my stay so memorable it was truly fantastic. I will be back again one day :)

I had a great stay for a week. The living room is one of the loveliest and cosiest places on this island, you can spend hours there just chilling. The breakfast had nice variety. The restaurant attached to it is so great that people all over town come and you need to book in most nights, the view from there is probably awesome, but I did not get to see it in the dark season. I am definitely coming back to this hotel when I re-visit Sbalbard!

There is not much that can be improved really. Forced to find something, I would say that it was a bit of a hassle moving from the restaurant/room area to the living room, as you had to get out and re-enter and it was quite cold. But given the history of this hotel, how it really was miners' cabins, it is reasonable. It also explains the somewhat small room, but I didn't really care about that, as everything else was great.

This place was AMAZING and everything I had hoped for. Our trip to Svalbard was made extra special by staying here - we really wanted a unique, interesting atmosphere that felt it complemented the unique experience of traveling to Svalbard. The Polarrigg really made that possible! Rather than stay in a stock standard 'hotel' with vibes you could get anywhere else in the world, why not stay at an awesome historical polarrigg with amazing staff, comfy rooms, and a delicious breakfast spread? Also, it's only a 5-10 minute walk to the main road of town! How convenient! We were lucky enough to catch amazing northern lights right out front of the polarrigg too. The breakfast spread is incredible, I highly recommend it! We also tried the restaurant for dinner one night and were able to taste some local dishes (reindeer and seal) which were amazing too. Additionally, the shared bathrooms are awesome - they're not like hostel style where multiple people are in there at the same time. The polarrigg instead has multiple shower/toilet/sink rooms for personal use. The rooms are small, but we expected that since this the polarrigg is converted from previous coal miner barracks. But honestly the rooms felt so cozy and cool! Plus, there's an amazing lounge area for guests to use with free coffee/tea throughout the day. I honestly can't recommend this place enough - we will definitely be staying here again on our next trip to Svalbard!

Stayed here for three nights prior to joining a boat and for 1 after. This is a wonderful quirky hotel and I'm glad I chose it. There is a comfortable sitting room for the use of guests and good connection to their airport. Our first room, which was a twin room was tiny, the room when we returned was much better. On both occasions the rooms were spotless, the beds comfortable the black out blinds were excellent. The breakfast was good, there was plenty of choice.

The service was a little slow, if for example the cutlery ran out, of the bacon or orange juice, it took a while to get it replaced after you asked. The service in the bar was very slow as well, as the bar was often unattended.

The location is good, and It was the first hotel drop-off from the airport shuttle.. This place is so cosy and quirky. I wouldn't normally want a shared bathroom, but this presented no problem as they were very clean, and there were no issues of waiting to use showers. Complimentary tea and coffee were provided throughout the day, and the breakfast was fantastic - so much choice! The one and only restaurant meal I had was very good. The staff are wonderful! I would highly recommend staying here for its uniqueness. Will definitely return, but during the winter months! The single room I had was basic, but it was warm, clean and comfortable.

Nothing

Perfect and quite lounge with free tea and coffee. The breakfast was pretty good. Comfortable and clean shared bathrooms. The hotel is in a very good area, closed to Longyearbyen center but also the first bus stop from the airport. A good choice, considering the limited availability of hotels in the area.

Small room. Breakfast hall is located in another building next to the one we stayed. It was inconvenient to keep taking off and putting on our boots (as they were the only shoes we had with us) to move between buildings. In general, the habit of taking off your shoes even in the public areas of hotels is quite inconvenient.

Wonderful atmosphere of the place. It's filled with so many local memorabilia that it rivals the local museum (not a hyperbole). Super friendly and helpful staff. Laid-back feeling, but with all the required comforts, even in the basic rooms (shared bathrooms are not an issue, as there are so many of them that you can always find one that's available). Breakfast was one of the best I had in any hotel. The restaurant is not the cheapest in town, but offers high-level cuisine with local ingredients, and is definitely worth a visit for dinner. And if you want to save money, they offer you a shared kitchen. The common area where you can rest even after checking out (or before checking in) is also a very nice and thoughtful touch.

There's nothing really to complain, the only (likely personal) issue is that the music constantly playing in the common areas gets monotonous after a while. I mean, smooth jazz is inoffensive to everyone, but after a few hours some change (or, even better, silence) would be nice.

fun view from my room, it was quiet, outlet near the bed was very convenient. Shuttle bus delivers you to the hotel. Breakfast options were medium variety especially for people with allergies but there was enough selection to have something each morning. Very cool view from the breakfast/restaurant (it's the same room), one day I saw a reindeer right from the breakfast room! Game nights in the game room on Fridays & Saturdays (held in a separate building so as not to disturb the guests) were fun. Lounge areas with couches, arm chairs, and a bar for some drinks were much appreciated. Shared bathrooms were very well maintained & clean, and they were enough for all the guests to use. Only once did I have to wait a few minutes for the nearest one and the one down the hall was free so don't be discouraged by this.

The reception has several stairs leading to it & it's quite inconvenient dragging your large suitcase up & down. The hotel has several buildings/barracks so you have to drag your suitcase several times up & down the stairs. i managed but keep this in mind. Reception & double rooms are separated from the breakfast room so you have to go outside (take down the crocks & put on your snow boots) and then back in (take off your snow boots & put crocks on). Steak at the restaurant was like a rubber sole which was very unexpectedly underwhelming because all other food there was fantastic. Not a deal breaker but it would be nice if the toilet had a little shelf or a hook to put your phone & room keys because the horn "keychain" provided with them is quite big.