River Room
Second floor · faces the Aura · 24 m²
Forty-two rooms
Rooms
Four types, named for where they sit in the building. Ceiling heights and windows change from floor to floor, since the customs house was never built to a pattern.
Third floor · 31 m²
Tare Loft
Under the roof beams, with a long low window set into the slope. There are two, one at each gable end.
First and second floors · 21 m²
Courtyard Room
Looks into the cobbled yard and the four birches. The quietest rooms in the house.
Ground floor · 13 m²
Stairfoot Single
A small room beside the granite stair, made for one person travelling light. We have three.
Type one
River Room
There are fourteen of these, on the second floor, all facing the water. The windows are the originals, tall and narrow and set in pairs, with the old shutter hinges still in the reveals. Morning light comes in hard from the east, which is what the blackout blind is for.
The double bed stands against the inner wall, with a writing table in the window and a chair comfortable enough to read in. The bathroom is behind a sliding door in oiled pine.
- Size24 m²
- BedDouble, 160 cm
- ViewThe Aura and the quay
- Ceiling3.1 m
Type two
Tare Loft
These are two rooms at the gable ends of the third floor, where the roof trusses are exposed and the ceiling rises to five metres at the ridge. A tare is the weight of the empty container, deducted before anything is charged for, and the clerks worked it out on this floor.
Each loft has a sitting corner under the low window, a double bed set back from the slope and a bath instead of a shower. Tall guests should know that the slope comes down to 1.6 m at the eaves.
- Size31 m²
- BedDouble, 180 cm
- ViewRooftops, and the river at an angle
- Ceiling1.6 m to 5 m
Type three
Courtyard Room
There are twenty-three of these over the first and second floors, looking into the yard. Traffic noise doesn't reach them, so on a summer night you can leave the window open. The birches come into leaf late and drop their leaves early, which means the light changes a great deal between May and September.
The twin beds can be pushed together, the sill is deep enough to sit on, and the shower room is tiled in white.
- Size21 m²
- BedTwin, 90 cm each
- ViewThe cobbled courtyard
- Ceiling2.9 m
Type four
Stairfoot Single
These three small rooms are on the ground floor at the foot of the granite stair, where the weighmaster's clerks once had their desks. They're the cheapest rooms in the house and the ones we're fondest of.
You get a single bed, a hook rail instead of a wardrobe, a shower room and a window onto the side lane. You'll hear the stair, which some guests like and others don't, so ask for a Courtyard Room if you sleep lightly.
- Size13 m²
- BedSingle, 100 cm
- ViewThe side lane
- Ceiling3.4 m
Every room has blackout blinds, a kettle with loose tea, a wired desk lamp and cotton sheets washed in Turku. None has a minibar, and the Stairfoot Singles have no television.
In all forty-twoPractical
Arriving and leaving
Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out by 11:00. Reception is staffed from 07:00 to 23:00 and can be reached by telephone through the night. You can leave luggage in the old bonded hall before and after your stay.
Access
The lift beside the granite stair serves every floor, the first-floor gallery included. Two Courtyard Rooms on the first floor are stepless from the street door and have wider bathroom doors; tell us when you write and we'll hold one.
Children and dogs
Children are welcome, and a cot fits in a Courtyard Room or a Tare Loft. Dogs may stay in the Courtyard Rooms, one per room, but not in Vaaka at dinner.
Booking
You can't book through this site, and it takes no payment. Write to [email protected] or telephone reception, and a person will answer.