Hotel Schlossle, Tallinn, Estonia

When we visited the Hotel Schlossle, the Estonian winter had already begun. Traces of snow already decorated the russet Old Town roofs. The little cobbled streets were near-deserted; trim, pastel-coloured merchant’s houses closed up against the cold. This is fairytale territory, and the winter makes it more Brothers Grimm than Walt Disney.

The facilities

All the better, then, to open the door to the warmth of the Schlossle. Smiling, courteous staff, handsomely dressed in morning coats and pink waistcoats, gently relieve you of your baggage, coat and cares. There are low ceilings, heavily beamed in ancient wood. There are rugs on flagstone floors and bosomy sofas ranged around a fireplace. Walls show exposed stone, alternating with creamy and uneven plaster, delicately painted with flowers. Candles and lamps cast merry pools of light; each table has a little bell so that you can call for tea or a warming whisky without moving more than an arm.

The luxury hotel plays on its medieval heritage - walls are hung with paintings of serious-eyed medieval maidens, tapestries and coats of arms – but it does not feel themed. It’s in the bare stone walls and vaulted ceilings of the cellar-like Stenhus restaurant that the house’s history is most apparent. The menu, though, is definitely of today, and the restaurant has an excellent reputation.

The Schlossle ticks all the boxes for a hotel in medieval Tallinn but the whole experience is definitely more than the sum of its parts. It has a delicious cosiness and above all it has its stellar levels of service – not always a given in this town. We twice called down for last-minute breakfasts in bed that were delivered to order without a murmur; throughout our stay, every request was met with charm and courtesy. First-rate care.

The rooms

The hotel has 23 rooms and a suite; naturally, all differ slightly in layout. The style, though, remains the same: cosy and intimate, with low ceilings, heavy curtains, and thick carpets – like being cocooned. They are unfussy, with white-painted furniture and the prettiest white linen, embroidered with flowers. In a small annexe across a courtyard, a twisty and tiny medieval stair leads up to more rooms. Bathrooms are standard fare, stocked with Molton Brown.

The suite, at the top of house, is a winner. It’s attic-like, garret-esque, built around huge columns of wood, used for some mysterious purpose in days of yore. Colours here are more contemporary and the style is more sophisticated. There’s a dining/sitting room with a great table set around with high-backed bishop’s chairs; the bedroom has a half-canopied bed covered in chocolate-coloured silks and woollen throws. It also has an extremely glamorous bathroom with its own sauna, a walk-in shower and a vast Jacuzzi. You won’t want to leave.