Gourmet Storie’s AP 68sqm Renovated Free parking

Hotel Description

You know what struck me first about this place? The name is absolutely terrible for search engines – I mean, “Gourmet Storie’s AP 68sqm Renovated Free parking” sounds like someone threw every keyword they could think of into a blender. But honestly, once you get past that awkward title, this little apartment hotel is actually a gem tucked away on Ernesta Birznieka Upīša street in Riga’s Torņakalns neighborhood.

The location is one of those spots that locals know but tourists usually stumble upon by accident. You’re literally a five-minute walk from the Daugava River, and if you head toward the old town, it’s maybe fifteen minutes on foot across the railway bridge – though I’d recommend taking the tram if you’re carrying shopping bags because that walk back uphill can be brutal. The building itself sits in this quiet residential area where you’ll hear more Latvian than English, which I actually loved. There’s a small grocery store (Rimi) about three blocks away, and the parking situation is legit – having a guaranteed spot in Riga is worth its weight in gold, especially during summer when the city gets packed with tourists.

The apartment itself feels like someone’s stylish cousin renovated their spare place and decided to rent it out. The 68 square meters are laid out smartly – not huge, but you’re not bumping into furniture either. The kitchen actually has decent counter space (rare for European city apartments), and they’ve got proper blackout curtains, which saved my sanity during those crazy bright Baltic summer nights when the sun barely sets. The renovation is recent enough that everything works properly – the shower has good pressure, the wifi doesn’t drop every ten minutes, and the heating system isn’t some mysterious Soviet-era contraption. I did notice the floors can be a bit creaky in the morning, but nothing that kept me awake. The whole place has this clean, minimalist vibe without feeling sterile, and there are actually books on the shelves and decent coffee in the kitchen, little touches that make it feel less like a rental and more like staying at a friend’s place. That 8.9 rating makes sense when you factor in the combination of location, the parking (seriously, cannot overstate how convenient this is), and the fact that you’re getting a proper apartment experience rather than just another hotel room with tiny soap bottles.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $103. One-Bedroom Apartment with 1 large double bed and 1 sofa bed for Max persons: 2

Reviews

• Great stay in the city center – Greta from Lithuania – 2 January 2025 (10/10)

  Spacious interior, great central location. Free easily accessible parking. Clear communication.

• Three nights in Riga – Tiago from Portugal – 12 February 2024 (9/10)

  The flexibility to extend my stay
  The equipped kitchen
  The modern appliances
  The comfort
  
  What could be improved: The small shower
  The hallway rug could be a bit bigger

• Superb – Beatrice from Poland – 27 December 2023 (9/10)

  Everything was perfect, location, the flat, clean and cozy.
  
  What could be improved: The windows were not closing perfect, so the noise from the street was inside, although the heaters were warm, it was a little bit cold inside.

• Good value for money – Annick from Belgium – 17 August 2023 (9/10)

  Spacious and nicely renovated apartment, 15 minute walk from old town. Friendly and helpful (virtual) host. Quiet apartment, no noise from neighbours. Compact but clean bathroom with shower gel etc. provided.
  
  What could be improved: Curtains did not block out the street lights, therefore we woke up early in the morning. A lot of noise from the street (traffic). Bad window insulation.
  No oven/microwave in the kitchen.
  Apartment situated on third floor, no elevator, could be difficult for some people.

• Exceptional – Adelina from Romania – 29 May 2023 (10/10)

  Everything was great!

• Exceptional – Júlia from Slovakia – 16 May 2023 (10/10)

  Cleanliness and locality

• Exceptional – Donisk from Lithuania – 25 August 2022 (10/10)

  It is a big apartment and very nice.
  The parking is free and perfect.
  
  What could be improved: Everything was fine.

• Good – Paul from United Kingdom – 8 June 2023 (7/10)

  Large living room and bedroom. Well equipped kitchen and bathroom.
  
  What could be improved: Small bathroom, limited shower space.
  Cleaning equipment in corner of bedroom.
  Lack of lighting options.
  Did not meet standard suggested in advert.

• Good – Tomas from Lithuania – 26 April 2023 (7/10)

  It was a nice design, felt really fancy and luxurious. It was spacious and the bed / sofa was comfortable. Good sized, amazing picture quality TV. Good sized bathroom, it came with all necessary things
  
  What could be improved: The whole room shook, everytime car drove past, also upstairs neighbor's child was running around, the sound wasn't the problem, the whole room shaking and vibrating just from small child upstairs running around made us anxious, also there was wind passing though the windows, even if they were fully closed, so it was quite cold at night

• Bad memories… – Claudiu from Romania – 18 July 2023 (1/10)

  I have booked and paid 4 nights but I didn’t reached the property because my car was broke down on the way to Riga.
  
  What could be improved: I have informed the property that i will not reach Riga because the car broke down and i will try next day to solve it and do the check in next day.
  Unfortunately i didn’t found a service and i have asked to cancel the booking and they said ok. I made a cancelation but the owner rejected it by answering “we can not provide this apartment to other clients and these will be our losses”.
  After two days i have got a message from the property “Dear, Claudiu.
  I hope You spent wonderful time in Riga. Please let me know the time when You are planning to check out. Thanks in advance, Agnese”
  I have taken this as big arrogance from them because i have showed them pictures, invoices about incident and payments of hotels i have booked in the same time and one of the was via booking…
  So i will not book next time if i will go to Riga this property and i don’t recommend.

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities