For my stay in Mandal, I had two choices. In other words, there are two hotels only in town. Price difference was quite big, and when Kjøbmandsgaarden Hotel looked this cozy, it was an easy decision. Sitting in a listed wooden building, with an interior echoing a general store from days gone by, it offers a different atmosphere at breakfast. From what I could see the restaurant is open to non-staying guests as well, if you want to experience the ambience, but not live in it 🙂 Note the room I got was of the more modern era 😀 Though the smell was not… I should have asked for another room, but for some reason I never do. I guess it is a polite thing gone wrong. Now I have promised myself next time I will! Usually it’s small things I can live with, but I did pay for their service… Anyway, kept the window open when inside, and I was ok. A good thing it wasn’t freezing Northern Norway 😀 To get the not so good things out to the way, breakfast was rumoured to be impressive, but must admit I didn’t find it very much so. Could be because school fall break was over, and with COVID, fewer guests, ergo smaller selection. If you decide to look elsewhere for the first meal of the day, there is a shopping mall and grocery store very close. The hotel is a bit off in relations to the rest of the town centre, but no worries, it’s a short stroll, along the river promenade, if you like.
If you arrive in Mandal on the bus, like I did, from Kristiansand, the bus stop is right around the corner. If you arrive by car, the hotel have no parking, so you have to park at the grocery store, like a 5 second walk away.
Website: kjobmandsgaarden.no
