Which Latvian Hasn't Been to Saaremaa?

So this time we went to spend the holidays on Saaremaa as "civilised people" - by car, ferry, and SPA hotel. Since those former times, life has moved on in leaps and bounds. Tickets can be purchased on the way from a mobile phone at the website praamid.ee, paid for via online banking, and when you drive up to the barrier, the smart computer eye scans the car's registration plate and lets you enter the ferry terminal area.

Early April is not the season, so on the ferry, judging by the registration plates, we were practically the only Latvians. Likewise, around our ears we could hear only the calm, pigeon-like cooing - that is to say, the Estonian language. The weather was fairly bleak, with rain and considerable wind gusts, but this did not prevent the ferry from gliding calmly across the water surface from Virtsu to Kuivastu.

We spent three hours on the road from Rīga to Virtsu, then about half an hour on the ferry, and an hour from Kuivastu to Kuressaare. And already at a rather late evening hour we settled into the four-star Johan Spa Hotell (we later concluded that the fourth star might be superfluous) - where, despite it being off-season and despite the indication on Booking.com about parking available for guests, there was really no space. A small, cosy little hotel without any particular flair but with pleasant Scandinavian restraint, concrete walls and ceilings (as we like), receptionists of few words, and somewhat careless room cleaners (as we don't like), a nice outdoor and indoor pool, and a couple of saunas.

Where to Eat in Kuressaare?

Since one of life's pleasures is enjoying food and drink (well, certainly for us), we were looking for places pleasing to the eye and palate. We visited about four or five, but I can truly recommend only one. I'll start with our favourite.

Saaremaa Veski (Pärna 19, Kuressaare)

The restaurant is set in an 1899 mill and an adjacent bright but traditionally furnished hall with a fireplace. A warm welcome and attentive service. I tried Pannkook kohupiimakreemi ja mustsõstramoosiga (4 EUR) - one large freshly baked pancake with cream cheese and blackcurrant jam, served with fresh strawberries and mint leaves. Alongside, tea in a pot - Saaremaa taimetee (3 EUR) - Saaremaa herbal tea. I'll admit I am not a tea drinker at all, as few teas appeal to me, but this one I could smell and enjoy cup after cup. All the full-bloom summer aroma in one cup.

The beer lover, meanwhile, savoured two local beer varieties: Pihtla TALUÕLU (50 cl - 4.00 EUR) - a beer in which one could feel the magic of Saaremaa's meadows and all four seasons, in which the smokiness of a bread oven, juniper berry, and the clover scent of a cow's coat are clearly perceptible (I am quoting Ēriks, who, huddled over his large yellow-cloudy glass, spent a long time inhaling the drink's aroma); and Pöide SCHLAGER (33 cl - 4.50 EUR), which in the innkeeper's view was the best new release from the Kuressaare brewery.

Pub Vaekoda (Tallinna 3, Kuressaare)

A fairly historic building, judging by the stone exterior façade. The place is widely advertised in tourism brochures and also well rated on various food review platforms. To be honest, we were taken in by these ratings on the first evening. The range of food and drink is broad enough, but the presentation and flavours are, in former minister Slakter's words, "nothing special."

What is more, we recommend carefully examining the bill, which is swiftly presented without asking after a couple of drinks and snacks. It can happen that the amount varies by several euros - for example, a Calvados is accidentally charged as Hennessy VSOP, or a cappuccino as a latte.

La Perla (Lossi 3, Kuressaare)

Service at the restaurant is pleasant, but the interior, crockery, and dishes are of the "old school" variety. Some might like it, and there is no disputing tastes. Lunch can cost in the region of 30–40 EUR. Food is filling, with no pretensions to originality.

Kodulinna lokaal (Tallinna 11, Kuressaare)

A basement club where one can also grab a bite at a late evening hour (that is supposed to be a positive). Description: a return to the 1990s. The emphasis is on fast food - chips, burgers, pizzas, bottled sauces, and the like. Leaf salads with smoked salmon are available, prepared in a fairly rough-and-ready fashion, with no pretensions to a dining experience.

What to See on Saaremaa?

You have not properly visited Saaremaa if you have not gone and walked along one of the rocky shores. Moreover, in spring the entire sea coast is full of white noble birds - swans. A fairytale sight: the greyish-blue of the sea and sky, the grey backs of the stones, and the white figures as if sculpted from sea foam.

It is also wonderful to stop and take a deep breath of fresh air at the edge of the sea causeway connecting Muhu and Saaremaa. The feeling is as if standing in the middle of the sea. The water is mostly still frozen. Above one's head, beating their wings loudly, swans and wild ducks fly past from time to time.

The ubiquitous juniper thickets - grey-green challengers of Don Quixote - as well as the many Orthodox churches (which is quite interesting in itself). A historical footnote explains that this happened during tsarist Russian times, when Estonian peasants were offered ownership of land in exchange for converting to Orthodoxy. The practical Estonian did not think long - why not accept these terms? But those preserved wooden churches are truly interesting - with Orthodox cupolas and crossed-out crosses at the tops, yet painted in Estonian green and red.

Well, there is much else to say - see the attached photo gallery. There may be something there that you hadn't noticed before, when travelling around Saaremaa.