When it comes to hotels in Stockholm, most are just fine and Scandi.
Which, considering it’s a city praised for its expertise in clothing, design, and….hygge, can feel somewhat disappointing. There are, however, a handful of pretty exceptional exceptions out there – like an old girls’ school-turned-boutique design hotel and a Japanese-inspired spa boasting traditional baths and steaming outdoor hot springs. We’ve compiled a list.
Stand by for the best hotels in Stockholm:
Camping is more often than not in tents…although Stockholm’s Downtown Camper is nothing of the sort. For starters, it’s conveniently located next to the central station. It’s right in the thick of it, which means you’re within walking distance of a whole range of restaurants, bars, and shops. The decor definitely plays to the outdoorsy theme. You walk in to canoes hanging from the ceiling, wooden panelled walls, and a jungle of potted plants. The rooms too are all done up in earthy greens and browns, with thick camping blankets on the beds and tree trunk bedside tables. However, they also boast crisp white sheets, flat screen TVs, a rain shower, and all the other standard every day necessities…
The window seats are a special touch. They feel like a bed on a sleeper train (pillow and privacy curtain included), where you can relax and read, or just stare out the window at life passing by. Beyond the rooms you’ll find a restaurant where the main focus is food cooked over an open fire (although beyond that it spans multiple cuisines). There’s also a games room, a rooftop cocktail bar, and – saving the best ’til last – a rooftop wellness centre including a sauna (done up like a bird’s nest, of course), a gym, a relaxation room, and an outside heated pool, open all year round, with dizzyingly good views over the city.
Address: Brunkebergstorg 9, 111 51 Stockholm, Sweden | Cost: Doubles from £153 | To book or to find out more, visit their website here.
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Home is where the twelve bedrooms, patio garden, glasshouse, gym, sauna, DVD library, and lounge…is.
At least when Stockholm’s Ett Hem (Swedish for ‘a home’) is concerned.
It actually began as a private residence, back in 1901 – a stylish redbrick townhouse owned by design-focused Jeanette and her husband. More recently – with the help of Ilse Crawford of Soho House fame – the house was converted into a boutique hotel, whilst still retaining a real sense of home.
From the moment you arrive you’re treated like a friend of the family. The staff introduce themselves by name, and guide you around rooms you’re welcomed to use as your own. You can help yourself to a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of freshly baked cake from the kitchen; pull yourself down a book from a shelf in the library; or craft yourself a tipple from the honesty bar in the living room, as you please. You’ll regularly find yourself in the company of other guests, whether reading in the conservatory, or at meal-times, which are communal, with a daily-changing menu from Michel Taune, ex Executive Chef of Stockholm’s Michelin-starred Fredsgatan 12.
Downstairs there is a 24-hour gym, as well as traditional Swedish spa, and a number of treatment rooms. Upstairs are the bedrooms, all impeccably designed, ranging from small doubles to large suites with marble bath tubs…
Where you’ll almost certainly want to stay until the cows come home.
Address: Sköldungagatan 2, SE-114 27, Stockholm, Sweden | Cost: Doubles from £342 | To book or to find out more, visit their website here.
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Yasuragi means serenity in Japan. And now in Stockholm too.
It’s a boutique, Japanese-inspired hotel and spa, which you’ll find half an hour or so from the city centre. It’s slightly further out than some of the other hotels, but with that – whether you’re visiting just for the day, or staying for the duration of your trip – it proves a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle. As well as a number of beautifully designed rooms with low, Japanese-style beds; clean-cut wooden furniture; and stretched linen screens concealing floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Sweden’s Archipelagos, it also boasts a serene, Japanese-inspired spa, with seven or eight hot and cold baths, as well as a number of outside hot springs, surrounded by forest. Staying true to the Japanese ritual of visiting an onsen (hot spring), when you arrive you’re given a neutral black bathing suit and a yukata (cotton robe), which you’re asked to wear for the duration of your stay. That means in the restaurants too, and the cocktail and sake bar (although you can slip on a t-shirt and some trousers underneath if you’re desperate.) There’s three restaurants in total: a more general A La Carte with a Japanese-inspired menu; Saishouku (meaning vegetable eater) offering up vegan and raw dishes; and Teppanyaki where you’ll find a mix of both Japanese and Swedish food at tables luxuriously manned by your own personal chef.
Address: Hamndalsvägen 6, 132 39 Saltsjö-boo, Sweden | Cost: Doubles (and spa access) from £288 | To book or to find out more, visit their website here.
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Hobo life is not usually what you’d opt for when travelling to a new place. Unless, that is, you’re in Stockholm – where Hobo is a boutique hotel fit with 201 impeccably designed rooms, a restaurant, two bars, a café, and 5EMMAN (an events space that they lend to upcoming creatives to showcase their stuff). It has the feel of a trendy university, and they wanted the hotel to be all about community, a place where you can live, work, create, and have fun. The rooms range from sleeper to suite, and whilst admittedly the sleeper lacks windows, accommodation in Sweden doesn’t come cheap and it makes for a more affordable and yet incredibly stylish option. They work with a number of local sponsors to lend out trendy new gadgets for their guests to play around with, like that pocket synth you’ve always wanted to try. The TVs are all linked up conveniently to stream from both your laptop or phone, or alternatively you can flip down the headboard into a desk for a bit of last minute creative musing. The restaurant is an all-day affair serving mostly Nordic cuisine including a waffle brunch menu with Dulce de Leche, chocolate, peanut, and banana waffle – all of which you wash down with a number of cocktails or a chocolate, ‘blue’, or banana spiked shake. And yes, that counts as one of your five a day.
Address: Brunkebergstorg 4, 111 51 Stockholm, Sweden | Cost: Doubles from £109 | To book or to find out more, visit their website here.
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A former girls’ school-turned-boutique hotel, located in central Stockholm. It takes its name from a much-loved headmistress, Miss Clara, who (rumour has it) was the progressive, forward-thinking type. So perhaps she’d be excited to hear of its more recent renovation; where bedrooms have been upgraded to include dark wood parquet flooring, beds wrapped in soft cotton and woollen monochrome blankets, retro side lights, flat-screen TVs, and mini bars for late night snacking. Some things – the best bits – are the same, like the original curved, church-esque windows. Beyond the rooms, you’ll find a smallish gym, sauna, bar and all-day bistro, serving everything from milkshakes and American pancakes to more traditional Nordic dishes like Miss Clara’s steak tartare with truffle caviar and 24 month-aged parmesan. They also have a relaxed yet beautifully-designed pizzeria next door, Giro. It’s the result of a partnership with one of the world’s oldest and most celebrated pizzerias, Da Michele, and serves a long list of pizzas topped with various meats and fresh vegetables. And if you’re just in the mood for a warm-up cocktail before you head out (or a night-cap once you’ve returned home), you can head to the cocktail bar where – along with a few snacks – they serve a select cocktail menu of twisted classics. Like The Paloma of mezcal, ancho chile liquor, grapefruit & sage cordial, and tonic; or the 3yrs Daiquiri, with a blend of white rums, cirturs & basil cordial, maraschino, and herbs. Alternatively they also offer red, white, and rosé wine, and beer…
If you want to keep it old school.
Address: Sveavägen 48, 111 34, Stockholm | Cost: Doubles from £140 | To book or to find out more, visit their website here.
Big fan of the Nordic countries? Read about Iceland’s Bubble Igloo Hotel here.