71 Nyhavn
Nyhavn 71, 1051 K. Phone: 3311 8585. Fax: 3393 1585. Price: DKr.1350 ($235) with breakfast. All major cards. 82 rooms. (C2).
A relaxing hotel in a converted harbor warehouse, 500 meters from Kongens Nytorv, built as a storehouse for salt and spices at the tip of Nyhavn harbor. It survived the bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807, fell on hard times and served as a furniture storehouse in the latter part of this century. In 1971 is was converted into a hotel, collecting several restoration awards.
It looks like the warehouse it was. Even most of the window shutters are original. The entrance is modest. The supporting structure of broad pine beams is everywhere in evidence, in every room. Corridors are narrow. Most modern conveniences have been built into this skeleton. Staying here is like traveling first class to the past. The staff remember guests’ room numbers.
Room no. 340 has the preferred Nyhavn side and Malmø ferries view. It is small but grows larger when the curtains are drawn. The furniture is modern and comfortable, with one easy-chair. The tiled bathroom is even smaller. All instruments are of the most modern kind and function perfectly, but the towels are on the small side.
Admiral
Toldbodgade 24-28, 1253 K. Phone: 3311 8282. Fax: 3332 5542. Price: DKr.950 ($165) with breakfast. All major cards. 366 rooms. (C2).
The avant-garde antique hotel is in a 200 years old grain-drying house at the harbor, 500 meters from Kongens Nytorv square and 300 meters from the royal residence in Amalienborg. This severe-looking building is one of a few substantial ones to survive both the city fire of 1795 and the bombardment of 1807. The heavy Pomeranian pine structure is everywhere evident.
There is no steel and no concrete. Most of the corridors have the original wide and arched brick wall running through the whole length of the building. Reception and service is friendly, but there can be a traffic congestion in the lobby when groups are leaving and coming. A nightclub is in the hotel, which is popular for conferences.
The spacious room no. 624 has the preferred harborside view. It is on two levels in the attic, with a sleeping area upstairs. Brown beams and buttresses contrast with white walls. A wooden staircase connects the two levels. Amusing paintings decorate the place. In the sitting area there are two easy-chairs and a convertible sofa. The tiled bathroom is well equipped.
Angleterre
Kongens Nytorv 34, 1050 K. Phone: 3312 0095. Fax: 3312 1118. Price: DKr.2050 ($357) with breakfast. All major cards. 139 rooms. (B2).
The prestigious address in Copenhagen for centuries, one of the oldest luxury hotels of the world, founded more than two centuries ago. The White Lady of the North has ever since been a stopover for kings and presidents, nobles and snobs, the right address at the right city square. It look elegant at Kongens Nytorv, stealing the scene from other palaces around the square.
Restorations have succeeded in keeping up with time. Service is quick and friendly. Famous restaurant Reine Pedauque is surprisingly good and surprisingly inexpensive, especially the set lunch. Breakfast is served in the glassed-in sidewalk café on the square.
The large room no. 427 is comfortable and polished, with ample furniture of an inconsistent style, neither modern nor antique. It is quiet in spite of having a balcony overlooking the street. In the spacious bathroom everything is in good condition.
Ascot
Studiestræde 61, 1554 V. Phone: 3312 6000. Fax: 3314 6040. Price: DKr.890 ($155) with breakfast. All major cards. 58 rooms. (A3).
One of the friendliest hotels in town, in a small building just 100 meters from Rådhuspladsen square.
It is a peaceful and an homelike inn, manned by staff of friendly young people who remember guests’ room numbers and give lightning-fast room service. It has an eccentric lift in ancient British style. The hotel is decorated with several works by Bjørn Viinblad, paintings, sculpture and flower-pots.
Room no. 305 is smallish, with an inside corner window. The furniture is showing signs of age, but not unpleasantly so. Lights are modern and rather dim. The spacious bathroom has all necessary fixtures. A graphic work by Bjørn Viinblad brightens one of the walls.
Christian IV
Dronningens Tværgade 45, 1302 K. Phone: 3332 1044. Fax: 3332 0706. Price: DKr.900 ($157) with breakfast. All major cards. 42 rooms. (B2).
A small and modern hotel a few steps from Kongens Have and 300 meters from Kongens Nytorv.
The public rooms are tasteful and comfortable, with good breakfast and several newspapers.
Room no. 22 is of medium size, white walls and bright furniture, blue and golden curtains and bed-spreads. The fully tiled bathroom has an open shower.
City
Peder Skramsgade 24, 1054 K. Phone: 3313 0666. Fax: 3313 0667. Price: DKr.1040 ($181) with breakfast. All major cards. 81 rooms. (C2).
A comfortable and centrally located hotel in a white building on the stretch between Holbergsgade and Havnegade about 200 meters from Kongens Nytorv square.
In the lobby a fountain staircase sculpture with ivy greets you in front of the breakfast room.
The clean and comfortable room no. 511 has quality furniture in bright, somewhat sterile colors, and reproductions on the walls. It has a trouser press. The bathroom in light brown tiles functions very well.
Copenhagen Crown
Vesterbrogade 41, 1620 V. Phone: 3121 2166. Fax: 3121 0066. Price: DKr.1150 ($200) with breakfast. All major cards. 80 rooms. (A3).
Situated on the main traffic artery in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)
Danmark
Vester Voldgade 89, 1552 V. Phone: 3311 4806. Fax: 3314 3630. Price: DKr.895 ($156) with breakfast. All major cards. 49 rooms. (B3).
A very small hotel just behind the City Hall, 200 meters from Rådhuspladsen square.
It is recently furnished in a modern building with large windows.
Room no. 508 is well furnished, with large windows, and is quiet in spite of that. The tiled bathroom is comfortable.
Esplanaden
Bredgade 78, 1260 K. Phone: 3391 3200. Fax: 3391 3239. Price: DKr.850 ($148) with breakfast. All major cards. 116 rooms. (C1).
Near the Kastellet promenade area and the Little Mermaid. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)
Grand
Vesterbrogade 9a, 1620 V. Phone: 3131 3600. Fax: 3131 3350. Price: DKr.1095 ($190) with breakfast. All major cards. 144 rooms. (A3).
Conveniently located in front of the central railway station. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)
Hebron
Helgolandsgade 4, 1653 V. Phone: 3131 6906. Fax: 3131 9067. Price: DKr.500 ($87) with breakfast. All major cards. (A3).
A cheap and basic hotel 200 meters from the central railway station.
There is no service but the breakfast buffet is good.
The rooms are clean and comfortable and have everything in good working condition.
Komfort
Løngangsstræde 27, 1468 K. Phone: 3312 6570. Fax: 3315 2899. Price: DKr.950 ($165) with breakfast. All major cards. 201 rooms. (B3).
An adequate hotel in a nondescript building perfectly located a few steps from the city hall, on the stretch between Vester Voldgade and Kattesund.
The lobby is clean, the breakfast room is fine and service is rather good. There is also a game room with a billiard table.
The worn and old-fashioned room no. 407 has solid furniture of wood, including a writing table and two easy-chairs. The bathroom is clean and fully tiled, but not especially inviting.
Kong Arthur
Nørre Søgade 11, 1370 K. Phone: 3311 1212. Fax: 3332 6130. Price: DKr.1195 ($208) with breakfast. All major cards. 107 rooms. (A2).
In a quiet place near he lakes. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)
Kong Frederik
Vester Voldgade 25, 1552 V. Phone: 3312 5902. Fax: 3393 5901. Price: DKr.1750 ($304) without breakfast. All major cards. 110 rooms. (A2).
Beautiful inside and out, a white building from the start of the 20th C.,centrally located a few steps from Rådhuspladsen square, between Vestergade and Studiestræde.
A large lobby with pictures of Danish kings is in front of a glassed-in garden for breakfasts. Service is friendly and comfortable.
The spacious room no. 129 has quality furniture of brown wood, yellow wallpaper and thick curtains in front of a large window overlooking the breakfast garden. The fully tiled bathroom has all the amenities.
Mayfair
Helgolandsgade 3, 1653 V. Phone: 3131 4801. Fax: 3313 8900. Price: DKr.925 ($161) with breakfast. All major cards. 126 rooms. (A3).
Conveniently situated around the corner from the central railway station, about 200 meters away.
It has moved up in the world following a face-lift.
The rooms are recently furnished and comfortable and all the fixtures are working in the bathrooms. The rooms even have trouser-presses.
Mercur
17 Vester Farimagsgade, 1780 V. Phone: 3312 5711. Fax: 3312 5717. Price: DKr.955 ($166) with breakfast. All major cards. 108 rooms. (A3).
In the central railway station area. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)
Neptun
Sankt Annæ Plads 14-20, 1250 K. Phone: 3313 8900. Fax: 3314 1250. Price: DKr.1235 ($215) with breakfast. All major cards. 60 rooms. (C2).
A small neighbor to Angleterre, 300 meters from Kongens Nytorv square.
The reception is small and the service is friendly. Behind the lobby there a small back garden and distinguished sitting rooms with antique furniture.
Room no. 204 was on the small side, overlooking the garden, very clean and well equipped, including a trouser-press.
Opera
Tordenskjoldsgade 15, 1055 K. Phone: 3312 1519. Fax: 3332 1282. Price: DKr.980 ($170) with breakfast. All major cards. 66 rooms. (B2).
A small and central hotel behind the Royal Theater and Opera, 100 meters from Kongens Nytorv square.
It has a distinguished atmosphere and efficient staff that know guests by their names. It sports a comfortable bar which is popular after performances.
Room no. 316 is complicated and looks to three directions at the same time. It is divided into a front area with a cupboard, a sitting area and a sleeping area with a fully tiled bathroom. In the middle there is an old writing desk.
Palace
Rådhuspladsen 57, 1550 V. Phone: 3314 4050. Fax: 3314 5279. Price: DKr.1425 ($248) with breakfast. All major cards. (A3).
The most elegant rooms are to be had directly at Rådhuspladsen square, in a hotel that has been renovated and is sparkling again. It has a respectable front and an imposing tower.
The service and the price do not quite match the elegance of the guest rooms.
The spacious room no. 308 has a perfect view and is completely quiet when the window is closed. It is richly and comfortably furnished in polished wood of excellent carpentry.
Park
Jarmers Plads 3, 1551 V. Phone: 3313 3000. Fax: 3314 3033. Price: DKr.760 ($132) with breakfast. All major cards. 66 rooms. (A2).
A small hotel with a human touch and variable rooms, just 200 meters from Rådhuspladsen square.
The reception and service is agreeably Danish and old-fashioned. The inside rooms are preferable to the ones facing the traffic-heavy avenue outside. Many of the back rooms have elements of the original structure included in the decoration.
Room no. 102 is large and elegant, with a sitting area, a real writing desk, a bathroom laid in marble and three big windows to the street, a little more expensive than the other two. No. 402 is not as large and not as noisy. No. 315 is smallest and most romantic, with a half-timbered wall. All the rooms are in mint condition, equipped with excellent bathrooms.
Phoenix
Bredgade 37, 1260 K. Phone: 3395 9500. Fax: 3333 9833. Price: DKr.1450 ($252) without breakfast. All major cards. 212 rooms. (B2).
A beautiful 17th C. building in a lovely location, used in sequence as headquarters for the German occupation army, the Allied Forces and the Danish Communist Party before it was converted into a hotel. It is centrally located on the corner of Bredgade and Dronningens Tværgade about 200 meters from the central Kongens Nytorv square.
The large and marbled lobby has a fountain in the middle and carved furniture, sculptures and statues, crystal chandeliers and paintings. The service fits the august atmosphere.
Room no. 1147 is rather spacious and very tasteful, with thick curtains in front of three windows, a crystal chandelier. It is crowded with white and antique furnishings of quality, including such modern things as a trouser press, a fax machine, a security box and a large TV set. The fully tied bathroom has a marble table.
Plaza
Bernstorffsgade 4, 1577 V. Phone: 3314 9262. Fax: 3393 9362. Price: DKr.1650 ($287) with breakfast. All major cards. 96 rooms. (A3).
One of the two best hotels in Copenhagen, smaller and not quite as expensive as Angleterre, is opposite the central railway station and Tivoli, convenient for those who arrive by train or plane.
Heavy wood and thick leather are the hallmarks. Speech hushes into a whisper in the distinguished library, dominated by a flower arrangement. The reception is small and the service is friendly, remembering the room numbers and names of guests. A lift of glass whisks up to the upper floors after a drink in the irresistible library.
The unusual room no. 602 is in the attic, characterized by the structural beams. Room no. 408 is more conventional. Both are big, well furnished in a traditional manner and well equipped, also in the completely tiled bathroom. Mild and cozy colors dominate with exuberant modern paintings.
Richmond
Vester Farimagsgade 33, 1780 V. Phone: 3312 3366. Fax: 3312 9717. Price: DKr.955 ($166) with breakfast. All major cards. 135 rooms. (A2).
A small and quiet hotel 600 meters from Rådhuspladsen and the central railway station.
Rooms at the back are preferable to the noisy front rooms.
Room no. 502 is ample, furnished with quality and sober elegance in a somewhat outdated Scandinavian style.
Royal
Hammerichsgade 1, 1611 V. Phone: 3314 1412. Fax: 3314 1421. Price: DKr.2000 ($348) without breakfast. All major cards. 263 rooms. (A3).
The oldest and the most central of the hotel towers. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)
Sophie Amalie
Sankt Annæ Plads 21, 1250 K. Phone: 4533 1334. Price: DKr.960 ($167) without breakfast. All major cards. 134 rooms. (C2).
A nice and modern hotel with a harbour view on the corner of Sankt Annæ Plads and Toldbodgade, about 200 meters from the royal Amalienborg palace and the same distance in the other direction to Nyhavn harbour.
The lobby is graced with a charming water sculpture.
Room no. 301 is spacious, with a sitting area. It has modern furnishings in white and softly violet colors, a granite table and a glass wall with a harbour view. The bathroom is small and adequate.
1996
© Jónas Kristjánsson
