 Durant
& Cheryl
Imboden'sEurope for Visitors europeforvisitors.com |
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Grand HôtelFrom: Stockholm Hotels
The Grand Hôtel is a 19th Century landmark and an anomaly in an egalitarian country: As Sweden's only five-star deluxe hotel, it plays host to visiting royalty, heads of state, Nobel laureates, show-business celebrities, and well-heeled tourists from abroad. The Grand was opened in 1874 by a French restaurateur, Régis Cadier, who selected a prime building site overlooking the harbor, the old town of Gamla Stan, and the Royal Palace. Although the hotel has been renovated many times, it retains many original features such as a marble staircase with cast-iron banisters and the Versailles-inspired Spegelsalen ballroom. The hotel has 304 guest rooms, including 21 suites. Each room has a unique decor, with classic motifs on the first foor floors and more modern styling with hardwood accents on the upper stories. (Sybarites should inquire about newly renovated rooms on floors 3 and 4, which have extremely modern bathrooms.) I inspected several rooms and suites during my visit, and all were extremely attractive and comfortable. Public rooms The Grand Hôtel has two restaurants: an ornately decorated French dining room named Franka Matsalen, and the Grand Veranda, which offers Swedish cuisine (including an excellent Smorgåsbord) and foreign dishes. The Cadier Bar has live piano music in the evenings. The hotel recently overhauled its kitchens, which include a bakery for breads and pastries. An in-house florist supplies flowers for the hotel's public and guest rooms. Location The Grand Hôtel is centrally located on the southern waterfront of Blasieholmen, next to a bridge that leads from downtown Stockholm to the Royal Palace and Gamla Stan. Sightseeing boats depart from quays in front of the hotel, and both the Opera and the National Museum are close by. The closest Tunnelbana (subway) station is Kungsträdgården, which is one stop from the central railroad station and the Arlanda Express airport train. Web site
Grand Hôtel Back to: Stockholm Hotels and Hostels
Photos: Top by Mikael Silkeberg; lower left by Ann Söderberg. |
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