A Danish Doll House: The Hotel Alexandra Copenhagen

The warm, friendly vibe of Hotel Alexandra Copenhagen was the perfect start to my whirlwind Copenhagen trip. After landing at the airport and catching the train through what seemed like an actual full-force hurricane, complete with horizontal rain, 100 kilometre winds and requisite upside down street umbrellas to match, all I felt like doing was curling up in a ball somewhere that felt familiar.

Sometimes when you’ve been travelling for a while you wish you could snap your bright red heels and chant “there’s no place like home” over and over, as if you were trapped in The Wizard Of Oz. It’s one of the most relieving feelings when you arrive at a hotel after a mammoth transit experience (and freak acts of insane weather) and feel instantly relaxed.

The enchanting Hotel Alexandra seems to have the right balance of warmth and comforting design while still being a pinnacle of classic, quirky cool. It’s Scandinavian atmosphere is quite unique in that it’s about as far from minimal design as you can get, and yet the entire hotel hosts one of the largest retro Danish furniture collections in Europe. It’s basically a museum, but without the blank walls and echoing halls, and the vintage air makes for a refreshing change from all that sleek Nordic minimalism found elsewhere in the city. Thousands of quirky knick-knacks, antiques and retro Danish furniture from the design greats such as Arne Jacobsen, Ole Wanscher and Kaare Klint have been collected to perfection by the hotel’s General Manager Jeppe Muhlhausen, and are meticulously scattered throughout the hotel. When you wonder around the halls it feels like you’re in a Doll House – even the peculiar wallpaper is from another era (1964 to be exact).

The rooms are larger than average and effortlessly inviting, and each features modern art, retro Danish decor and flat-screen TVs. Each room differs in design tremendously, with some rooms including traditionally restored Danish furniture, and others, in particular the Panton room (famously stayed in by Christian Louboutin) is more avant-guard in its approach, with colourful walls and rich, darker features.

The location is right in the heart of Copenhagen’s CBD, directly on Anderson’s Boulevard, with Tivoli Gardens a one minute walk and Town Hall 200m. The staff are helpful and attentive, and the hotel even has an iPhone app that you can download, highlighting some of the employees’ picks for eating, drinking and seeing your way around Copenhagen. Getting an instant insider’s perspective on the city definitely came in handy.

Hotel Alexandra: The Lowdown

Vibe	Retro Class
Think	Your home away from home… if your home was a Danish Interiors Museum on steroids.
Sound	Moonlight Sonata –Remix
Crowd	Refined art collectors, quirky Scandi-Types
Highlights	-Colourful Pantone-inspired room -Located right in the CBD next to Town Hall and Tivoli Gardens -The quirky full-restored Danish interiors on the lobby -Although a little pricey, The Vietnamese joint next door
Lowlights	-No mini-bar in rooms -Small Showers -Some Rooms have single beds which definitely wouldn’t fit those on the taller end of the spectrum
Opened In	2002. Renovated with all retro Danish décor in 2013.
Amenities	True 3-stars.. although I would give them 3.5Free Wifi. No room service. No air-con (but you never really need it). 24-hour reception. Parking on-site, Bike rental. Guest services. Outdoor space.
Price	From 80 Euro/night