When I last visited Copenhagen five years ago, there were very few luxury hotels, but now the Danish capital is full of interesting places to stay.
On my recent trip, I was excited to stay for one night at Villa Copenhagen, a stylish eco-friendly five star hotel. Opening to much anticipation in 2020, Villa is well-located for exploring the city, close to the famous Tivoli Gardens and Central Station and within walking distance of the vibrant Meatpacking District.
The hotel is housed in a listed Neo-Baroque building that was once the Central Post & Telegraph HQ and boasts an impressive 390 rooms and suites. The hotel’s size is key to understanding what Villa is about – it’s a grand railway hotel with designer touches and certainly not a boutique hotel.
The Lobby
Walking through the arched entrance, the first impression of the hotel is a vast, modern atrium with plenty of daylight from the striking glass roof. The open-plan public area comprises the reception, self-service check-in desks and the Courtyard Bar (designed by Shamballa Jewels), where you can relax and enjoy light meals, coffee and drinks. DJs also play there on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Another cool feature is Passagen, the hotel’s design and lifestyle store offering a curated selection of homewares by raawii, Maria Black jewellery and fragrances for the body and home by Skandinavisk.
Check-In
We arrived around midday, so it was a little busy and it took some time to check in. Since we booked through Preferred Hotels & Resorts, we were kindly upgraded to a Superior Plus King Room and happily, it was ready on arrival.
It’s also worth noting that Villa is part of Nordic Choice Hotel Group, which operates Scandi design hotels such as Hotel at Six, Sankt. Petri and The Thief Oslo, so members can actually bypass the queue and check in via the app.
The Room
Our Superior Plus King Room on the first floor was an absolute dream with contemporary interiors by London’s Universal Design Studio and carefully-chosen pieces by Danish designers. It felt spacious and airy with high ceilings and tall windows that you can fling wide open.
The room is designed in natural, cool shades and soft textures with highlights of marble, brass, oak and opal glass. I was particularly taken with the sleek marble-topped console table and the heavenly king-size bed with a large linen bedhead and charcoal drawing by Berlin-based Norwegian artist Bente Stokke.
Room features include a large LCD TV, speaker, wifi, large fitted wardrobe, table and chairs, an upholstered wool bench and a coffee machine with Illy coffee pods and a separate kettle. There’s also a premium minibar and elegant glass tumblers on a brass tray for a decadent night cap.
Sadly, the Chromecast wasn’t working and the front desk wasn’t able to offer a solution, so we were left with basic access to seven or eight Danish channels. Nigella’s Christmas Special with subtitles kept us amused while we got ready for dinner, but it appears to be a regular problem for guests here and is surprising for a five star hotel of this calibre.
The Bathroom
The bathroom is stylish and calm with hand-crafted tiles, grey marble sink and black chrome fittings. There is a powerful walk-in rain forest shower, wooden stool, large fluffy towels, bathrobes and full-size natural products by Skandinavisk.
Unfortunately there was a water drainage issue and my relaxing shower led to the bathroom filling with water alarmingly quickly.
The Swimming Pool
The jewel in the crown of the hotel is the spectacular, eco-friendly 25m outdoor swimming pool, naturally heated with surplus energy from the hotel’s cooling systems. The freezing Copenhagen weather didn’t entice me to peel off the layers and go for a dip, but in the warmer months, this is definitely the place to be.
The only drawback is that you need to pre-book your free 30-minute swim and sauna slot and any extra time is charged. It makes sense, given the large number of guests and recent restrictions, but swimming against the clock could feel a bit rushed.
Dinner in the Meatpacking District
That evening, we walked over to the Meatpacking District for a five-course dinner at Fleisch. It’s a fantastic restaurant with a cosy atmosphere and stunning food – well-worth visiting.
If you don’t want to venture too far out (especially in the cold), book a table at KONTRAST, Villa’s modern brasserie with a short menu of fresh, creative dishes using organic, seasonal ingredients. There’s also the seductive, dimly-lit T37 cocktail bar for inventive mixed drinks over a game of chess.
Breakfast
After a blissful night’s sleep, we headed down for breakfast to the lower ground dining room, housed in the former sorting room of the Post & Telegraph Office. It’s one of the biggest breakfast rooms I’ve ever seen, with two tea and coffee stations on both sides and a central open kitchen.
We were encouraged to pre-book a table and this did seem to help with the flow of guests and hygiene control during Covid restrictions, as it all ran smoothly with plenty of space between tables.
The breakfast buffet is plentiful with scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, sausages, pancakes, an elaborate display of cured meats, smoked salmon and Danish cheeses, chocolate chia seed pudding, granola and yoghurt. There’s also a chef on hand to make omelettes and fried eggs cooked to order.
The real highlight, however, is the in-house RUG Bakery. You can taste a selection of fabulous pastries and cream-filled buns that easily compete with Copenhagen’s top bakeries. There seems to be a global trend of opening bakeries in luxury hotels, but rarely are these baked treats included with breakfast.
Villa Copenhagen is a stunning hotel with a great concept and I would definitely visit again for the beautiful design and RUG Bakery breakfast. There were a few issues that would be frustrating during a longer stay, but if you can add a reasonably priced Sunday night at Villa to your trip (like we did), I would thoroughly recommend it.
For more information and booking, visit: www.villacopenhagen.com
All photos by Cherie City
You Might Also Like