Great design can be found just about anywhere in Copenhagen, and with an abundance of boutique hotels, the city has interior design of personality and individuality in droves. Such is the level of choice on offer, it’s vital that a hotel has its own unique style, one to do more than just turn the head, but to capture the imagination too. Hotel Alexandra is one of those places.
IDEA
The enduring popularity of mid-century modern design style means the hotel will probably never need decorating again. With its clean lines and gentle organic curves, it would have appealed to guests of the 50’s and 60’s. One could imagine scenes from the boardroom of Mad Men being filmed here – whiskey, quips, charm and all. Although the hotel offers a range of amenities, a time machine is not one of them. Today’s guests and the guests of the future will have to make do, then, with being transported back by the timeless decor of the Alexandra.
LOCATION
Located right next to Town Hall Square, Hotel Alexandra is about as central as you can get. This is where the famous pedestrian shopping street, Strøget, begins. Tivoli gardens is just a short stroll away and the Latin quarter, known as Latinerkvarteret to the Danes, is close too. The Latin Quarter is home to some of the most colourful streets in the city, with all the shops, bars and restaurants you could want.
STYLE AND CHARACTER
The outside is a classic century old building and the inside feels like it hasn’t moved past the 1960s, in the best possible way. This is down to the hotel’s large, unique collection of Danish mid-century furniture. There’s plenty of information about the collection on their website, with the hotel quite rightly proud of it. With pieces from some of the best-known Danish designers of the period, such as Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl, it’s a collection that most mid-century design buffs will relish. In the evening you can put on your favourite record in the study or read one of the designer books in the lobby while supping on a complimentary glass of wine.
ROOMS
The rooms are all quite small (except the luxe rooms and the suites) but perfectly formed and extremely comfortable. They are all decorated with the same mid-century style that is found throughout the hotel, keeping a pleasing synergy and loyalty to the vision in every aspect of the place. We loved the old style room keys, enormous and attached to old fashioned fobs. You never have the hassle of mistaking the key for your credit card or accidentally taking the light switch card out instead – an occurrence we’re sure is familiar to many.
The rooms are soundproofed so your groans of delight as you sink into 1950s style Danish furniture will go undetected. The hotel also offers, if the time and numbers are right, a complimentary upgrade upon hotel check-in, based upon availability – so fingers crossed
FOOD AND DRINK
If you’ve been in Copenhagen for a while, and smorgasbords, pickled herring and sea buckthorn have begun to wear a little thin, the Hotel Alexandra houses Lé Lé Street Kitchen on the ground floor. Le Le offers Vietnamese-inspired cuisine, light, fragrant and fresh, as it should be, and a welcome change from the Danish classics. The hotel’s breakfast buffet is also served in Lé Lé Street Kitchen. Although you can’t get a bowl of pho to kick start your day (we think they’re missing a trick there) you do get a healthy Scandinavian spread.
FACILITIES
One of our favourite things about the hotel is the free guides. Throughout the hotel you’ll find QR codes with a link to download the hotel’s app, which features guides to the hotel’s “favourite places in Copenhagen”. So much easier to do this then spend your morning googling where to go and what to see, and a really nice touch.
WHY GO
The Hotel Alexandra is in a prime location, bang in the city centre and in walking’s reach from the majority of Copenhagen’s major attractions. With its sleek, specific decor and urban cool, it is just the place to base yourself as you explore this trendy, sophisticated city.
Address: H. C. Andersens Blvd. 8, 1553 København V, Denmark
Website: hotelalexandra.dk
Disclosure: IDEAL stayed as a guest of the hotel