Walking into Villa Copenhagen is like playing a silent game of Danish bingo in your head. Understated luxury? Tick. Bleached wooden furniture? Tick. Sustainability credentials? Tick. Tastefully curated art? Of course.
It’s everything you want to kick off a stay in the Scandi capital, basically. But the hotel isn’t just for tourists, and is rapidly becoming one of the city’s buzziest spots for cocktails, light bites and business meetings - oh, and did I mention it has Copenhagen’s only outdoor heated pool?
Where is it?
You might expect a historic hotel like this to be tucked away down a side street or off one of the capital’s impressive squares, but Villa Copenhagen sits right next to Central Station, offering a design-led sanctuary for those who step inside off the busy street outside.
Its prime location means many of the city’s major landmarks are within walking distance from the front door (or cycling, on the hotel’s complimentary bikes). The famous Tivoligardens are slap bang opposite, the Glyptoteket art museum (a sort of miniature V&A) is a five minute stroll and the meatpacking district is right on the doorstep. Plus, it’s an easy 15 minutes train ride from the airport, so you hardly feel as though you’ve stepped off the plane before you’re checking in.
Style
Contemporary, light-filled, smart. Oh, and vast - in a capital known for its bijou apartments and cleverly designed small spaces, this 25,000 sq ft and 390 room hotel stands out.
The neo-Baroque building is an architectural landmark for Copenhageners and was once the site of the Central Post and Telegraph Office, dating from 1912. Small touches remain from its recent past: a golden weathervane featuring a post horn stands proudly on the roof. But inside the Nordic Hotels and Resort group have put their stamp on the place - with a refurbishment that cost north of £80m - with classic Danish design and a geometric lobby roof that wouldn’t look out of place in the Louvre or British Museum.
The palette is mostly earthy tones, with bleached wood (naturally) and parquet flooring - and I didn’t spot a chair that wasn’t instantly recognisable as Scandi style and extremely covetable. Attention has been paid to the walls, too, with a private art collection said to be worth $2m hanging across the hotel’s five floors and featuring well-known Danish artists.
Which room?
Whichever you choose, be prepared for your bed (double or king) to come with separate duvets - a very Danish tradition about which we were sceptical at first, totally converted by the end of our stay.
We tried a Junior Corner Suite, with windows that overlooked the railway tracks (noisy if you’re unlucky and repair works are taking place), with a pleasant living room area and plenty of natural light in a calming grey and beige palette. The bathroom has vegan, organic Skandinavisk toiletries - which have names like ‘Skog’ (forest) to evoke a feeling of the Scandi outdoors and which are intended to ‘leave a lighter footprint’. To which end, there is a nod to sustainability in the hotel’s popular Earth Suite, which is built using recycled materials including crushed bricks from the original post office buildings.
The toiletries, plus items by several other trendy Scandi brands, can be bought by guests so inclined at the small design shop by the hotel’s entrance.
Food & Drink
Arrive wearing one of those effortless looking and loose-hanging Scandi outfits, you might need it if you intend to graze at the hotel’s every eatery.
The main event for foodies is Kontrast brasserie: a large, buzzy and open-plan restaurant serving sustainably and locally sourced ingredients. Think oysters, mussels, halibut and plenty of variations on asparagus for the early summer menu. That’s if you’re not still full from breakfast downstairs at Public, an all-Scandi buffet with enough baked goods to feed an army and what my husband declares to be the best pickles he’s ever tasted (though the machine coffee could use a bit of oomph).
The Courtyard lobby - where DJs perform most nights - has a light bites menu, the star of the show being the lobster roll… the leftover butter from which I have in a delicious whisky cocktail, as part of the hotel’s efforts to reduce food waste.
That cocktail makes up part of the menu in T37 - the hotel’s dark and atmospheric speakeasy-style bar, where you’ll find a little more of that post office history. Behind the bar hang brown leather post-bag satchel straps, while original features such as floral tiles and pillars add to the sense of drinking in the past. The name itself, the friendly barman tells us, was the codeword the postal workers used to denote the corner of the building where they would gather for a sneaky after work beer.
Best for…
A city centre swim like no other. Copenhagen might be known for its chilly harbour dips, but Villa Copenhagen’s 25m rooftop pool - steamily heated to between 28-30 degrees Celsius using the excess heat from the building’s cooling systems - is a rare treat. Enjoy a morning dip overlooking the city’s rooftops or an evening swim and sauna to end the day in relaxed style… ready for those separate duvets.
Details
Rooms start from 2090 DKK for room only (£238) and 2240 DKK (£255) with breakfast included; villacopenhagen.com/
