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Quite simply Stockholm's sexiest hotel! Located on hip and trendy Södermalm, the funky Rival was the brainchild of ABBA singer Benny Andersson, who turned this former cinema into the most rock ’n roll place to stay in Stockholm. Excellent design and lighting, gorgeous staff, a bakery and cinema on site and a teddy bear to welcome guests in every single room. Cuddle up with your loved on your balcony and watch life go in the small park opposite the hotel, or mingle with other guests in the stunning art deco cocktail bar downstairs before heading for a night out on the town. Is the Rival romantic?? Well I certainly fell in love with it :-)
Mariatorget 3, Södermalm, Stockholm
Tel: (08) 5457 8900
www.rival.se
Google map: tinyurl.com/yjtpma4
250km north of the Arctic Circle, Abisko Mountain Station is an up-market hostel with fantastic food, a glorious location and comfortable, reasonably priced accommodation (including a self-caterring option). It's a short walk to the 20 minute chair lift to the Aurora Sky Station near the top of Mt Nuolja, the driest spot in Sweden and one of the world's best places to see the Aurora Borealis. There's a good chance you'll have a 360 degree show right over your head. One legend has it that the shimmering lights are swans frozen to the sky, struggling to break free. Duck into the sky station cafe every so often for a warm up by the wood stove, hot chocolate and the aurora exhibition. There are guided tours and it's possible to stay up there overnight. By day there are many cross-country ski trails, as well as snow shoeing, ice climbing and the chance to learn about Sami culture and the local flora and fauna.
Details of Abisko Mountain Station on www.abisko.nu/vinter/englishpages/index.asp
www.auroraskystation.se/ for the Aurora Sky Station.
There is a dedicated railway station, 19 hours from Stockholm or one hour from Kiruna.
Google map: tinyurl.com/ylks5b4
Fun shopping. Cool things for women and children. Nice prices in nice local neighboorhood with lots of small shops, coffee shops and restaurants.
Vikingagatan 18, Vasastan, Underground: S:t Eriksplan
www.yosoyfeliz.se
Google map: tinyurl.com/y9sxcn9
These are apartments at the lake at the edge of the village, so we could see the Northern Lights at our footsteps! Just walk outside and stand in awe at this wonderful phenomenon. The owner Patricia is a native English Northern Lights photographer, so she is into this also. There is also a free alert service when the Lights are visible. You can book dogsledding and snowscooters at the apartments or in advance. We used the free langlauf skis that came with the apartment.
A charming ecological hostel from the 1920´s with heating from wind power and a bed rock pump. It's by the small lake of Masnaren and has walking trails, canoeing and swimming right next door. It's also only 30 minutes away from central Stockholm.
Stadanvägen 2, Södertälje
www.tvetagarden.nu
info@tvetagarden.nu
+46 8 550 98025
Södertälje central
Google map: tinyurl.com/yz28fzu
Fjall Garden is an amazing bar just 500m above the main cable car station in Are. It's done out as a hunting lodge, with open fires and a sundeck with reindeer skins on the south terrace. It has amazing apres-ski with live bands from 4pm. Best of all, you can get up to it from town on the little funicular railway, or ski down from the chairlifts. It's only a 500m slide if you have to ski back to the main village well refreshed and wobbly of leg.
Top of the funicular from beside the Are ski shop.
Google map: tinyurl.com/y88sv4k
It's a small personal hostel in the middle of the Old Town in Stockholm. You have everything within walking distance, from historical plays to shopping and night life areas.
They offer single, twin, triple and four-bed room. You have free wireless in all rooms and a guest kitchen.
A more central hostel you can't find.
Stora Nygatan 38 11127 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 22 99 40
www.archipelagohostel.se
8 min walk from central station
Skane beaches - clean white sand - not like British shingle. Watch the official visit Sweden tourism promotion:-
It might be a former prison, but the idyllic setting of Langholmen's now pretty posh hostel is a far remove from any institution we'd ever heard of. Staying in the (extensively upgraded) original cells (which sleep up to 4 people) was not only clean and comfortable, but positively deluxe compared to other hostels we'd stayed in across Europe, even coming complete with free wireless web access in all the rooms. Located bang in the heart of Stockholm, we were on top of all the sights and restaurants, though we spent plenty of time on the beach right outside the hostel entrance and exploring the 'jogging' trail. Probably the most unusual and delightful hostel experience ever, and certainly cheap for such accommodation in Scandinavia.
www.langholmen.com From Arlanda airport, take the coach or train then subway to Horsnstull, along Langholmsgatan, turn left before the bridge at Hogalidsgatan, then right at the traffic lights, over the bridge and on to the island of Langholmen, +46 8 720 8500
Färnebofjärdens National Park in Sweden is a fantastic place for family canoeing. It sits on the Dalälven River at the conjunction of Västmanland, Dalarna and Gävleborg counties. The park covers an area of 10,100 hectares, of which 4,110 hectares consist of water – lake or stream. The rest is a mixture of broadleaved and coniferous woodland and mire. Because of its geographical position in Sweden it has one of the highest diversities of bird species in the country and elk (moose), beaver, otter, bear and lynx are also found here.
We visited in July 2006 and stayed at Osta Stugby – the ‘camp’ consists of 40 modern cabins nestled among trees close to the waterside. The cabins were large and comfortable - three bedrooms and a combined kitchen and living room, and well equipped with a shower, bathroom, refrigerator and a stove with an oven. Each cabin had a little terrace area and there is space for parking a car. The beach by the camp was brilliant – very shallow water for the most part so very safe for our children then aged two and six. There are loads of places to discover by canoe and plenty of places to put a canoe into the water.
We took our own canoe but you can hire canoes from the camp, as well as small motor boats and bikes. The shop on the site was very small, but had most basics and there were plenty of villages around with larger shops for stocking up with food etc.
I understand that there are several cabins in the National Park for rent as well now. For more information contact naturum, 0291-47 10 40.
We would have visited again, but DFDS unfortunately closed the direct route from Newcastle to Sweden, followed by the Norway route.
Östa Stugby, S-740 45 Tärnsjö, Sweden
tel: +46-292 - 430 04, fax: +46-292 - 431 37,
e-mail: osta@stugby.com, URL: www.stugby.com
Gothenburg's Southern Archipelago is a cluster of eight verdant islands not dissimilar to the Isles of Scilly. But whereas the Scillonian ferry costs around £100, the boat to Vrannö, the island we stopped at, cost the equivalent of £1.20. Situated a gorgeous cycle ride down residential Gothenburg's clapboard-clad coast toward Salthomen, the island has around 380 inhabitants (though where they were on this gorgeous Saturday afternoon is anyone's guess), a fleet of curious bicycles with huge loading pallets mounted on the front, and a crystal clear, unfettered coastline. There are designated beach areas, but if you want to escape the maddening crowd of the 15 people sunning themselves there, a little adventurous initiative takes you around the island's coastline to vast green spaces, and craggy, rocky lagoons of opalescent, crystal clear (if cool) water. It's like a mini personal paradise.
In the summer season several boat excursions depart from Lilla Bommen harbour in the city center. Tickets and information: Göteborg's Tourist Information Centres + 46 31 61 25 00 or at Kungsportsplatsen and in Nordstan Shopping Centre (taken from goteborg.se)
Or, cycle down the clearly signposted coast to Salthomen and catch the ferry from there. We went in September, and the boats were running fairly regularly.
This is a holiday of a life time. They rebuild the hotel every November and it melts each April. I would suggest spending one night in the actual Ice Hotel and ask for a double sleeping bag. So you can cuddle up to your partner. The hiring of the hot tub for a night is a must. You have to put your drink in the water to stop it from melting and to chill under the clear night with a sky full of stars is a night I will never forget. I was able to see the Northern Lights which is something I do hope to repeat some day.
About 15 mins from the airport. the company should provide either a bus or dog sled for transfer.
The owner blocked completion of the luxury suites but all other amenities are there - terrace, restaurant, two bars. Great spot to relax, enjoy great food, great cocktails and then dance into the evening downstairs.
Linnegatan 18 Stockholm 11447 Sweden
A wonderful cottage in the remote forest of Vastergotland, 100kms east of Gothenburg close to Ulricehamn. The cottage has two bedrooms, a living room with views of the nearby lake and a wonderful garden full of wild fruits and mushrooms, and complete with a wood burning hot tub for perfect relaxation. We loved it!
Slottsskogens Vandrarhem is the greatest youth hostel I've ever been to. It's pretty much central to Gothenburg, and it's immaculately clean - from the huge, friendly communal kitchen to the airy, wood-furnished bedrooms. The staff are an absolute pleasure (and handily all speak perfect English), there's free internet and free bike hire, perfect for exploring the city and its glorious coastline. Although we didn't try it, there was a spectacular looking traditional Swedish breakfast on offer for a few Kronor. The atmosphere inside was brilliant too - we went as two girls just visiting for fun, and we met Erasmus students waiting for term to start, people backpacking across the world, and most days and nights we ended up doing stuff with them too. Honestly, I can't recommend it enough. It's also really near the Haga district of the city, the traditional old beautiful town with gorgeous cafes, and it's across the road from a frequent main tram line.
At Junibacken in central Stockholm you can meet Pippi Longstocking and all the other famous characters created by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.
I guarantee children will love this place.
Galärvarvsvägen at Djurgården (next to the Djurgården bridge, the Vasa museum, Skansen, Gröna Lund theme park and the Nordic museum. Bus 47 from Sergels Torg or Tram from Norrmalmstorg.
www.junibacken.se/
Stockholm city walks with a local. Layed back, relaxed tours of the Old Town or Södermalm.
We went to Kiruna in northern Sweden in late January. Kiruna is an interesting little mining town and was under about 10 foot of snow which made for a wonderful wintry experience. Actually seeing the Northern Lights is somewhat of hit and miss process. Don't believe the places that 'guarantee' you will see them - as they are as dependent on the rest of the weather and there actually being sufficient solar activity that night to see the Lights. You have to get a little out of Kiruna (just get a taxi to the other side of the ski slope hill at night) to see the Lights, as Kiruna has a surprising amount of light pollution.
A small company that offers B&B accommodation and flats to rent. We rented a small central studio flat for 850SKR a day, not bad for Stockholm and with the advantage of being able to cook for ourselves occasionally.
This bakery makes fantastic bread, cakes, sandwiches and serves a delicious lunch.
Located in the centre of Leksand.
Torget Sparbanksgatan 5
Telephone: 0247-150 70
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