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Hygge hideouts: Denmark’s best boutique hotels

Ellie Day
Ellie Day - [email protected]
Hygge hideouts: Denmark’s best boutique hotels
Copenhagen's Nyhavn. Photo: Patrick Schneider, Unsplash

As the old adage (loosely) goes: “When in Denmark, do as the Danes do.” Which means: get cosy. We’ve selected our favourite boutique hotels for when you’re hunting for hygge in the land that brought the world LEGO.

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1. Nimb Hotel Copenhagen

With each guest room at Nimb Hotel featuring its own four-poster bed, antique furniture – and, some, with their own fireplaces – this is a place to relax. There’s an onsite spa, described by the hotel as an “oasis,” for those who need a little cajoling into a state of relaxation, complete with a hammam, steam room, and massages available to order.

The Moorish building looks out over Tivoli – Copenhagen’s theme park and pleasure gardens. Consider this a double win – as well as providing a beautiful view from your bedroom window, the park offers open-to-all concerts on Fridays in the summer months, so you only need to step out of the hotel to find free fun.

Rooms from €376 per night.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Nimbcopenhagen (@nimbcopenhagen) on Feb 11, 2018 at 11:33am PST

2. Kokkedal Castle, Hørslholm

Relax like (Danish) royalty at this 18th century Renaissance castle.

Set back on the Danish Riviera, there’s nature in all its forms on your doorstep – from rolling parkland and picturesque beaches to nearby fishing villages. Fans of Scandi noir drama The Bridge can see the sights and sounds of the show up close and personal, with the Øresund Strait (the water connecting Sweden and Denmark) shore just 450 yards away from the hotel.

For a truly hygge experience, book yourself into the spa for a treatment, before heading to the hotel’s library bar for a pre-dinner drink. Round off your evening with a visit to the castle’s cellar restaurant, dating back to 1746 and still complete with its original vaulted ceilings, for a candle-lit meal.

Rooms from €148 per night.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Kokkedal Slot Copenhagen (@kokkedalslotcopenhagen) on Jun 27, 2018 at 4:33am PDT

3. Ribehøj, Føvling

With only six suites and four rooms, Ribehøj, is a true home away from home. If home were a luxury resort. And your bedroom had its own jacuzzi.

Ribehøj began life in 1931 as a farm, focused on creating local, fresh produce. Now, in its reincarnation as a hotel, this spirit can still be seen, with a kitchen-garden serving meals made with seasonal, locally-grown ingredients.

The hotel’s look is high-end rustic chic; wooden beams and stone walling feature heavily, and bedrooms look out over a lake or Jutland countryside.

Oh, and it’s close to LEGOLAND, which can almost certainly be classed as a cultural landmark in Denmark.

One of Ribehøj's ten bedrooms. Photo: Booking.com

4. Ilse Made,Pillemark

Settle in among the 4,000 residents on the small, energy-positive island of Samsø, which produces more energy than it uses.

The homely site looks out over the area’s pastures and the Kattegat Sea. Rooms with private terraces are available, giving the option of enjoying a drink from the comfort of your own room. Don't worry if your room is without - the hotel's communal terrace offers similarly impressive views over the sprawling countryside.

From March to October, the hotel offers a two-course meal to guests featuring seasonal ingredients, allowing you to rest safe in the knowledge that you’re eating both well and sustainably. Win-win.

Rooms from €66 per night.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by ilsemadehotel (@ilsemade) on Oct 15, 2018 at 4:10am PDT

5. Manon Les Suites,Copenhagen

Part of the eco-friendly Guldsmeden Hotel chain, Manon Les Suites is situated in central Copenhagen, but will transport you away to more tropical climes.

The hotel’s stand-out feature is its very Instagrammable central pool in the hotel’s atrium area, surrounded with verdant decoration in the form of jungle-esque trees and plants.

Rooms across the hotel’s six storeys are further lesson in lavishness, with spacious four-poster beds, and bathrooms stocked with Guldsmeden’s own line of organic toiletries.

If you find it hard to tear yourself away from the day beds by the pool, fear not. The hotel hosts ‘Manon’s Lounge Fridays’ – its very own weekly pool party, with music provided by resident DJs, to kick off your weekend in style.

Rooms from €200 per night.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Guldsmeden Hotels (@guldsmedenhotels) on Dec 28, 2017 at 2:40am PST

6. Kurhotel Skodsborg, Skodsborg

Though just a 20-minute drive away from Copenhagen, this water-front hotel is a breath of countryside-fresh air. The hotel’s website invites guests to “press pause on everyday life,” with an onsite sauna, hot tub, and swimming pool, as well as a sea-view restaurant serving Nordic classics – and the original comfort food, freshly-baked breads. There’s even a grand piano in the bar area, for an impromptu singalong, should the mood take you.

Outdoor activities on offer in the area range from mountain biking to horse riding. Those wanting to submerge themselves fully in the nature around them can jump off the pier outside the hotel, into the Baltic sea, for a bracing wake-up. If you’re feeling really brave, try it in the winter.

Rooms from €188 per night.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Kurhotel Skodsborg (@kurhotelskodsborg) on Jul 28, 2018 at 12:53pm PDT

7. Hotel Herman K, Copenhagen

A new addition to Denmark’s hotel offering, having opened in June 2018, Hotel Herman K brings an oxymoronic brutalist luxury to the scene.

One of Copenhagen’s Brøchner Hotels, the building in the centre of the city was originally designed as a transformer station in 1963. In its conversion to a hotel, it’s retained much of this utilitarian look, with a metal grid façade fronting the building, a 40-foot ceiling in the lobby and exposed concrete walls.  

But don’t be fooled by the seeming coolness of the hotel’s common areas – a very warm welcome is extended to guests, with a daily Wine Hour, and a further Night Cap Hour, both complimentary, for a sociable pre-bed drink.

For something more substantial, Roxie, the hotel’s three-storey restaurant run by the team behind the Michelin-starred Kadeau, serves up a selection of Nordic dishes, snacks and cocktails. It’s open to hotel guests and the public, so worth booking a table in advance.

Rooms from €256 per night.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by BRØCHNER HOTELS (@brochnerhotels) on May 28, 2018 at 6:52am PDT

8Gjáargarður Guesthouse, Eysturoy

For a retreat into nature, Gjáargarður Guesthouse can’t be beaten. Located in the rural village of Gjógv on Eysturoy, the second-largest of the Faroe Islands, the grass-topped guesthouse gives an idyllic presentation of sleepy island life, with far-reaching Atlantic vistas and mountain landscapes. Playing host to only around 50 village residents, staying here allows you to feel you’re getting away from the noise and bustle of everyday living – but it’s only an hour’s drive away from the Faroe Islands’ capital, Tórshavn, for those seeking a break from the idyll.

If you’re looking to get active, you’ve got hikes and fishing opportunities aplenty just outside your front door. Bonus hygge points for the hotel’s green credentials, as it focuses on using almost exclusively environmentally approved products, as well as limiting energy consumption on the site. Ethics and aesthetics – what could be more hygge than that?

Rooms from €103 per night.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Gjáargarđur Guesthouse Gjógv (@gjaargardur) on Feb 7, 2018 at 7:15am PST

This article was produced by The Local and contains affiliate links from booking.com. The Local will earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a booking. 

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