Old School Class Thrives In The Grand Hôtel, Stockholm

By Olivia Palamountain

2 weeks ago

'A portal to a time when life moved at a more gracious pace'

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Olivia Palamountain checks into The Grand Hôtel, the crowning glory of Stockholm‘s hospitality scene.

The Country & Town House Responsible Tourism Guide

Review: The Grand Hôtel, Stockholm

STAY

My Swedish grandmother, a woman of impeccable taste and unwavering opinions, always insisted there was only one place to stay in Stockholm. ‘The Grand Hôtel or nothing,’ she’d say, with the kind of conviction that brooked no argument. Turns out, Mormor wasn’t far off the mark. Founded in 1874, Stockholm’s original grande dame occupies a fabulous position on the Blasieholmen waterfront, overlooking the Royal Palace (there are binos in each suite if you fancy spying on the King).

The family-owned property has hosted every Nobel laureate since 1901 as well as the likes of Greta Garbo, Martin Luther King Jr. and Frank Sinatra, but this historic institution is not living in the past. Recent-ish renovations have restored the handsome Gustavian façade to its original lighter hues, echoed by an ever evolving interiors revamp that includes two suites by Martin Brudnizki, who might have looked to the Swedish flag as inspiration for the colour palette of pastel blue and yellow walls. Elsewhere, the mood is classically elegant, the perfect backdrop to bright service from a team decked out in the prettiest periwinkle-coloured uniforms.

With a whopping 358 rooms to choose from, the Grand lives up to its name. As you’d expect from an old-school five star hotel, the bathrooms are made of marble, the beds will devour you and there’s plenty of space to fling your clothes around – or hang them neatly in the walk-in-wardrobe. I’d recommend requesting one of the balcony suites; ours had two tiny little decks overlooking the waterfront, ideal for soaking up the vibe from a regal distance.

Don’t forget to check out the spectacular Spegelsalen, a mirrored ballroom modelled on Versailles, and be sure to borrow one of the hotel’s bicycles: Stockholm is perfect for admiring on two wheels.

EAT

The quality of produce and cooking across Stockholm is elite, but you don’t need to leave the hotel to experience the best the city has to offer. Swedish über-chef and king of new Nordic cuisine, Mathias Dahlgren, oversees its seven restaurants and bars, the finest of which is one-Michelin starred, Seafood Gastro, which opened in spring 2024. The 13 course menu is an homage to icy local waters featuring everything from sweet langoustines and shrimp to king crab, squid and mussels. But while the bounty is satisfyingly Scandi, flavours are borrowed from around the world – white soy from Japan, Basque txistorra – or sometimes inspired by Dahlgren’s international team (shout out to Seafood Gastro’s Thai chef, who created the magical fish maw from her family recipe). Big hitters include cured tranche of wild turbot, hung for two weeks and served with dainty chanterelles and glossy pearls of lumpfish roe and an electrifying gooseberry sorbet, which delivered the essence of Swedish summers distilled into one perfect mouthful. Service is chic but straightforward with zero pretension – and the big man himself invites diners, table by table, into the Zen kitchen to see the artists at work.

There’s more to Swedish cuisine than meatballs and salmon, but these are a very good place to start. You’ll find stellar examples and more on The Veranda restaurant’s Smörgåsbord, a buffet groaning with glorious husmanskost. Standouts include house-pickled herring served three ways, dill-scented gravadlax, velvety liver paté, and traditional berry pies swimming in vanilla sauce – all best lubricated with an icy shot of organic Swedish vodka: skål.

DO

Over the water from the hotel is Gamla Stan, a maze of cobbled alleys and 16th century harlequin shop fronts that sell Viking-themed souvenirs, salty liquorice and groovy clogs. For more serious shopping, seek out the flagship stores of renowned local fashion brands – Acne, Fjällraven et al, deep dive into the famous thrift store scene at Modern Retro, Napoli Centrale Italian Vintage and POP Stockholm or swoon at Scandi design mecca, Svenskt Tenn.

In the summer months, a pilgrimage to dreamy Rosendals Trädgård is a must. This working city farm and café on Djurgården is a surreal escape where you can pick your own bouquet from wild blooms, tuck into homemade cake or sprawl out in the orchard under the shade of mature apple trees. Less seasonally dependent is a meander through Östermalms Saluhall, a grand foodhall where the riches of land and sea are flamboyantly displayed in a ritual unchanged for some 140 years. I’d pick up a paper bag of electric-pink smögenräkor (shrimps) with homemade mayonnaise and head over to an urban swimming spot such as Fredhällsbadet to enjoy them on the water (yes, the archipelago is so clean you can swim and even fish safely).

A fantastic year-round bet is a visit to the Vasa Museum, dedicated to a 17th century warship that sank in Stockholm’s harbour on its maiden voyage. Vasa was raised from her watery grave in the 80s and is remarkably well-preserved. Seek refuge at the Bio Rio, a retro cinema in hipster Hornstull where you can catch a breakfast film screening over coffee and granola, then get an art fix at Fotografiska or Moderna Museet, which offers free entry on Friday evenings.

Back in the hotel there’s also plenty to do. A restorative session in the Nordic Spa, alternating between the pool, sauna and icy plunges, must be booked in advance, and if you like to hit the gym first thing, remember to change before heading to breakfast: the restaurant operates a smart casual dress code, which means no active wear, no matter how cute you look in your LuluLemons.

The Final Word

There’s nothing like an old school hotel to make one feel that all’s right with the world. While the Grand is not the grooviest Stockholm address, it’s a portal to a time when life moved at a more gracious pace, dinner jackets shimmered under crystal chandeliers and my Mormor was the belle of the ball.