Pitch up in the lobby of the Hotel D’Angleterre and you get a pretty good taste of how welcoming it is. There’s a huge, playful model of the hotel built out of 40,000 Lego bricks; there’s a bright pop art piece of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II by Warhol on one wall, and a vast bowl of floating orchids under the stunning gold domed ceiling. The hotel is centuries old, but contemporary at heart.
Here’s why it will make the perfect base for a break in Scandi’s coolest city.
Where?
The neoclassical building is perched on Kongens Nytorv in the heart of the city, a few minutes’ walk from the pastel-hued buildings of Nyhavn, the Royal Theatre, King’s Garden and shopping street Strøget.
Flying from London takes under two hours, and although Copenhagen is known for its cycling, this hotel’s so-central location means almost everywhere you could want to go is within a half-hour, usually river-side, stroll.
Despite its age - the building dates back to 1873, but was rebuilt after a fire and closed entirely in 2011 for a two-year top-to-toe refurbishment - D’Angleterre has a contemporary, classic style with high ceilings and an amazing sense of space. Its views over the square are great for people watching— we spotted one proposal, four beach volleyball matches, and umpteen excellent hipster beards during our stay.
Style
Founded in 1755, the d’Angleterre is suitably stately and historic, having hosted the likes of Churchill and Walt Disney. Its vast chandeliers hang over some of Copenhagen’s most important meetings still today, including some Fashion Week shows during our stay.
Its wide modern art-clad corridors, as well as its rooms and suites are decked out in creams, lilacs and greys, and are super contemporary thanks to its recent refurb.
Rose-fragranced air throughout means you feel relaxed just walking into this hotel, whose guests include Madonna and the Beckhams. While rooms are flooded with natural light, yet there’s not a whisper of outside noise intruding.
It boasts a Louis XVI ballroom (with one of Europe’s largest glass mosaic roofs) and, from the outside, has a Parisian look, with a creamy white facade and modern steel window frames framing the Copenhagen skyline.
Facilities and family
In some countries, you wouldn’t expect such a luxury setting to be friendly to families, but this is Copenhagen, where children are embraced everywhere. The hotel offers interconnecting rooms, child-sized soft robes and slippers, while bunting-draped tents erected over the children’s beds will blow you away. A sweet duckling will even be left on their pillow - a nod to the Ugly Duckling-creator Hans Christen Anderson’s former writing residency downstairs.
Facility-wise, there’s a basement spa, Amazing Space, with an impressively-sized pool (you can swim proper lengths here). Also in this spacious marble underground area are a sauna, hammam, and gym.
Bike hire is available for £23 a bike per day, and the excellent concierges are happy to find family bikes, as well as book you into anything you fancy in the city.
Food & Drink
Just off the lobby is Michelin-starred restaurant Marchal. The kitchen is run by Jakob de Neergaard, who as well as being probably the humblest, nicest chef you’ll find, is also adorned with stars. Having trained with Alain Ducasse, he serves a six-course, €266 tasting menu spanning caviar-studded lobster and Jerusalem artichokes, halibut, and poussin. He even swapped out dishes to take account for our fussiness with a huge smile rather than a cheffy tantrum.
As for the kids: “order whatever you fancy!”, de Neergaard beamed at my children, while I quickly hissed this was not an approach I’d be following once we were back at home. They went for steaks and burgers, and then their eyes popped out at the pastry section with its intricate chocolate cake bears, and the full ice cream selection, where the chef’s enthusiasm saw them opt for rhubarb.
Meanwhile, we sipped our way through the excellent wine list and truly enjoyed the perfectly-presented combination of local, Nordic and French flavours — from locally-smoked salmon and butter to truffle ball starters and wild blueberries from nearby woods.
Do not, however full you are, miss de Neergaard’s signature Gold Bar dessert - his adaptation, perhaps improvement - of Ducasse’s, with chocolate mousse and caramel, gold leaf and chocolate ice cream.
Breakfast is perfectly-formed: tables groan with pastries, fresh berries, smoked meats and fish, homemade breads, vegetable crudites, pancakes, cereals, perfect crisp apple juice and smoothies. There’s a cheese trolley (of course!) and smiling waiters arrive with ginger shots and the most delicately crisp pain au chocolates, glazed with extra chocolate. Eggs are made to order: it’s an excellent set-up for the day.
Which room?
The 123 original hotel rooms have been cut down to 90 more spacious ones — and having toured the hotel, none will disappoint. About half are suites; our pick was room 207, a junior suite decorated in purples and greys. Its soft silvery carpet and vast bed with a cushioned mattress topper, that would have the Princess of ‘And The Pea’-fame fooled, are worthy of royalty.
The room has a huge marble bathroom, walk-in wardrobe, and a beautiful lounge with sofas and a writing desk, plus two huge windows overlooking the main square. The kids’ safari-style sleeping tents blocked out light too, so they slept far longer than normal in the morning, and we didn’t have to creep around after 8pm.
Best for...
Anyone looking for a luxury base for their Copenhagen city break will fall in love with D’Angleterre. From its basement spa to its stellar food, friendly service to its unrivalled location, there’s something to please even the fussiest holiday-maker.
The details
Book a Superior Guestroom for around £800 per night, and Signature Suites for around £2,500 per night.dangleterre.com
