Posh, pink and lots of fun

Our PR blogger, Helena Beard, just loves her funky Copenhagen hotel, especially when she goes down for breakfast…

"If ever there was a traveller influenced by the mighty TripAdvisor, it is me. Searching for a hotel to stay in with my young family for three nights in Copenhagen, I was seduced by the number one position of the quirky looking, pink and black Andersen Boutique Hotel. And I wasn’t disappointed.

This 65 room, eight-suite hotel occupies a, shall we say, ‘colourful’ location in between the central station, the trendy Kodbyen Meatpackers area and Copenhagen’s red light district. But, hey, that’s cool. This is Denmark, where everyone is highly civilised, and greets you politely in perfect English, including the drinkers and the prostitutes. Despite having two small children with us, we never felt anything less than safe and, as long as we stuck to certain routes out of the hotel, could avoid too many questions surrounding dubious window displays. The hotel is also within walking distance of the wonderful Tivoli Gardens which is an absolute must for a visit to Copenhagen, the National Museum with its superb children’s section, and the large shopping avenue, Vesterbrogade.

The Kodbyen (translation the slightly off putting ‘Meat City’) district of Copenhagen is cool, authentic and buzzing and just around the corner from the Andersen Hotel. Lined with restaurants, bars and even a number of contemporary art galleries, the vibe of the area is, by design, as dynamic as Smithfield in London, if slightly earlier in its development. There are also some interesting places to eat. We were directed to BioMio, an organic restaurant with super fresh ingredients and high stools around shared tables. It all felt a bit worthy for a first night holiday treat, but it was undeniably delicious and a great introduction for us all into the care and attention the Danish lavish on their food preparation.

The Andersen hotel (named not after Hans Christian, but after Erna, the grandmother of the present owner/manager) has been designed with an air of playfulness, intriguing to grown up and child alike. Plush pink and purple furnishings are set against stark black and white walls.

The clear chairs are moulded in a style reminiscent of a royal court in your favourite fairy tale, and on each door is painted a big pink room number. It felt like fun, but posh fun.

The rooms themselves are comfortable with adequately sized bathrooms, high, slightly soft, beds and a modern design. We stayed in one of the aptly named ‘Amazing Junior Suites’ with double bed and sofa bed for the kids.

The only real drawback to the hotel is the lack of air conditioning, a subject discussed at length online. The street below can get fairly noisy so leaving windows open is not really an option if your room faces the street. The Anderson has provided good quality fans in every room to make up for the lack of air con and, let’s face it, Denmark isn’t the tropics, but it’s a consideration if you are travelling in the height of summer.

The hotel offers all the stuff to make you feel understood, like free wifi, good quality hair dryers, nice toiletries, fluffy white towels and bathrobes. The staff are friendly, helpful and flexible, and seem to really enjoy working at the hotel. Not to mention that they all speak impeccable English of course.

But where the hotel’s service and quality really shine through is at breakfast time.

Breakfast at The Anderson is not just a meal, it’s an hour of exploration, discovery and getting down with the Danes. You won’t find any watery scrambled eggs languishing in metal serving trays here. Instead be dazzled by choices of cereals, nuts, fresh and dried fruit, delicious Danish meats and cheeses, homemade breads and yoghurts. And if you want to splurge, or you have greedy under-eights with you, there are stacks of melt in the mouth pastries, croissants and enough Nutella and types of jam to keep everyone happy. Should the mood take you, you can even help yourself to a shot of Gammel Dansk – a Danish alcoholic bitter which is said to aid digestion.

As so often in Denmark, the way the service has been set up is flawless. You just grab a huge designer coffee pot on the way in, the food is laid out beautifully, and the staff work tirelessly replenishing breads, fruits and pastries. Nothing ever seems to run out.

A big breakfast is a must in a city where a simple lunch for four can easily set you back £80, so get down early, stack up, then get out there and explore."

http://www.andersen-hotel.dk/en/