There is a famous Swedish saying; “Att skriva bra och att tala bra är bara fåfänga om man inte lever bra” which means “To write well and to speak well is mere vanity if one does not live well”. (Bridget of Sweden).

This 100% captures Stockholm and the feeling of actually “living” and enjoying the moment. Whilst documenting it is great, the Swedes and certainly Hotel at Six put this into practice. It is all about living well in person…

*Sidebar; Incidentally, another of their sayings is “Alla känner apan, men apan känner ingen.” which translates loosely as “Everyone knows the monkey, but the monkey knows no one.” So, you know…I’m not saying the Swedes have nailed the proverb market but the former certainly applies here. (I’ve seen Girl with the Dragon tattoo… I feel it’s probably best not to question these things).

Opened only in the last couple of years, this is the coolest hotel in Stockholm and has created an area of cool restaurants, cafes and my favourite…. a rooftop bar. They put it best in saying, “Hotel at Six is a hotel, dressed as an Art Gallery”

Rooms: 

Despite the obvious Swedish assumptions, the rooms are definitely not Ikea (Pronounced Ickiya). Far from it infact, but they are sleek, crisp and clean as you would expect from any self respecting Swedish Hotel.

Greys, whites and golds are the theme and with the addition of gold, it’s more “warm luxury” which breaks up the very clean monochrome.

The thing that I love the most is that EVERYTHING I could want was in there and waiting in a drawer. From Dental Kits and Facial Scrubs to actual Fresh underwear (truth) and New socks (from my own partnership favourite, Happy Socks!)

Basically, at Hotel at Six, they think it through… I cannot tell you how many hotel rooms I have stayed in where the hairdryer is barely a breeze, they have a sewing kit but no dental kit, face moisturiser or coffee machine and frankly the lighting means that eyeliner is eye-poke Russian roulette.

In fact, from the very moment you walk in to the lobby, there is an entire wall of things that you might want/need during your stay that are there waiting for you by the lobby reception desk. Including Sunglasses and overnight bags.

Because of the location of the hotel, the view is also… well, pretty spectacular at Sunset… I’ll just leave this here:

The bed. If you (like me) don’t like soft beds…. You will by the time you leave. This bed is a narcolepsy inducing, slumber sedative. If you miss breakfast and your evening drinks because of a nap…. don’t say I hadn’t pre-warned you.

For me, the one issue I had was the wardrobe, which was like one of those slidey krypton-factor style puzzles to get into and then was too small for my lanky jumpsuits and shoulderpad blazers.

Restaurants:

They have one restaurant (The Dining Room), and Social Living Room (bear with) and 3 bars.

While in London, the mere mention of breakfast puts me on edge, while away, I LOVE it. The only problem is that it always finishes too early…. Not here. They serve til 12… Like breakfast was intended to be. Frankly, like any decent human being would concur.

 It is buffet style with an optional a la carte menu and has more cheeses, cold meats and chocolate spreads than you could ever devour.

Then, this is Skandinavian after all so more Natural yoghurt and SKYR and accompaniments than you’ve ever seen in your life.

Every Saturday, they hold the “Punch Brunch” in the Dining Room. They have live music, sharing actual punch bowls, the best brunch classics and even a flambé trolley.

They also have HOSOI which is a “social living room”. It’s a pretty good place to relax and they showcase new music in the day and international DJs in the evening.

Bars:

They have one cocktail bar on the 1st floor and a wine bar downstairs named Blanche & Hierta. It’s a wine bar / deli / coffee bar….. Like hipster heaven for hipsters that like really good wines and champagnes.

They also share a neighbouring rooftop bar with restaurant Tak. It is very cool and popular with the locals. The benefit of it also is that it is right above super trendy TAK and has a direct access between the two.

It is perfect for the Summer sunset viewpoint of the city and should you like Aperol Spritz/insta/cocktail/rooftop gold. I’ll be honest with you, I have just about reached my Aperol quota and am, at best, 2 glasses away from an Ouzo-esque aversion to the orange stuff but, I digress and realise that it is still super popular.

It has a pretty un-interrupted view of Stockholm and is really popular pretty much every night.

The gym & Spa

Where most hotels have the minimum, it has a LOT of equipment and is really nicely designed. More like a Swedish sauna vibe with machinery stored inside. It comes complete with…. you guessed it… workout wear incase you’ve forgotten yours.

My gripe is with the many many staircases down to it with arrows pointing downwards to exercise on every floor. After the 10th set of stairs, I wondered if perhaps it was a cruel joke in which I was actually already doing “the excercise” and would be met by nothing but a congratulations sign at the bottom with “Exercise complete”. However, on arrival, not only did I find the gym, but also a lift door which evidently had eluded me en route downwards.

The spa, offers everything including….. yep, Swedish Massage and Swedish saunas!

The other point to mention is that its location is absolutely perfect for any cab journey, whether it’s to Slussen or to wherever it is that the girl with the dragon tattoo is from, you’re basically only a 10/15 min cab from anywhere…

Oh, and by the way they have a 2000sqm meeting/events/concert/high-ytech ted talk space.

If you want the cool Swedish dream, this is your place. So  “Skål” (Cheers) to you Stockholm and to Hotel at six.

At Six: Brunkebergstorg 6, 111 51 Stockholm – +46 (0)8 578 828 00 – info@hotelatsix.com