Is Hotel Birger Jarl Any Good? 5 Ways You Can Be Certain
I had a few more days in Stockholm and on my recent trip to Europe and I was going to spend them at the beautiful design hotel, Hotel Birger Jarl. But I was in search of the answer to this question — Is Hotel Birger Jarl any good? Here are 5 ways you can be certain that it is.
1. Getting to and from the hotel is an easy, but beautiful adventure: Since I was already in Stockholm, I decided to utilize the T-Bana (Metro) to get to Hotel Birger Jarl from Motel L. Nothing is better than simple local transport and while this has less to do with the hotel itself and more to do with Stockholm’s large public transportation system, I loved the ease and of course, the view.
Hotel Birger Jarl isn’t far from one of the three Stockholm area airports:
Distances:
- Arlanda Airport, 42 km
- Bromma Airport, 10 km
- Skavsta Airport, 100 km
- Ten minutes from Stockholm Central Station
- Blåbuss 2 or underground to the Rådmansgatan station
2. The location: After about a half hour scenic ride through Stockholm, I jumped off the Metro at Rádmansgatan and instead of turning right to walk directly to the hotel via Rádmansagatan or Kungstensgatan, I instead ended up going straight along Sveavägen where I discovered Observatorielunden, a beautiful park where people were relaxing and sitting outside under the blue sky. That’s what I call a fortunate mistake, which I later corrected by using the WiFi at the nearby McDonald’s. If you have the time to investigate further, you can visit the 18th century Stockholm Observatory, which sits at the top of the hill.
Hotel Birger Jarl is located on a relatively quiet street and is only a 10-minute walk away from Stureplan, Stockholm’s nightclub and shopping district where you’ll also find museums, antique stores, theatres, and more. It’s amazing to walk only a few blocks up from such a busy street like Sveavägen into what feels more quiet and residential.
3. The lobby: Chic, modern, and inviting best sums up my first impressions of the lobby inside Hotel Birger Jarl. The hotel offers not only 271 rooms, but also a wide variety of amenities for guests including a gym on the top floor, private garage, business center, and a lobby bar, restaurant, and shop.
Whether you choose to dine on one of a number of the Swedish dishes offered in the restaurant, Hotel Birger Jarl has you covered. You might not even want to venture outside for a meal with the convenient in house buffet breakfast, lunch, and dinner served daily. But if you’re in need of a drink and a little something off the bar menu, stop in at the lobby bar, which is open from 7 am to midnight daily (til 11 pm on Sunday). We’re talking casual, relaxed, and comfortable and easy to locate right in the lobby. Either that or maybe you’ll want to pull up a chair and sit outside, weather permitting, for a drink or two.
4. Room 334: My massive suite: I took one of the two elevators available up to my suite in room 334. This suite was large, so I’m breaking it down into sections. Turn right as you enter the suite and you’ll find a large closet area with a small refrigerator complete with a few non-alcoholic beverages, tea kettle, safe, iron and ironing board, a large full length mirror, and other items.
Completely parched after my walk to the hotel, I cracked open the bottle of Champis in my room and was pleasantly surprised. What is Champis? Champis is one in the first generation of Swedish soft drinks first created by Robert Roberts in 1918. Think a light and bubbly grape drink and that’s Champis.
Turning left upon entering the suite you’ll find the large bathroom complete with a heated towel rack, bathtub, and C.O. Bigelow Bath Products. I’m not much of a bath girl, but I know plenty of people who are excited about seeing a tub. I was more excited about C.O. Bigelow and the large vanity area.
If you continue forward you’ll find the livingroom area of the suite with a sofa and table to the right, large window in front of you, and a chaise to the left. Talk about comfortable and relaxing. The furniture is minimalist, but functional, just the way I like it. My favorite piece was the rolling circular glass table located next to the chaise, which could serve as a coffee table or like how I used it, a small rollaway desk. Did I mention that the hotel offers free in-room WiFi?
I could’ve stopped right here and answered the question, “Is Hotel Birger Jarl any good?” with a “Yes!” but I couldn’t stop here, right?
Since I was at the rear of the building, my view wasn’t of the street, but I still was able to look outside and get fresh air through the open window. Any view of Stockholm is still a great view.
The metro inspired wallpaper on one of the walls was a much needed pop of color, but nothing so loud that it kept me up at night. Each room and suite is individually designed and offers the latest in modern lighting and decor. If you check out the hotel’s room gallery on their website, you’ll see that they employed a number of designers to give the rooms distinct and unique looks.
The bedroom, which sits just off from the livingroom area, features a super comfy bed, several lights, and a wall mounted television. If you need privacy, you can slide the floor to ceiling curtain across the room. The best part was how incredibly quiet the room was as I never heard other guests that were in rooms next to me or on the floors above or below me.
5. The service: Remember my question of “Is Hotel Birger Jarl any good?” The service at Hotel Birger Jarl is absolutely the reason why you can be certain that the hotel isn’t good, but great. From the second you walk through the front doors of the hotel, the staff is checking in with you to see how they can make your stay the best it can be. The service is fast, unobtrusive, and thoughtful. My room was kept clean and spotless without ever seeing a housekeeping cart in the hall. Yes – I do notice these things.
Talk about service, there was a half bottle of sparkling wine and chocolate truffles waiting for me when I arrived. They also provided me with a little companion called, “Buddy” to keep me company during my stay. Of course, no selfie with my face, but in my slippers.
If you’re planning on a visit to Stockholm, consider staying at Hotel Birger Jarl because like me, you can be certain that the answer to the question, “Is Hotel Birger Jarl any good?” is a resounding, “Yes.”
Hotel Birger Jarl
Tulegatan 8, Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: +46 (0) 8 674 18 00
email: [email protected]
Is Hotel Birger Jarl any good? While I was a guest of Hotel Birger Jarl and felt the answer to this question was yes, as always — all opinions and photographs are my own.
