Detailed review by jl132
jl132
Manchester, United Kingdom90%
Last summer (2010) I had a nice weekend in Stockholm and I stayed at the four star Hotel Birger Jarl. A nice hotel which is situated just outside the center, but luckily within walking distance so great for a few days! Always look at several sites before you book because sometimes you can find great deals on various sites!
General Information
Name: Hotel Birger Jarl
booked at: www.booking.com
Address: Tulegatan 8. 10432 Stockholm
Phone: 1946 8674 1918 1900
Email: infobirgerjarl.se
Website: http://www.birgerjarl.se/
Number of rooms: 235
Elevator: Yes
The hotel is a genuine Swedish hotel in Stockholm and anyone you ask will know where it is located. Why? The hotel bears the name of the founder of the city, so the average citizen of Stockholm will certainly know where it is also because the street is also named after the founder! The founder of the city is Birger Jarl and in the twelfth century, this town was founded.
You can book the hotel in several different ways. You have the option on the hotel website itself, but also through other sites like Hotels.com and Booking.com. The last one gave us the best price. We had a room for 2 people for 3 nights with breakfast for 2970 Swedish crowns. It was the cheapest four star hotel we could find near the center of Stockholm. There were hotels that were cheaper but I had no window in the room! Very strange.
We arrived in Stockholm from Skavsta airport by bus, which lies about one hour from Stockholm. You arrive by bus at the Central Station. From this point it is approximately a 20 minutes walk to the hotel. You walk through the center and the center itself is also around 10 to 15 minutes from the hotel. You can take the metro to the hotel and is approximately 5 minutes walk, so we thought it was not really worth it. The metro is ideal if you want to go further into Stockholm.
One suggestion is to buy the Stockholm Card. You get not only free public transport but also free admission to 75 attractions including all the popular ones like the palace. This card costs about 395 Crowns per person per day, but remember that you have access to the palace and a lot more so you will save a lot of money in the end.
The hotel is easy to find in the street and at the reception we were helped by a neat woman who spoke good English. It is a fairly large hotel and also quite modern. The reception desk is always staffed by two persons or more, you also have a bar and lounge. Checking in was very easy and we got our key along with a map of the city. The hotel has lifts so that was also no problem.
The room was nice and looked clean. The room was bigger than we had expected and had a double bed and a sofa bed. It had a real Ikea feel to it but in a modern way and very practical so it did lack some personality. What we noticed straight away was the lack of air conditioner in the room and with 25 degrees outside that was a disappointment.
The double bed was comfortable and at both side you have a lamp and night tables. You also have a television, desk and wardrobe with a safe. You also have a mini bar and here you have free two bottles of water. Furthermore, you also had a kettle in the room with instant coffee and tea. Ideal for when you come back from town.
The bathroom was good with a bath. The bath was very spacious and even I with my 1.98metre could easily lie in it. You got two large and two small towels that were being changed every day. There was soap and shampoo which also were replaced every day. A nice room, just a pity of the air conditioning.
At the hotel is no possibility to have dinner but you can have a drink in the bar or have breakfast. On the ground floor is a modern and cozy bar. You can get almost all drinks. In the back you have the room for breakfast and given a big hotel, the breakfast room is also spacious, but the selection was ok. They had a wide selection of bread and egg, bacon, sausages and even small meatballs. Your can cut your own bread. Also you had juice, water, coffee, milk and tea. If anything I've missed was more delicious treats, such as chocolate croissants. Furthermore, the staff was friendly and very fast to clean and refill, so definitely no complaints there.
Breakfast in bed is possible at this hotel but we didn’t do this. On the ground floor you have access to a computer with free internet, throughout the hotel you have free Wi-Fi. The hotel also has an ironing service, ticket service and a fax. Next to the elevator you'll find a ice machine. Also located on the top floor gym and a sauna. The hotel is accessible for wheelchairs. Both the entrance and further spaces is easily accessible for someone in a wheelchair.
Hotel Birger Jarl is definitely a must to look at it when you are planning a weekend to go to Stockholm. It is a nice modern hotel and I am definitely happy with the stay. It made me much like all the furniture company Ikea, which is more positive means. It has a fresh and modern look.
The hotel is quite centrally located and it’s 15 minutes to get to the center. No problem for us, but i imagine if you are older or have some difficulty walking, this could be a problem. In addition the breakfast was excellent, the room was good and clean and the staff friendly. Just a pity that the hotel does not have good air conditioning, because it can obviously get pretty hot in the summer and that is surely a serious drawback. What we loved was the terrace at the front where you can relax after a long walk and it was often pretty busy too. Also you have here again complimentary chilled water and even flavored. All in all definitely a hotel to take into your decision when you go to Stockholm.
Birger Jarl8
