The Amarantan hotel is situated on the island of Kungsholmen. Now what does Stockholm have in common with Venice? Well, they’re both cities built on islands, and “ The Kings Island” just across Kungsbron (“The King’s bridge”) from the central railway station, T-Centralen, used to have the reputation of being an ageing district. Over the last 10 or so years, this has given way to a new trendy reputation, with many bars and restaurants springing up around the various districts of this island. Located on the end of Kungsholmsgatan towards Kungsbron, this is the part of the island closest to the city centre, with the aforementioned T-Centralen being a 5-10 min walk away. I actually lived on this road for nearly 4 years only a few doors down from the hotel, and passed it many times, wondering what it was like, and this was the time that I finally found out.

I can see all of this in my mind’s eye, so it’s a veritable pleasure to fill you in on this locality. Turning right from the hotel entrance and following Kungsholmsgatan over the afforementioned Kungsbron bridge will lead to T-Centralen and lots of places the normal guide books will tell you about. A little historical note is that this area used to be the Klara area of Stockholm, which was apparently much loved but was redeveloped in the 1970s into an area of concrete mostrosities.

If you walk left from the hotel entrance, then left at the first road you encounter, you are on Scheelegatan, home to several bars and restaurants, most notably the bar Lokal and the Spanish restaurant Mamas and Tapas, worth a try if you can get over the terrible pun. Walk to the end of Scheelegatan and you will get to the junction of Hantverkargatan (“handy craft street”). To the left are more restaurants and eventually the Stadshuset (Stockholm City Hall), the big tourist draw where they have the Nobel Prize banquet, but best to head to the right for eateries. Unless of course you have several hundred Swedish Kroner to blow at the Stadshuskällaren restaurant at Stadshuset - have a look at the price list if you want a laugh. Anyway back to the tour in the other direction, and If you walk right to the end, roughly a 15 minute walk to the right of the street is the lauded sushi restaurant Ruppongi. The tempura isn't bad at all.

THE BEDROOM

The room had a small, old fashioned CRT TV with relatively few channels, but English speaking shows are almost always subtitled, so you won’t have too many problems if you like Scrubs or suchlike. Next to the TV an ironing board and iron were propped up against the wall. A magazine rack on the wall contained some leaflets with hotel information including how to use the WiFi. Below it was one of those collapsible wooden thingies that you can put your suitcase on (at least that’s what I do; anyone any idea what it’s called or actually for?). The TV guide was on a shelf above the TV; next to it was a hairdryer hung on the wall. The wardrobe was mirrored, with 2 partitions for hangers. Contained inside was a fan and some extra laundry sheets. The desk was wooden, with a phone, pencil, paper, 2 wine glasses and a hotel guide on top of it. Hidden underneath was the room bin. Above the desk on the wall was a big mirror. Next to this mounted on the wall was a lamp.

The mini bar fridge was under the desk, containing some Coke, Coke Light, mineral water, Fanta, Sprite, tonic water, Heineken, Barcadi Breezers (1 pineapple, 1 melon), small bottles of red and white wine and champagne. Tiny bottles of Gordons Gin,

Pictures of First Hotel Amaranten, Stockholm

Outside view from Kungsholmsgatan

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On my last night though, I had some problems with some noisy, selfish guests (I’m sorry to say, but more than likely Swedes in my experience) who were playing loud music at 3am. I had to call reception 2 separate times to shut them up. This wasn’t particularly impressive, but probably comes down to the Swedish urge to leave things as they are. I suspect the staff only acted after my second call. Another annoying thing was the nylon sheets, always guaranteed to generate static electricity. Another irritation was the “click-click” of the water pipes expanding early and late in the day.

The walls of this small, windowless room were white tiled. A box of tissues was on the wall and a bin under the sink. On the sink was a bar of green hand soap. On the sink were 2 glasses. A couple of towels were on a metal shelf above the toilet. On the wall were 2 soap dispensers, one body & hair shampoo, the other liquid soap. I found the water from the basin tap not to be hot enough to shave with effectively. The shower heat was fine though, and the water pressure sufficiently powerful. One funny thing was that it would go temporarily cold when the temperature was adjusted. After a couple of minutes it seems to settle again, though.

Breakfast, which was served in the main restaurant area, is partly enclosed in the dinng area and spills out into the reception area. There were lots of tables of 4, but not many for 2 which I thought was a bit odd in a business hotel. I managed to get a table for 5 to myself so it wasn’t a problem.

There was a selection of fresh fruits and yoghurts. There were 4 or 5 cereals and mueslis to choose from. In Sweden they love to have cereals with yoghurt instead of milk. This takes some getting used to but I can quite recommend it. A selection of pates and meats was there to sate the local carnivore tendencies, as well as ham slices. There were several cheeses and some butter and margarine cartons next to them. Boiled and scrambled eggs were on offer. Some vegetables to go with your main selections included cucumber, tomato and red peppers. No Swedish hotel breakfast is complete without at least a bit of fish, and so here was the obligatory small “sill” pieces in sauces like tomato and mustard – cured, salted raw herring. I know what you’re thinking, but I love the stuff, especially “senap sill” – the one in mustard. I always get some at Ikea. The Swedes love their bread (though not as much as the Dutch but then again, who does) and so there was a decent selection of rye, brown and white rolls and loaves with big bread knives nearby. Also available was knäckebröd, which is Ryvita-like crispbread. There was also a toaster, amusingly titled “bread-roaster” if you directly translate from Swedish.

The reception area was pretty sizeable. Part of it also doubles as the bar. It was quite nicely set out, with a real wooden floor covered with some nice rugs. An LCD TV with an image of a fire was in one of the corners, along with some sofas and comfy chairs. Along with wood panelled walls, the overall feel was that of warmth, which I’m sure is exactly as intended for the long Swedish winters. To the right of the entrance was the restaurant, bar and breakfast area. This is quite a sparse space, with the gift shop near to the entrance. There is also access to O’Learys Sportsbar, which I didn’t go to, but I am familiar with the chain and the spicy chicken wings are famous across the city.

I didn’t use any of these, but they apparently also offer concierge, conference facilities, currency exchange, dry cleaning, fitness studio, garage, indoor pool, laundry service, limousine service, massage, room service, sauna and spa.

Overall, this was a very amenable hotel. The location is excellent, even taking into account my personal nostalgic angle. The facilities are reasonable and the room acceptable. This seems a decent recommendation for a hotel fairly close to the centre of town. Unfortunately (for you, anyway) I can’t comment on the price as this was a company rate.

First Hotel Amaranten,
Kungsholmsgatan 31,
104 20,
Stockholm
Sweden.

Telephone : +46 8 692 52 00
Fax : +46 8 652 62 48

Website : http://www.firsthotels.com/en/Our-hotels/Sweden/Stockholm/First-Hotel-Amaranten/Rooms/