Six hotels in Copenhagen have one thing in common: they all overlook Copenhagen's Inner Harbour, currently the site of a major building and restoration project designed to better integrate the harbour and city centre.
Copenhagen is one of the few European capitals fortunate enough to
be situated beside the sea, and is currently taking advantage of this
geographical advantage by revitalising its harbour and dock areas. For
Copenhageners the sea and harbour are a vital part of the city, and
most visitors to the Danish capital soon come to understand why,
particularly those who stay in a hotel on the waterfront. The hotels
that offer visitors to Copenhagen the added bonus of a harbour view
range from historic converted warehouses to newly-built hotels all
featuring spectacular views.
The Revitalisation of Copenhagen Harbour
Ambitious new cultural projects with a waterside location are
helping to integrate the inner Copenhagen Harbour with the rest of the
city. They include the Black Diamond that opened in 1999; the Opera House,
which opened in 2005; and the new House of Drama, which will follow in
2008. As well as these prominent centres of culture, several restored
and new buildings with private housing and offices also now share the
view of the harbour and have brought a new vitality to the waterfront.
Completing the picture are the harbour busses ?joining the dots?
between the main sites and hotels of Copenhagen?s waterfront.
The First Scandinavian Marriott Hotel
2001, saw the opening of the Copenhagen Marriott *****.
This is the first Marriott hotel to open in Scandinavia. Its modern,
395-room, eleven-storey building, is located close to the Central
Station and the Tivoli Gardens, and is only a 15-minute drive from the
airport. The hotel also has its own quay were one can catch regular
boats to Nyhavn and other popular sites along the waterfront.
The Copenhagen Island****
hotel is located on an artificial island in the middle of Copenhagen
harbour, adjacent to Fisketorvet shopping centre. The hotel, which is
designed by the architect Kim Utzon, offers 326 rooms and suites ? most
of which have view to the harbour ? and a restaurant. A bridge connects
the hotel to the promenade that stretches along the waterfront past the
neighbouring Copenhagen Marriott Hotel to the Black Diamond.
Restored Warehouses
The Copenhagen Strand*** opened in 2000 in one of the
city?s venerable old warehouses. Just across the water from the
historic Christianshavn quarter, the Copenhagen Strand has views to
another significant restored warehouse, the Architecture Centre Gammel Dok,
which is open to the public. The hotel has 174 rooms and is one of
eight hotels in the Copenhagen area that make up the Arp Hansen Hotel
Group.
Another is the 71 Nyhavn Hotel ****, located only few
blocks away in Nyhavn, the oldest part of Copenhagen Harbour. Historic
sailing ships are anchored up along the Nyhavn promenade, which is also
home to numerous restaurants and bars with outdoor service. 71 Nyhavn
has a charming, rustic style with stonewalls and floors, and offers a
total of 150 rooms.
Not far from Nyhavn is Copenhagen Admiral Hotel
****, a maritime hotel featuring 366 rooms with specially designed
furniture, conference facilities and a restaurant. The warehouse
building dates from the 1780s and recently underwent a restoration to
update the hotel?s facilities. Copenhagen Admiral Hotel is located just around the corner from the royal palace Amalienborg.
After undergoing a total and extensive refurbishment the former Sophie Amalie Hotel has changed its name to Hotel Front.
It has emerged as a charming life-style hotel, furnished in a modern
style, featuring the elements of nature: stone, wood and fire. It is
situated a few minutes walk from the Copenhagen waterfront next to the
new Copenhagen Play House (under construction) and with a view to the
Copenhagen Opera House.
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