PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

This is the leading hotel, and by far the most intriguing place to stay, on the rapidly gentrifying island of Södermalm. In many ways, it's our favorite hotel in Stockholm. Originally opened in 1937, this hotel-cafe-bakery-cinema received a new lease on life in 2002, via funding by former ABBA member Benny Andersson, whose very association with the place seems to permeate it with a rich sense of music-industry hipness. It was conceived in direct contrast to the Grand Hotel, a grande dame that clings to the haute bourgeoisie of imperial Sweden. The Rival might almost be defined as a sprawling series of nightclubs, bistros, and entertainment lounges, on top of which a network of bedrooms is available for whatever rock star or rock-star wannabe happens to be in residence in Stockholm at the time. Its location beside a verdant square, the Mariatorget, where boules and boccia tournaments sprout up animatedly every evening in summertime, brings it directly into contact with the nerve center of its neighborhood. Staff is young and hip; public areas witness heavy traffic as nightlife venues in their own right, and bedrooms are partially wood-sheathed, loaded with the electronic equipment you'd need to play CDs or DVDs. Overall, this hotel generates a lot of excitement in Stockholm. Because of the tie-in with ABBA, you'll find a CD of the group's favorite hits in every room. Breakfast buffets, served in a sun-flooded, second-floor room that doubles as the hotel's bistro at lunch and dinner, are appealingly lavish, with wide choices of traditional Swedish food. The more animated, close-to-the-action bedrooms open onto the Mariatorget -- one of Stockholm's loveliest squares. Quieter ones front a rather uninspired courtyard. The separately recommended on-site Bistro is a trendy place to dine on Södermalm, and the Cocktail Bar is a seductive place to have a drink.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Sweden, 6th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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