A Copenhagen Classic Triumphantly Restored

The exceptionally elegant Hotel d’Angleterre has recently reopened following a spectacular two-year, $20 million renovation. The 250-year-old neoclassical building is ideally located on Kongens Nytorv (“The King’s New Square”), steps from the fashionable Strøget shopping street (home to the famous Illums Bolighus Danish design emporium).

A fine art collection includes an Andy Warhol silkscreen of 
Queen Margrethe II above the 
reception desk.

During the restoration, the number of rooms was reduced from 123 to 90, ceilings were raised to their original heights, and the reception area was opened to the street with the installation of large picture windows. We arrived to find a lobby overflowing with orchids, and a new and unusually attractive color palette of muted grays enlivened with purple and gold accents. The d’Angleterre boasts an exceptional art collection, the first evidence of which is an Andy Warhol silkscreen of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark hanging above the reception desk. The lobby is also embellished by a striking Winterhalter portrait of the young Queen Victoria.

After a brief guided tour of the hotel’s new facilities, we settled into our courtyard-facing Deluxe Junior Suite. (For the next four years, courtyard rooms will be preferable to those overlooking the square, as the Metro station in front of the hotel is under construction.) The room was the embodiment of understated elegance, with a plush champagne-colored carpet, a brocade love seat, an oval mahogany coffee table and a stylish writing desk. The spacious marble bath provided both a soaking tub and a separate rainfall shower. Floor-to-ceiling French doors opened onto a private balcony with a stained-glass atrium below.

After a drink in the new champagne bar, Balthazar, we headed to dinner at Marchal, which was recently awarded its first Michelin star. There, chef Ronny Emborg (formerly of noma and AOC) serves modern Nordic/French cuisine. We opted for fried turbot with dill, leek and cucumber, and poached scallops with spinach purée. Both were outstanding. The hotel’s most spectacular amenity is the 2,000-square-foot tile-and-marble pool, part of the new Amazing Space spa.

In Copenhagen, I also recommend the Nimb, an idiosyncratic 17-room boutique property within a century-old Moorish-style structure facing the Tivoli Gardens. However, the Hotel d’Angleterre is now unquestionably the city’s most stylish address.

AT A GLANCE

LIKE: The intimate atmosphere; the attention to detail; the refined décor; the excellent cuisine.

DISLIKE: Very little, aside from the price of our Junior Suite.

GOOD TO KNOW: The hotel is ideally located and within walking distance of superb shopping, fine restaurants and the picturesque Nyhavn Canal.

Hotel d’Angleterre 96 Deluxe Guest Room, from $685; Junior Suite, from $1,095. Kongens Nytorv 34, Copenhagen. Tel. (45) 33-12-00-95.