Kongens Nytorv / Nyhavn

Hotel Sanders

★★★★★

Hotel Sanders is the hotel that design lovers recommend to each other in Copenhagen, and it feels more like a private townhouse than a hotel. It occupies a building from 1869 on Tordenskjoldsgade, a quiet street behind the Royal Danish Theatre, a minute's walk from Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn, and it is owned and run by Alexander Kolpin, a former principal dancer of the Royal Danish Ballet, who brought a dancer's sense of theatre and hospitality to the project. The London-based studio Lind + Almond redesigned the building, and the result is a mix of cosy and modernist, contemporary and nostalgic: rich colours, rattan and leather, brass and wood, vintage pieces and lush fabrics, with moody lighting that makes the hotel especially seductive in the evening. There are 54 rooms and suites, ranging from compact but beautifully thought-out rooms to larger suites, and the Sanders Residence offers apartment-style stays for longer visits or families. The public spaces are the heart of the hotel and popular with locals. Tata, the cocktail bar, is a dark, intimate room with excellent drinks; Sanders Kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a relaxed brasserie style, and can be booked by non-guests; and on the roof, the Conservatory and terrace are a glasshouse bar and lounge with views over the rooftops. The hotel holds one Michelin Key and is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Rates are at the top of the market, and the smallest rooms are genuinely small, so choose your category carefully. The location could hardly be better for a first visit: Nyhavn, Kongens Nytorv, Stroget, Amalienborg and the canal tours are all within a few minutes' walk.

The style is the point. Sanders was conceived as the kind of place where you would want to spend an evening even if you were not staying, and it succeeds: the lobby, bars and kitchen are full of life, but upstairs the rooms are calm, with deep beds, good linens, thoughtful details and well-finished bathrooms. The staff are known for a relaxed, personal welcome that matches the residential feel.

Eating and drinking: breakfast at Sanders Kitchen is a highlight, with Danish breads and pastries and cooked dishes, and the kitchen stays busy at lunch and dinner. Tata is one of the best hotel bars in the city for a cocktail before or after the theatre. The rooftop Conservatory, under glass, is a lovely place for a drink in the light evenings of summer and a cosy retreat in winter.

Who it suits: couples, solo travellers and design lovers who want a small, characterful hotel in the most central location, close to Nyhavn and the Royal Theatre. Families can consider the Residence for space. Travellers who want a pool, a spa or large rooms at this price should look at Nimb or Villa Copenhagen instead. Book well ahead for summer and the Christmas season, when the small number of rooms fills quickly, and ask for a higher floor if you want more light and a view over the rooftops of the old town.