Hotel Ibsens

The hotel is situated on the corner of Vendersgade and Nansengade, which is a trendy little street with a handful of bars and shops. It's not the hippest place in town, but it is pleasant. The city centre is a 10 minute walk away, so don't be tempted to take a taxi as it will set you back almost 100 Danish Krones (£12) for a four-minute ride. The nearest metro station is Norreport, which goes to the airport (takes approximately 20 minutes). The hotel is five minutes away from some of the city's lakes, which is picturesque if you are looking for typical Copenhagen away from the tourists.

The hotel is part of Brochner Hotels, which also includes some of the city's funkiest hotels: Hotel Fox, Hotel Kong Arthur and Hotel Danmark. The hotels have all been awarded the Green Key certificate for their environmental initiatives.

Ibsens was taken over by the Brochner Hotels, a family-run hotel collection, in 1997. The hotel underwent a complete refurbishment, although like many hotels in Copenhagen, it is located in a listed building, meaning that there are a few features that could not be inputted like double glazing (cold in the winter and can be a bit noisy when the locals are on the street outside the bars nearby), but it also means that the hotel has a certain charm. It feels like a large house, with the original floorboards hiding under thick carpets that still creak under your every step. The suites are also absolutely fantastic with their original bay windows. The hotel is very small and doesn't have much in terms of facilities. The reception desk turns into the breakfast bar further along, so the lobby area and the breakfast room are one, which is strange at first. The staff is friendly and efficient, true to Danish pragmatism. The breakfast room looks like a trendy bookshop's coffee shop-cum-art gallery with its thick colourful plastic chairs and tables and artwork. There is a separate small room for a large group with shelves stocked full of Lonely Planet guides and other travel-related literature. The breakfast room looks like something out of a Scandinavian home ware catalogue and is comfortable. The only problem here is that there isn't enough room for all the guests at once when the hotel is full, meaning that it gets very busy and you may have to wait a while before sitting down to breakfast. The hotel does not serve lunch or dinner, but two restaurants adjoin the hotel on both sides, a Spanish and an Italian. Upstairs you will find the rooms spread over 6 floors. You will see the hotel's Art Deco red neon 'Hotel' sign hanging outside, which sets the scene for something that may not have a lot to offer in terms of amenities, but which looks great and is comfortable for a reasonable price, despite some aspects lacking in ergonomics. The hotel has bikes for rent and Wi-fi access is free throughout the hotel. You will also find safes at reception (free).

There are 118 rooms split into five categories: small single, G room (small double), standard double, double standard and a junior suite. Rooms vary greatly in shape and size due to the untouchable original structure of the building. The average room size is 30 sq metres. The smaller rooms are tiny but if it's just to sleep, then they are great value. All the rooms look fantastic. Minimalist lines crossed with a retro edge give the rooms that Scandinavian design feel you may be looking for by coming here. If you have a bit more of a budget then we recommend staying in a junior suite. The original building's structure is most evident here - the rooms are on the corners of the building and are laid out in an octagonal shape with large windows on three of the room's sides. Light and bright, the rooms feel extremely cosy despite their clean lines. There is something homely about these rooms. As the building is listed, putting in double-glazing was not possible; noise from the streets is audible. The surroundings are fairly quiet although the noise level tends to increase on summer evenings when people are outside bars in the street, so try to grab yourself a room that is higher up rather than on the lower floors. What's more, the windows open fully - you won't find any of those windows glued shut for your own safety business here.

The highly-aesthetic look of the rooms will hit and please you. Black and grey desks, low-lying chairs and poufs, white walls laced with a touch of fluorescent green, yellow or blue, makes this contemporary design extremely soothing and pleasing to the eye. The beds are comfortable, although like in most Copenhagen hotels, expect the double to be made up of two separate mattresses and duvets!!. Strange at first, but at least your partner won't go stealing your bit of duvet in the night!

The bathrooms are a lot larger than they need to be and feel slightly out of place as they look like slightly old-fashioned in the style of tiles and general look. Junior suites have a bathtub as well as a separate shower. You won't find any cute toiletries to take home with you as they are a thing of the past when it comes to protecting the environment. This does mean that the soap dispensers on the walls wash hands, body and hair, so if you are fond of your hair conditioner; make sure you pack some with you. Don't pack too much with you in terms of clothes though as apart from a few hangers there is no wardrobe space. There is no mini bar.

The trendy breakfast bar is a lovely place to sit and have a coffee and sandwich but it gets too crowded, as it isn't really big enough to accommodate all the guests at once when the hotel is full. It also runs off the reception area meaning that it can feel a lot busier than it actually is. Also having to weave in and out of crowds of queuing to check out isn't the best of sights when you are just waking up. Breakfast runs until 11:30am for late-sleepers and is served as a buffet of light grab-and-go muesli, sandwiches and juices as well as red berry smoothie (free for children up to 5 years old). Otherwise the hotel itself doesn't serve lunch and dinner, but there are two restaurants adjoined to either side of the hotel, a Spanish, 'Pinxtos' (open 12:00pm-11:00pm and from 5:00pm on Sundays) and an Italian, 'La Rocca', (open 12:00pm-11:00pm everyday), which don't come cheap, but which are practical if you don't feel like traipsing back into town for something to eat.