Hotel Skeppsholmen

The uninitiated traveler most likely imagines Stockholm’s boutique hotel scene to be a haven of modern minimalist design. Those with a finger on the Scandinavian pulse, however, would know to expect a deep vein of cozy, almost rustic tradition. When it comes to the Hotel Skeppsholmen they’d both be right.

Look at the close-ups and you see modern design that’s cleaner than clean, but zoom out and you’ll notice the setting: a pair of classic buildings, dating back to 1699, located on the island of Skeppsholmen, a peaceful little island literally surrounded by the city of Stockholm — a window into the maritime side of the city. It’s a short walk over the bridge and into the city center, but on the island it’s uncannily quiet.

Remarkably few of the landmark houses’ details have been altered — their age made the restoration particularly sensitive, and where some hoteliers might have torn them down to the studs, here the redesign is essentially a triumph of interior decoration, a testament to the impact of some well-chosen furnishings and finishes.

The restaurant is stylish in a playful and sunny sort of way, and the bar is chic but not too desperately hip. For while the Skeppsholmen bills itself as an urban oasis, it’s not a hideaway, or a hermitage — this is one oasis the locals are happy to visit, whether for dinner or for the Swedish tradition of mid-afternoon coffee and cakes.