Copenhagen is EXPENSIVE (like most of the Nordic Countries) so when it came to finding a hotel there, we had to really balance quality, location and price. We headed to Phoenix Copenhagen a night before our cruise so we could really have the day to enjoy the city (a lesson learned from our last cruise where we just went straight to the port!) because we wanted a central location with easy access to transit. We were also at a disadvantage because several cruise ships were leaving port that weekend so ALL of the hotels were jacking up their prices. On a normal weekend in Copenhagen, a nice hotel will run you around $150 a night — when we looked at hotels, it was either $150 a night for a dinky hotel in a less convenient location, or $250-$400 a night for a nice hotel in a nice location. BUMMER!
Two of us independently searched for a hotel that met our needs and price point and both came to the conclusion that the Phoenix Copenhagen hotel was where it was at. (Let it also be known we do not do Air BnB after a few bad stories and bad experiences, but that it is always an option if you are trying to stay on a tighter budget). As I am writing this post, I definitely found some other nice hotels at a lower price-point but for our weekend, this was what we were able to find (at the lower end of that price range).
The hotel was perfectly centered between the airport and the cruise terminal. We took the metro from the airport and then had a 5-7 minute walk to the hotel. It was really easy to navigate, but rolling several suitcases down a cobblestone road is never an easy thing. I would take the metro next time but then hop in a cab for that last little leg to save the annoyance and the suitcase wheels. We ended up taking a taxi to the cruise terminal.
I have to say, the hotel matches their online photos to a tee — although you may miss in some of them just how SMALL some of the rooms are. True to European style, they can fit a queen size bed in a room that American hotels would use as a closet. We lucked out and ended up with a really spacious room overlooking the street but my dad and his wife started in a super small room without air conditioning at first (although it had a gorgeous chandelier) and then were moved to an equally small, but cooler (aka had AC) room.
Like I said though, we had a pretty spacious room by any standards! The bed was comfortable but interestingly enough, it was essentially just a box spring with a pillow top cover. The room we booked came with breakfast (a must for every hotel I book) where we could have a nice European breakfast and some Danish pastries!
We didn’t eat at any of the hotel restaurants, although they had several and they all had nice reviews, but we did stop at the bar for a drink. We like to check out the different cocktail menus at different hotels we stay at. A lot of times nicer or older hotels will have bar tenders that have been around for a while and really know what they are doing.
Heading to Copenhagen? You won’t be upset with a stay at Phoenix but if you’re looking elsewhere, take a look at Wakeup Copenhagen & Hotel Skt Annae.
Xx
Kali