Suite Dreams: Stockholm's Grand Hotel

Story and image by Jeffery James Keyies

Stockholm, situated on fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea, is the gay capital of Scandinavia. In a city where everything is possible, there are plenty of beds and bathtubs to explore.

Just across from the Royal Palace, the Grand Hôtel Stockholm ascends like a king poised on his throne. The interiors (including the Hall of Mirrors and Winter Garden) are so elegant that they have been designated a “Swedish National Treasure”.

Staying at the Grand Hotel Stockholm is a vacation unto itself. Chef Mathias Dahlgren opened his famous restaurant, Mathias Dahlgren at the Grad Hotel in May of 2007. Two years later he received two Michelin stars and a coveted Matbaren one star. The Veranda restaurant is Stockholm’s classiest smörgåsbord. Be sure to sample the Grand Hotel’s own 1874 Grand Aquivat, flavored with cumin, aniseed, fennel, and squeeze of sherry.

After you’ve had your fill of Lingonberry sauce, venture up to your suite for your disco nap. If Nobel Prize recipients have booked up the Princess Lilian and Flag Suites, opt for an Executive Suite with a stunning view of the waterfront and Royal Palace. Get a glimpse of royalty as you sip a cup of hot tea and prepare for your first night on the town.

Start the night off right around the corner at Torget slide up to the DJ booth at Zipper Club, F12, or Patricia and shake your Swedish thing. Don’t stay out too late though, you’ve got the Vasa Museum and the Hallwyl Palace to visit in the morning.