Reviews of Victory Hotel, Stockholm, Sweden

Review of The Victory Hotel, by Daniel Scott

A similar friendliness pervades in this upmarket boutique hotel at the edge of Stockholm's Old Town, as does in its nearby smaller sister property, the Lord Nelson. That's not altogether surprising as it is owned by the same Bengtsson family and here, despite a greater range of facilities and comforts, the welcoming note from the Victory "crew" is just as personal.

It is this patient, accessible service that will continue to (forgive the pun) win the Victory both critical plaudits and plenty of repeat visits. During my pre-Christmas stay, a series of thoughtful touches made for an overall good impression. First, both reception and concierge combined to give an in-depth appraisal of the best local hostelries. Next, they and staff in the hotel's popular "Leijontornet" restaurant bent over backwards to find us a table so we could experience a traditional Swedish Christmas smorgasbord. Then, on leaving at some dreadful dark hour of the morning to catch our flight home, staff ensured that we had some breakfast, including freshly brewed hot coffee, waiting for us in the drawing room. Finally, when it was discovered, after we had left, that we had forgotten some things in the room, the Victory "crew" didn't wait for us to enquire about them but rang us at home asking whether we wanted them sent on.

The Victory is of course named after Lord Nelson's flagship and, with 45 rooms, is the largest of three similarly themed hotels in Gamla Stan. It is located just on the edge of Stockholm's main Old Town tourist trail on Lila Nygatan and housed in a building that dates originally from 1640. In fact, it rests on even older foundations, as evidenced by the portions of Stockholm's original city wall displayed in the basement and the restaurant. Fans of Stockholm's history also like to tell the story of the discovery of over 18,000 centuries-old silver coins and other objects secreted in the building, during a refurbishment in 1937.

The Victory Hotel's sense of history extends to its nautical décor. There are numerous maritime antiques, pictures and figureheads as well as ship models to be found throughout. An original letter from Horatio (Nelson) to Emma (Hamilton) stands proudly on display in the lobby. Each room takes its name from a noteworthy Swedish sea captain, and he is pictured outside with his ship, and in the case of the double-rooms, his wife. Inside the compact rooms there are more antiques, historic photographs and plenty of dark wooden beams and cupboards. Yet, somehow the welcome modern elements like the wall-mounted CD players, do not seem too incongruous. Beds are firm, snug and clad in white cotton and bathrooms small but bright, modern and fully-equipped.

Downstairs there is both an inviting sauna and plunge-pool area and the Leijontornet restaurant - one of Stockholm's finest for modern and traditional Swedish food. Here you can sit right beside a portion of the original city wall (the base of the "Lion tower" from which the restaurant gets its name) and savour some surprisingly delicate tastes. The fowl and game and the fresh Baltic seafood is particularly excellent. If you only thought there was one way to pickle or souse a herring, and that the results wouldn't be too edifying, Leijontornet will make you think again. On my visit, even a saffron risotto quickly knocked up for a vegetarian companion, earned top marks. The restaurant is also a festive and atmospheric place in which to experience the Swedish Christmas smorgasbord, along with tables full of schnapps-happy Stockholm office parties. Be sure to book ahead and don't eat for at least a day in preparation for the multiple cold and hot courses.

With its excellent "crew", good location and manageable size the Victory fulfils many of the requirements of a high-class tourist hotel, and, with its 15 room conference centre, also appeals to the business market. Whether the nautical theme is for you is a matter of taste. But you can certainly count on the Victory being a lot more comfortable than the ship after which it was named.