Summer news from Visit Sweden

Visit Sweden 22 May 2009

With a host of new exciting hotels and spas opening up and highly acclaimed Swedish productions set for international release, there has never been a better time to visit Sweden and to experience its culture. There's something for all tastes, whether you're looking for a stylish new Design Hotel, the world's fastest floating sauna or a B&B run by one of Sweden's foremost orgasm teachers.

New hotels and spas

Opened in March 2009 and offering unique, stylish accommodation, The Story Hotel  (www.storyhotels.com) provides a combination of design and innovation in beautiful downtown Stockholm. Bohemian-chic inspired, the hotel boasts twelve different room types to suit all tastes and budgets, ranging from the 'super-squeeze' for one-night stopovers to the 'Lily Dam Suite' for something extra special. The bar and restaurant have a sublimely Parisian, jazzy atmosphere, providing the perfect place to unwind with a cocktail or party late into the night with the resident weekend DJ - already a popular hangout with fashionable locals. Rooms are available from 890 SEK (approximately £75) per night.

Hotel Skeppsholmen  (www.hotelskeppsholmen.com) will provide an urban oasis in the heart of vibrant Stockholm when it opens in autumn 2009. Situated on the islet of Skeppsholmen and neighbouring the Museum Of Modern Art and the National Museum of Architecture, it was originally built in 1699 to house the Royal Marines of Karl XII and has been carefully converted into a hotel by award-winning designer and architect trio Claesson Koivisto Rune. A member of Design Hotels, it will boast an inspirational mix of stylish, modern design and historical features such as original wooden floors and beautiful, large windows. The artistic theme uniting the hotel and its facilities is 'fog' to reflect the surrounding waters and the building's marine past and to evoke an atmosphere of contemplation often associated with this natural phenomenon. There will be 81 rooms in total and prices have not yet been confirmed.

Venusgarden B&B (www.venusgarden.se) is the life's work of one of Sweden's leading orgasm coaches, Ylva Franzen and husband Ake Fridell. Recently renovated, the new 'country house love rooms' make the latest addition to this romantic retreat in the sweeping fields of Skane in southern Sweden. The three exceptionally cosy hideaways, named Venus, Tao and Karmasutra, come with everything you need for a romantic break from king size beds to erotic kits and love drinks containing Viagra! Should you choose to venture out, you are minutes from a string of sandy beaches, secret swimming coves, the rolling hills of Hammar and charming little cafes; or for those wishing to explore a little further a field, the bridge to Denmark is just a thirty minute drive. Love rooms are available from 1500SEK (approximately £122) per night including breakfast.

Sweden's first floating hotel Salt and Sill (www.saltosill.se) has attracted visitors from all over the world since it opened on the island of Klädesholmen in West Sweden in October 2008. Work is currently underway on a miniature copy of the hotel, designed to be the world's fastest floating sauna, which will be ready to depart in June 2009. Built over two floors atop a catamaran, it will offer a new way for visitors to experience the beauty of the Bohuslän coast with its archipelago of 3,000 islands. It will also provide the perfect venue for those seeking an alternative conference facility, wedding suite or exhibition hall. Rooms are available at Salt and Sill from 1280 SEK (approximately £105) per night. Tariffs for the new floating sauna have not yet been confirmed. For more information on West Sweden visit www.westsweden.com.

Set in a nature reserve and neighbouring Sweden's only marine conservation area, the Vann Spa Hotel (www.vann.se) is perfectly located for a secluded spa retreat. Having opened in March 2009 in the idyllic town of Lysekil, just an hour north of Gothenburg in West Sweden, it takes inspiration from the surrounding coastal environment. Beautiful heartwood pine and local Bohuslän granite have been incorporated throughout ensuring the hotel blends seamlessly with the environment both inside and out. No two rooms in the spa are the same and they are designed with effortless relaxation in mind. With six pools and tubs, three kinds of sauna, a wide range of treatment and exercise options and a magnificent fjord just outside, guests are truly spoilt for choice. A double room with breakfast, admission to the spa and a 60-minute treatment of your choice is available from 1985 SEK (approximately £163).

Late 2009 will see the spectacular Grand Hôtel (www.grandhotel.se) in Stockholm open an exclusive new spa. In collaboration with international spa consultancy Raison d'Etre, the indulgent spa experience is being created in the Burmanska Palace section of the hotel. The Grand Hôtel is Scandinavia's leading hotel boasting unique, elegant interior, five-star service and Michelin-starred dining in the heart of Stockholm.  Double rooms are available from 3165 SEK (approximately £260) per night.

As seen on screen...

Wallander wins Best Drama Series at the recent TV BAFTA Awards
The BBC Wallander series starring Kenneth Branagh as a Swedish detective which aired in the UK in November 2008, was awarded a BAFTA for Best Drama Series at the awards ceremony on 26 April 2009. Fans of the series can get guided tours of Ystad where the series was filmed, showing them where the characters of the books are based or book a Wallander Break which includes accommodation, dinner and refreshments in well-known Wallander settings from SEK 810 (approximately £68) per person, per night. To book a Wallander tour or break visit www.skane.com.

Also gaining critical acclaim is the Swedish feature film Let the Right One In, a beautifully shot vampire movie set in Stockholm, which is based on the best selling book by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist. And the pending release of the first of Stieg Larsson's 'Millennium' trilogy (also set in Stockholm) as an international film and TV series means there has never been so much attention on the Swedish arts.

Set in the artistic neighbourhood of Sodermalm in Stockholm, the international release of the first Millennium trilogy film and TV series will be broadcast later this year. A firm favourite on the best seller lists across Europe and the US, the trilogy tells the story of journalist Mikael Blomkvist and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. Fans can delve further into Steig Larsson's world with a guided tour of historical Stockholm taking in the key points of reference from his book, or buy the Millennium map from the city museum and explore the city at their own pace. The new tours run every Saturday at 12 noon in English and cost approximately £8 per person. For more information visit www.stadmuseum.stockholm.se.

Green Sweden

Stockholm: Environmental Capital
In 2010 Stockholm will become the first official Environmental Capital in Europe. The European Commission prize has just been awarded in recognition of Stockholm's excellence and forward thinking in providing an environmentally friendly cityscape (www.stockholmtown.com). The city has an astounding record of environmental improvements and innovation, succeeding in reducing carbon emissions by over 25% since 1990, and plans are underway to be entirely without fossil fuels by 2050.

Kosterhavet Marine National Park
Due to be named as an official National Park from autumn 2009, Kosterhavet (www.west-sweden.com) on the west coast of Sweden will be the country's first official Marine National  Park; the highest level of protection that can be afforded to a natural area in Sweden. Influenced by the Atlantic, the marine environment includes over 6,000 species and habitats; over 2000 of which are found nowhere else in Sweden. Out of the water, the islands of the exposed archipelago are also nesting areas for rare seabirds and home to Sweden's largest population of harbour seals. The National Park is under continual development with scientists, local authorities, community groups and local fisherman in order to protect and develop the area for future generations and to enable people to continue to visit, experience and learn about Swedish nature.

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