Stockholm Lodging - Anyone stayed in Hotel Esplande?

Not yet, but I'll be staying there soon.

I had read the same about street noise, but decided to stay there based on location, and I'm using points for half my nights. I am expecting to have two different rooms during my stay: one facing the main street and one that isn't. If that is the case, I may even be able to give you a comparison.

When is your stay in Stockholm?

We are flying in from CA arriving Sept 4, 2024 for 5 nights, departing Monday Sept 9th.

Why are you planning to change rooms while you are there? I will look forward to your report on the hotel! I requested a room in the back (courtyard view) messaging the front desk thru booking.com. They said the could accommodate. I booked the room because of the location too.

I've never stayed there myself. And while Strandvägen is a large street, I would not call it the main street. I would not be too worried about traffic noise though, especially if you have a courtyard facing room.

The biggest source of "noise" next to the hotel is probably the parade for the changing of the guards that walks past the hotel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHmyeWVX2b8

I stayed there in 2021 and it is indeed a great location for tourists. Make sure to visit Svenskt Tenn, which is more or less next door. As for noise, we had a room facing the courtyard (not directly on the street, but courtyard is open to the road so not completely protected) and we did notice some noise, mostly from cars in the evenings (revving engines, that kind of thing). It was mainly noticeable when we had the windows open and didn't bother us while sleeping.

As for the hotel itself, the rooms were very spacious but slightly tired-feeling, and just a heads up that our bathroom was VERY small (think river cruise if you have been on one of those). The beds were comfortable and we slept well. There is a nice lounge upstairs that has comfy couches where you can sit and read or have a coffee too. Breakfast was good, lots of options with typical Scandinavian buffet style. Hopefully you noticed, but you should be aware there is no elevator in the hotel (they will help with bags if necessary).

The whole place has an old-fashioned style and ambiance which you may either find charming/characterful or dowdy and impractical. More of a "pension" feeling than boutique hotel. I got the feeling that many people love it or hate it...but there seemed to be a lot of repeat guests. We got a good deal in 2021 and it was nice to be so close to everything in Stockholm, but we haven't stayed there again (we visit Stockholm at least 2x a year to visit family). Let me know if any other questions and I'll try to answer!

Why are you planning to change rooms while you are there?
I am using points for a few of my nights. With the "savings" I am splurging on an upgraded room for the remainder of my stay. I've made a note to report back after my stay.

Thanks, Badger, it seems I may be able to watch the changing of the guards when I move to my upgraded room.

Hopper18, I appreciate the insights and look forward to the "charm and character" :-) I'm glad to know they will help with bags as I won't be able to pack as light for this trip as I usually do.

Thank you for helpful responses. I like the idea of a older hotel and pension. We are traveling light with backpacks so stairs not an issue. I hope we also get to see the parade! Great video.

Thanks, Badger, it seems I may be able to watch the changing of the
guards when I move to my upgraded room.

Not from your room, the changing of the guards takes place at the palace. But the new soldiers march to the palace with a military band. The normal marching route starts at the Army museum and goes via Artillerigatan and Strandvägen to the palace. But there are exceptions. E.g. when the parade is mounted, it starts at the old cavalry barracks on Lidingövägen instead.

Thanks, Badger, of course you're right. I meant the parade route, not the actual changing of the guards. Thanks for that.

I also traced the currently listed streets on the route from the Army Museum. The foot guard turns the corner onto Strandvagen after the location of Hotel Esplanade: so it passes near the hotel, but not in front of it.

betsyjaney, I've just spent the first night in my single room at Hotel Esplanade. I am a light sleeper and I slept very well, with no noticeable road noise. (It was cool and I had the window shut.) My single room faces the side street, not the courtyard.

This morning, as traffic begins to increase at 8am and with the windows closed, I can just hear the cars go by, and the recycling truck idling at the corner. The occasional truck this morning is more noticeable, but still somewhat muted.

Basically, I'm happy to have the street view, and not kicking myself because of the noise. I would imagine the courtyard rooms will be a little bit quieter. I'll try to sneak a peek if one of the rooms is being cleaned over the next few days.

hopper18 wrote a very good description of the hotel. I'll add a comment about finding the property, as I had to make a few passes on the street before realizing that the "front" door does not face the main road. It faces the "courtyard" of the parking lot. The opening to the courtyard parking lot and the hotel is an enormous iron fence and gate. Go through that opening and the "front door" is on the left.

Hence the courtyard rooms may still have light car traffic and perhaps even a bit of noise from the main road. But my room is no different in that regard and I'm not sure I'm hearing any cars except those on this side road.

On that point, I'm pretty far down the corridor, so further from the main road.

For the full sound effect, I've just opened the window. It's 815am and the street traffic is occasional, not constant. It's not like New York City, with honking. I'm surprised that I'm not hearing trams and buses on the main road. I did hear 2 horses clopping by! And loads of bicycles.

If you like to sleep with windows open, you may begin to hear some traffic in the morning. But even now, on this side street, it's light background noise with the exception of the occasional small truck and another pair of horses.

I'll give another report after I change rooms in a few days to a room opening onto the main road on a busy Kultur Festival weekend!!

One thing you won't hear from your "courtyard" room is the truck idling on the street just under my window. With the window open, I could have tossed an orange onto his window screen. With the window closed, the truck sounds like my washing machine running in the other room.

Neither of those runs at night ;-)

Ah, he's turned off his engine and I can hear another horse clopping by.

Thanks for coming back and updating us!

CWsocial - wow! Amazing updated descriptions and such a nice surprise to read your experiences with the hotel rooms. I’ll look forward to hearing about the “main” street room too. And the festival!

As we get closer to our trip I’ve been checking reviews for the hotel on booking.com and other sites and all have been excellent to highly rated. I know that nothing is perfect but I get excited about where we are staying and your review adds another reason for me to feel “ok” about our lodging. (And good tip about the front door.)

Thank you again and I look forward to future reviews! Have fun!

Thanks for the updates and glad my description held up :)

I'll also mention that the curtains are not quite blackout, but they are floor to nearly ceiling and close fully. I can tell it's daytime with them fully closed, but it's a soft, almost pleasant glow in the middle of the day.

I don't think there is AC, but neither is the sun pounding through the window. And there's been a light breeze. Again, we'll see what that's like on the sunny, front side of the building.

It's 1042pm and my window is open as an experiment. There's an occasional car on the main road, 1 honk, a bit later a bell clang, and a guy on his phone maybe?

Honestly, the cars sound like ocean waves.... is it possible that the roads are so smooth that there is less road noise?

Experiment continues, window staying open.

Wonderful! What a nice thing to keep us updated. How’s the service and overall feel of the hotel? Did you try the sauna?

Finally, would you return if business or tourism brought you back to Stockholm?

Whoever checks back for info on Hotel Esplanade for future tips will find this an excellent resource too.

I heard 2 cars go by during the night, perhaps I slept through any others. Obviously, any street noise did not wake me up and I am the lightest of sleepers.

By 7am, when I went down to breakfast, I was not hearing any increase in street traffic.

This is the single room I paid for using points. I'll be in a room facing Strandvagen in a couple of nights. That will be during the Kultur Festival and may be an entirely different thing!

The hotel is sold out for this week's Kultur Festival. To manage the breakfast room, the staff ask guests to sign up for 30 minute time slots, honor system only.

During my first thing 7am slot, there have been 3 or 4 tables taken, the rest empty. I haven't been around later.

ETA still here at the 730 time slot and only 3 tables are taken, of the 15 or more. I think it will be more full for the weekend.

Breakfast is buffet, with warm croissants, yogurt, fresh berry mix, meats, cheeses, veg slices, cereals and a custom coffee machine.

In a pretty little room off reception.

Did you try the sauna?

I'm afraid I am not a fan, so I haven't tried it. I prefer to avoid hot and humid :-)

There's a common room upstairs for guests. It has a small balcony with a table and 2 chairs to enjoy a drink and the harbor view. A well spoken (and well mannered) British family took their turn and then kindly relinquished it for others. Really thoughtful.

From that balcony, I could see those of the front rooms. They are full on, dreamy harbor views. And full on for whatever noise there may be. I knew that when I signed up. Those nights are my treat to myself!

Finally, would you return if business or tourism brought you back to Stockholm

I tend to return to hotels that have served me well. So far, if I were to return, yes I would stay here again.

In part, because it's a Best Western where I get points during my domestic stays. Now I'll have somewhere to earn towards!

How’s the service and overall feel of the hotel?

Very kind and friendly. At checkin, the lady at reception showed me all around the hotel and offered to carry my bag up the round staircase. I declined... I'm not traveling light for this trip plus a wedding.

For those who want contemporary, this isn't the place. For an art nouveau stay, complete with creaky floorboards and period decor with a Swedish design element, it's lovely.

Sounds like a wonderful stay. I’ll be there in less than three weeks. You have been kind and generous in reporting your details. Thank you!

I just did a little snooping. I could tell there are 2 corridors of rooms. I could see that the outside rooms in each corridor face the side street and the courtyard parking lot. By pulling open some mysterious doors, I discovered that the inside rooms on each corridor face an inside courtyard: no parking lot and presumably no traffic noise.

So the least noise will likely be those interior rooms facing a rather drab inner courtyard, looking across to the other interior rooms.

I'm impressed by your research and dedication CWsocial! It's a great hotel review!

I don't know if the streets are smoother in Stockholm than in other places, but car noise depends a lot on speed and the speed limit in the area is 40 km/h.

I'm in my new room with balcony at the Hotel Esplanade, a treat to myself for a few nights.

I love coming up to the room and enjoying the view from the little balcony of the tourists on the harbor promenade. The fresh breeze off the water is wonderful. I'm even enjoying the noise of cars and buses, and the occasional clang clang of the trams.

When I close the door and windows, the traffic sounds like infrequent ocean waves. And I've actually been leaving a window open. I must be wearing myself out during the day and sleeping through any noise, most of which drops off at night.

I do miss the clip clop of the horse guards from my prior single room on the side street.

For those who don't want to risk the noise, the common lounge area has the exact same balcony, which you can enjoy without paying for an upgraded room. As long as someone else isn't out there.... there's only space for 2 guests.

ETA: it's Sunday night, 1030pm. School starts this week, the Kultur Festival has ended, and the traffic is a trickle.

Thank you CWSocial, for this lovely and entertaining review, replete with investigations worthy of Inspector Clouseau, cling clanging trams and clop clopping early morning horses. Hotel Esplanade sounds like an art nouveau treat, and we will all keep an eye on it from now on.

Glad I could inform, and entertain!

It was an easy commute this morning from the hotel back to Stockholm Centrale on Bus 69, which stops just a block away. The hotel is very transit friendly.

For a fashionable lunch, try the cafe at Svenskt Tenn in the next block. I got that delightful recommendation from an Uppsala local.

Wow, CWSocial, So kind of you to explore the hotel so well... and it was fun to read!

And if anyone is interested in what the biggest source of "noise" outside the hotel might be: https://youtu.be/RJLEFMtzT10?si=gp07VWRaDTrTwS8Y&t=187

Awesome, badger. Thanks for your detailed review CWsocial ! I saw the words "art nouveau" and swooned.

I’ll be staying there for 5 nights on October 5th. I’ll hopefully be able to add to the review too.

Haha too funny. I remembered CWSocial's review, and since I was down at this end of town, came to check it out. I am sitting on a bench in front of the front door in the courtyard re-reading the thread and understanding the orientation better now. And now I just read BetsyJaney is staying here right now !!

Kim, I love that you stopped in to have a look! Too funny that it happened to be during betsyjaney's visit.

I hope you're both enjoying Stockholm!

Hello! Writing from one of the balconies in the Hotel Esplanade at 8:30 pm and thrilled to say so glad I made the decision to book 6 nights here.
So funny that Kim was just here today! (Small world - thank you Rick Steves forum!).
Upon check in Catrina (the night receptionist) knew I was concerned about noise so showed us two rooms. The street facing flroom with balcony, and a (larger) room facing the courtyard. We had an option to change if desired. We kept the street facing room.
As CWsocial said - with doors closed it is quiet.
I love that we have a view of the water and passerbys.

We used the sauna and it has a shower, toilet, and sink with privacy as it is reserved for personal use.

The breakfast was plentiful. All the usual things cold and hot. Coffee and tea 24 hrs. Available.

Rooms cleaned every day - beds soft and sheets comfy. Chairs and a couch to sit on in our room. Mini fridge and closest space, and a safe.

I would stay here again anytime.

Kim if you read this - we are in Stockholm until Friday morning. Recommendations for dinner appreciated.
We spent most of our month abroad in Norway and I want to return there too. Last 6 nights in Stockholm then we fly back on Oct 11.

Thanks all for keeping this thread going - it’s been fun. One last thing - we went by the Hotel Rival in Soldermalm which also comes highly recommended. It is a thriving and lovely neighborhood. Just a little further transit ride away from central city. I’m glad I choose Hotel Esplanade for the historic aspects, central location, and now I know - friendly staff and lovely rooms - and no need to worry about not being “quiet” enough to get a good nights sleep.

This is a wonderful and unusual chain of comments, each link enriching the tapestry. I will remember to let domestic friends in need and fellow international travellers experience its plentiful bounty.

betsyjaney, I'm so glad you are happy with your choice of the Hotel Esplanade and that you enjoyed the view of the water and the people passing on the promenade as much as I did!

Thanks all for keeping this thread going - it’s been fun.
I agree and I'm glad you started this thread. It has been fun contributing to, as Cherryplanter called it, the Hotel Esplanade tapestry!

I just stayed a couple of nights in a local Best Western, earning points for my next stay at Hotel Esplanade in Stockholm!

A restaurant recommendation near hotel Esplanade is the Glashuset on Strandvägen. We made reservations and ate there twice. There are views of the water, and it has a garden like ambiance and great food. We were there in September.

CW Social, you are so right! Continual visits will offer more of the same beloved destination. And continued investigations are bound to disclose more crucial facts. When the time is right consider a stay at Hotel Franz (1648). They are rumoured to serve the best breakfast in town. This of course bears further examination and a thorough inspection of the premises, before the veracity of such lofty claims can be fully ascertained. Perhaps the eleventh visit would not be too soon.