Best Of

I’ll offer some insight into hotels in Scandinavia (I have dual citizenship and have a family cottage in Denmark.)

The best advice I can offer is to have an open mind. If you go there with the notion of what “should be” based on American standards, you might be disappointed.

Most hotels in the large cities were not built as hotels. They typically are municipal buildings retrofitted into hotels. As such, rooms are small and lighting is not always modern. Whether a home, apartment, inn or hotel, Scandinavians take a minimalist approach to design with clean, simple lines. Efficiency is more important than luxury. The rooms are clean, however.

Sadly, many people think Scandinavians are unfriendly. Making an attempt to understand their culture will give you a more accurate understanding of their personalities. They are reserved and really do not take well to idle “chit chat” with strangers. It is considered rude to ask personal questions of someone you do not know. They are typically very direct and succinct in their conversations. This is especially true in the service industry. Their job is to provide a service, not to befriend you. The Danes especially like their personal space and some are not very tolerant of people encroaching upon their space. They will tolerate it but you might be glared at if you don’t back off.

I admit to being biased but Scandinavia is a fabulous region to visit. All three countries are very different insofar as topography but share many norms and cultural aspects.

Finally. for those who have visited Karen Blixen’s plantation in Africa, her childhood home and museum is just a short train ride north of København. She—birth name Karen Christenze Dinesen—returned home after leaving Africa and is buried in a beautiful garden setting in the adjacent park.