2008-09-21

Not Quite B&B in Stockholm

Hotels in Scandinavia are expensive, that goes without saying. Hostels are a bit cheaper, but they can be hit or miss, or most likely – fully booked. And while renting out private apartments, or rooms in private apartments to tourists, is not as popular as, let’s say in France, if you’re willing to give it a shot, you could save a considerable amount of money. And if you’re traveling in Sweden, then money will be on your mind a lot.

One place that I always try before I start looking for a hotel is Gästrummet in Stockholm. “Gästrummet” means a “guest room” in Swedish, but the service offers much more than that. Run by the lovely Birgitta, who is fast, efficient, and very professional, Gästrummet lists a variety of properties in Stockholm (and now also in Copenhagen, Rome and Madeira) offering a B&B type of stay. You can either rent a room in an apartment, or a whole apartment, depending on what your needs are.

And the best part? The prices! They’re reasonable. And the apartments? They’re located in trendy, hip areas where visitors want to be.

Even though the service labels itself as a B&B, breakfast may or may not be included. It never is for the apartments I choose. But at those prices, really, who can complain?

My favorite Gästrummet property is the lovely apartment in Gamla Stan (Old Town) in Stockholm on Kornhamnstorg. On the fifth floor in an ancient building, the apartment is small, but still bigger than any hotel room you could find for that price in the same area. And it has a jacuzzi style bathtub! Now, try to find a hotel room in Gamla Stan for the same price (1350 SEK for one or two people) with a view over the rooftops of the Old Town, crawling distance to the subway, and yes, with a jacuzzi bathtub!

The apartment I’m describing is on the top floor of this lovely building in the middle.

If you want to book just a single room in an apartment shared with a host, or another guest, prices start at around 400 SEK per person.

While Gästrummet may list fewer properties than other services of this type, it makes up for it with the quality of the accommodations it offers. Many of the owners are very well informed about cultural events, know how to get tickets to special events, exhibits, etc.

Ok, so what’s the catch? You have to book for 2 nights minimum, and if you call, your call will go to voicemail. It’s much easier to communicate with them via email. Oh, and if you smoke, you’re out of luck. All of their properties are strictly non-smoking.