Copenhagen’s most iconic hotel has an origin story akin to a fairy tale. In 1755, Jean Marchal, a young French servant to the Danish Court, fell for Maria Coppy, daughter of the royal chef. In addition to their passion for each other, they also shared a love of the culinary arts, so with the King’s blessing, they established a restaurant that would eventually evolve into the hotel d’Angleterre we know today.
The building has expanded significantly since then, with its current iteration designed in the 1870s by the celebrated Historicist architect Jens Vilhelm Dahlerup. What remains unchanged is the d’Angleterre’s prime location on Kongens Nytorv Square, overlooking the ornate Danish Royal Theatre and the city’s iconic Nyhavn waterfront.
Beyond the location, a strong sense of place emerges in the lobby, where guests are greeted with a large-scale model of the hotel that has been constructed using LEGO bricks; this is gazed over by an original Andy Warhol silkscreen portrait of Queen Margrethe II. You are then presented with liquorice candy, a more acquired taste, before being personally escorted to one of the individually decorated 92 rooms and suites.
Danish art and design accents are present in all the rooms (d’Angleterre)
Danish art and design accents are present in all the rooms, with contemporary paintings gracing the walls of each alongside Bang & Olufsen screens and sound systems. The royal suite even comes with its own collection of Flora Danica porcelain; guests inspired by its designs can venture to the Royal Copenhagen porcelain flagship store just steps away on the Strøget pedestrian shopping street.
After exploring the cultural and culinary delights that the capital has to offer, visitors can take a dip in the only indoor pool in central Copenhagen, complete with a sauna, steam room and on-site Nordic spa by Amazing Space, which focuses on sustainably sourced, natural ingredients.
The previous absence of spa facilities didn’t deter HC Andersen from becoming a regular at the d’Angleterre, having stayed dozens of times while visiting Copenhagen. He was reputedly afraid of being trapped in a building fire, which is why he always stayed on the ground floor. His former suite now hosts the hotel’s superb, Michelin-starred Marchal restaurant. Even the hotel mascot, D’UCKLY, is inspired by the author’s fairy tales, and guests will often find a stuffed-toy version waiting on their bed the night before they depart.
Book information: Rooms from around £550 per night; dangleterre.com
