TRAVELLER

Copenhagen HATC Traveller

It's a rather abrupt 4 am wake-up call as I reach for my alarm. Today, we venture abroad for a short but sweet city break to Copenhagen, Denmark's capital. As we say goodbye to the Christmas period and wave hello to the January blues, it was the perfect time to take advantage of a little city break.

As I drag myself out of bed, I remind myself how long I've wanted to visit Copenhagen, one of the top cities on my travel wishlist. We're quick to shut our suitcases and bundle them into the boot of my car, ready to head toward Stanstead airport around 4:30 am. Living in North London, I'm rather spoilt by the choices of relatively local airports. We travel with Ryan Air Stanstead and have one of two choices. It's the quickest airport to us that flies to Copenhagen with Ryan Air. Having just celebrated Christmas, we decided to pick cheap flights and keep budgets affordable.

Once parked in Stanstead's mid-stay, we jump on the bus and arrive within 10 minutes at the terminal. I was surprised by how busy the airport terminal was, in all honesty, but clearly, we're not the only ones with a New Year holiday on our minds. We clear security in good time before picking up snacks for the short flight. Having ordered a cup of tea and plugged in my headphones, there was barely time to get bored, with the flight duration only being 1 hour and 50 minutes. As the clock turned forward an hour and we arrived at Copenhagen's International Airport, we carried our bags (we paid £40 to take on overhead luggage, although I had to ram mine into the rather restrictive cabin luggage measurement rail with all my might) off of the plane, through customs exceptionally quickly and the clamber into a taxi. There are a lot of choices when it comes to how you can travel to the city. Still rather tired, I elected a straightforward and minimal energy route. The taxi journey took around 25 minutes, with us arriving ahead of schedule at our hotel, Hotel Alexandra, in Copenhagen's city centre. For us, one of the reasons we were attracted to stay at Hotel Alexandra was its location: a twenty-minute walk from the city's famous Nyhavn, a half hour from The Little Mermaid and just over ten from famous landmarks, including the Rundetaarn. As someone with Addison's, exerting myself too much can have dangerous repercussions, so I wanted to ensure that if we have busy days, most places we want to visit are easily accessible, whether by foot or other travel methods.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were warmly greeted! As soon as you enter the hotel, you enter a time machine of Danish design. Over the past 20 years, Hotel Alexandra has sourced and hand-selected world-famous Daish mid-century vintage furniture to decorate its 61 rooms. The hotel's design takes you back to classic and timeless Danish design, like in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. We place our baggage at the side of the lobby as we check-in. The team have already done a great job as they organised for us to check in early so we can relax a little before our first day of exploring. While checking in, we get our first taste of the hotel's design and communal spaces. The lobby's traditional Danish furniture is complimented by a pink In the colour lounge, a tribute to Verner Panton, and of course, Arne Jacobsen and Finn Juhl's fine furniture. In the evening, the lobby comes alive with complimentary wine. Of course, you can pick your favourite record from their collection and enjoy the ambience.

We are shown around the hotel, including the breakfast café, something I'm looking forward to in the morning. We take the lift up to the third floor, where we find our Double room de luxe room. We were instantly impressed with how roomy the space was at first appearance. It feels less like a bedroom alone but a space to sleep and relax in with our lounging area. The bedroom's décor fits the hotel's aesthetics. Danish furniture is placed throughout, including a lounging area – a sofa and sitting chairs around a coffee table. Looking at the double bed, I can tell it's roomy, with no chance of us disturbing each other in our sleep. I settle my laptop down on the desk, ready to complete a few quick before finishing to unpack. I often think there are two types of people: those who unpack and those who live out of their suitcases. And although we are only here for three nights, I love to unpack and settle in, so the wardrobe space calls my name immediately - and I don't pack light. I didn't bring anything costly jewellery-wise, but the hotel room provides a safe, which I love to have as an option. The bathroom is a good size, too, with well-thought-out amenities throughout. For me, there's nothing nicer than the little thoughts throughout a hotel room, from a coffee machine to gowns; it's safe to say we felt at home within moments. We decide to take a moment, unpack, make a coffee and get our bearings regarding what we want to do for the remainder of the day.

A few hours down and a couple of emails, we get together to explore and, even more importantly, find some food. We head into the town centre and stop at Glace, a local patisserie that has been highly recommended. On arrival, we joined a small queue outside Glace, waiting to be seated inside a busy space. Decorated traditionally with a rather regal aesthetic, the café serves a wide range of patisseries, cakes and drinks, including coffee and their rather famous hot chocolate. We ordered two patisseries, mine a rum and dark chocolate ganache. I'm well versed in patisseries, from baking to eating, so when I say it was one of the best I've tasted, it's no lie, so much so that we returned three other times on our trip. After a long day of travelling and settling into a new city, coffee was on my mind. As a religious decaf drinker, it's not always a big part of different cultures, so for Glace to serve decaf and a great decaf on that note was another big tick and comfort. Having settled our hunger pangs, we decided to walk through the city as the sun went down towards the legendary Nyhavn for our first dinner of the trip. With it being the first night of our stay, we hunger for something a little more traditional, so taking the word of a recommendation, we visit Nyhavn's Hyttefadet to dine on Copenhagen's finest food. The restaurant is situated right on the famous promenade, which is a must-visit and hub for tourists. It was early January, and it was too busy.

On arrival, there was a warm welcome inside the restaurant with muted warm lighting and traditional trinkets as decoration and of course schnapps. The menu has a wide range of local dishes, from local catch of the day to conventional meat alternatives and sweet and savoury desserts. I decided on mushrooms in a cream sauce followed by ''Frikadeller'' Danish Meatballs with potatoes and cabbage. Both courses were phenomenal both in flavouring and pairing and very much lived up to expectations. With the bill settled, we take a walk around Nyhavn's famous waterfront, where the colourful houses glow in lights lit by houseboats. Knowing we will be back tomorrow for our canal tour and the local food, we start moving slowly back through the city with the chilly weather making its mark. Exhausted, we find ourselves back at the hotel, ready to get settled for our first night.

Waking up refreshed is something I don't take for granted, partly because sleep to me is so hit and miss but even more so as someone who suffers from Addison'sAddison's disease, where travel exhaustion and staying well don't tend to go hand in hand. But our first night with Hotel Alexandra went down a treat with a comfortable mattress and quiet room being at the heart of it. We get ready and head down to the Hotel's breakfast restaurant. We are seated with a menu with endless options. From a pick-and-mix setup of cooked and a continental option, I ordered their pancakes and coffee (thank goodness they serve decaf – as coffee is much needed). Breakfast is crucial for setting me up for a good day. Gone are the days when I could skip breakfast as my health wouldn't play ball without an energy-fueled start to the day, especially with travelling. I will say it's not easy to find a delicious and all-around pleaser for breakfast. Still, Hotel Alexandra also believes in setting up your right, with their breakfast being one of the best I've ever had on holiday in a long while.

With breakfast complete, we make our way back to the hotel room, where I take a moment to catch a moment before we head on out to visit Copenhagen's famous Rundetaarn (round tower), a 17th-century tower in the heart of Copenhagen, one of the many architectural projects of Christian IV. Built within the local round tower is an astronomical observatory, views of a local church, views of Copenhagen and its noted equestrian staircase, and a 7.5 helical corridor leading to the platform at the top. With views of the city it's the perfect way to take in the view of the city, and it is an easy and quick way to ascend. We find a local café for lunch just around the corner from the Rundetaarn – Café Vito with various choices and hidden away in a traditional basement. Our aim for the afternoon is to explore the city on foot, with a stop at Buka on the cards for their famous pastries before taking a seaboat out to Mikellen, a local Danish brewery. As we board the sea boat (a water taxi) from Nordre Toldbod, the weather is already -3 with strong winds before a deluge of rain. This is where we learn the Brewery is still closed for the season, much to our disappointment. We jump back onto the seaboat and decide to go to the Mikellen bar instead for a range of local craft beers and IPAs, including a great range of non-alcoholic options for me.

We wake to a much brighter morning in Copenhagen, and the rain seems to have passed. I feel lucky, considering the weather was forecast to be horrendous. We make our way to breakfast. I take full advantage of a great coffee and the same breakfast as the day before – I'll always take advantage of brilliant pancakes, no matter where I am. We quickly stopped at Glace for another sweet treat, as why not? This morning, we've booked a canal tour around the city. Starting in Nyhavn, we pre-booked the tour, which comes highly recommended. For me, as I'm rather hit with exhaustion - welcome to having a long-term health condition – it's the easiest way to see the city and cover as much ground as possible. It makes what otherwise would need to be a rest day achievable. We board the canal boat with a relatively large number of other tourists. But the canal boat being bigger than I'd expected means no one's on top of each other with a window seat overlooking each stop we visit. The trips take the most popular route, out slightly to sea to see the famous Little Mermaid, a warship and more before heading back into the local canals to see the city up close. The boat ride is around an hour long, giving you a new perspective of the city. We remained on the boat until we returned to Nyhavn, although there's the option to disembark at several different stops. We stay local for lunch at Bistro 23, where I take the opportunity to try local delicacies, including locally caught fish on rye bread with a garnish and traditional Danish meatballs with pickles. The restaurant's food was a strong competitor alongside our previous dinner. Wholeheartedly amazing food. We decided to take a lighter approach for our afternoon without booking several excursions, choosing to adventure around the city to see famous landmarks before catching local transport to local bars before dinner. Something I will say is if you're not in the mood for walking or it's not as accessible, their metro is another great option. Incredibly clean and efficient with step-free access. We take advantage of a more relaxing evening with our return flight to London booked the following day.

One thing I won't let go of is seeing the Little Mermaid up close in person. We packed up after we'd had a slow breakfast, leaving our baggage with the hotel. When travelling, this is a non-negotiable. When it comes to where I stay, I want to be able to leave my possessions safe to relax and soak up the last of the city break. We planned to walk to the palace for our final morning, for the changing of guards at lunch. It's an inclusive procession with a marching band. The changing of the guards takes place every day at lunchtime and is the perfect amount of pomp and pageantry you'd want to see. I was surprised at the duration of the change of guards. It was not a sad 15-minute experience; it was an immersive 45-minute experience. If you're visiting like us in January, layer up, as you will be standing in the breezy square open to all the elements.

Following the procession, we stop at a local bakery and café - Original Coffee to warm up. We spend the remainder of our time in the city exploring local monuments as we gander to the Little Mermaid. Although we'd technically already seen the Little Mermaid the day before on the canal tour, it felt like a missed opportunity not to see her in all her glory. It was about a 20-minute walk from Nyhavn and the Royal Palaces. What I loved most was that you could get up and personal with the statue by seeing every detail. Having sat there for over 100 years, she's still as beautiful. Having walked around the city and somehow remained relatively warm from the changing of the guards, we walk back to Nyhavn one last time to have a final lunch, capture a few more pictures and purchase a couple of keepsakes before we walk back to the hotel and gather our belongings to head to the airport. We have a small window to kick back at Hotel Alexandra before we need to be on the move, so we take full advantage of the wine bar and their lounge. As the record player plays, we look at our options for getting to the airport quickly and efficiently. Although taking a taxi is an option, we decided to travel down the road five minutes to the station to take the metro one stop before boarding the train to the airport. When I say their trains are elite, it's no understatement. It feels like you're in a first-class seat on a British public train. The train is direct, taking 20 minutes to reach the airport. Once again, efficiency comes to mind as we check in and make our way through security, with it being a 20-minute all-around experience before we wait the final hour and a half before boarding our flight destined for London Stanstead.

Moving into the new year which can often feel a little overwhelming to me, going away felt the perfect way to start a new year and embrace a new culture for a couple of days. The duration was just right: 4 days in the city to explore. It's long enough to immerse yourself, especially with Copenhagen only an hour ahead, with no jetlag. The weather held itself well with only one evening of rain, the rest overcast but dry (thank the lord). But even better, we found the perfect balance of checking off my itinerary (anyone who knows me knows there's always an itinerary involved) and relaxing – enjoying the experience. And as for Hotel Alexandra, we found a home away from home with comfort, good food and hospitality at the heart.