NOFO Hotel, Stockholm, Sweden – review written 25 June 2017

I always try not to use a taxi when I travel abroad, so when I arrived at Stockholms södra (or Stockholm South) I followed my own sense of direction and walked to the NOFO Hotel, having already taken a train from Arlanda Airport. If you’re going to do this, beware: the journey from Uppsala station is very expensive, so instead take a short bus journey, the 583 – no more than 15 minutes – to Marsta and go direct to Stockholms södra, it takes about 30 minutes.

From Stockholms södra it’s no more than 10 minutes on foot: you come out of the station’s main exit and go straight across the street and keep walking until you reach a kind of square. Cross the road and then bear right and take the first road you see that is effectively a left turn, but basically you’re still moving  roughly straight ahead from the station and you’ll find the hotel on your left.

It’s a quirky place. There’s a lovely secluded courtyard (perfect on a warm, sunny day) and then there’s the hotel reception area, which is dark and cosy and perfect.

Check-in was easy and I was given room 315, a tiny room with a single bed where, I’ll be honest, it would have been impossible to swing a cat. It was, however, a very small ‘apartment’ in a sense with a bedroom and a bathroom.

I must point out that the NOFO Hotel used to be the Columbus Hotel, but it’s also been a brewery and once served as a barracks for the city guard. It’s also listed, which means there is no elevator and you have to walk. Fine if you’re able-bodied, but if not see if they have rooms on the ground floor or, at the very least, on the first (depending on how immobile you are).

The room was small, but it was fine. It had a flatscreen television on the wall opposite the single bed, a small desk on which I could rest my lap top and a few hooks with coat hangers instead of a wardrobe. Not a problem for me, but it might be for others, but then I expect they give their single rooms to lone travellers like me; there are ‘proper rooms’ and judging by the quirkiness of the hotel, they’re probably pretty cool.

I slept well, which was good, and the only downside I could think of was the view from the Velux window of tree tops and sky – not that good in other words, but this isn’t a complaint as most of the so-called ‘views’ from the hotels I’ve stayed in have been poor (buildings) so swaying tree tops and blue sky is nice and surreal.

One big complaint: the shower in the bathroom, I couldn’t get hot water on day one and on day two I got it but only after considerable faffing around, which annoyed me. It might have been me, but it’s rare that I don’t get a hot shower in the morning.

Room 315 is right on the stairs so there’s a very real possibility of falling out of the room, tripping on the stairs and ending up in a crumpled mess on the landing. Fortunately, it didn’t happen, but it could have.

So, on to breakfast: very good – a wide selection of ‘stuff’ hot and cold. What baffled me was the tea situation. There were teabags, but they were empty. The deal was that guests filled their own teabags with the leaf tea provided in glass jars. Call me an idiot, but I couldn’t figure it out on day one; it was only on day two when I saw another guest with what looked like paper tissues dipped in a mug of hot water that I finally clicked. Unfortunately, it meant that I didn’t have tea for breakfast, just very strong, black coffee. Again, it wasn’t a problem.

It is possible to eat at the NOFO, but I got the impression that the food was light and designed to accompany the wine, for which the hotel has a reputation. There are, however, some extremely decent restaurants nearby and the receptionist will recommend them to you. I enjoyed Bistroteket and Bistro Boheme.

The area in which the hotel is located, Södermalm, is a pretty laid back and quiet part of Stockholm, which is perfect for me; add a decent and quirky hotel like the NOFO and it’s heavenly. I would definitely return, but I might ask for lessons in how to work that shower, unless it was a problem specific to room 315.

Sodermalm is described as the 'vibrant heart of the city' and the NOFO Hotel is said to be steeped in the history of Soder. It was built in 1783 and has served as a brewery and as a barracks for the city guard. Today, it is claimed to be one of the world's most stylish city districts. "You will love the enchanting mix of people, bars, shopping, restaurants and culture," say NOFO's general manager, Desiré Eklund. She's right, it's a very pleasant part of Stockholm and yes, I could live here!