Mariott opens in Sweden

The hotel giant Marriott has for many years discussed opening a hotel in Sweden but has for various reasons chosen to wait. Finally, the news came that Marriott is opening its first hotel in Ulriksdal. However, the timing could not have been worse as they opened the doors on the ninth of March, ie. just a few weeks after Corona broke out. After seeing a feature on SVT, we became curious about what they had to offer. It turned out that they had a scandalously affordable package, so we struck. The package included two nights, spa, afternoon tea and three-course dinner including wine package. This was something for Rendahls! However, it was by the hair that we got away given that they lifted the travel restrictions two weeks before our booking.

We had actually planned to take the train but since the situation was still a bit uncertain, we chose to take the car directly to Ulriksdal. Once there, we were greeted by a car park that was not yet paved and a rather anonymous building. It was obvious that they had not had many guests during the first four months when everything was brand new, which then also included the staff. They probably did their best but were not exactly a marvel of efficiency.

We only had time to throw our bags in the room before it was time for afternoon tea. They had chosen to do their own interpretation of what the concept means but everything was good and nicely presented.

After our tea we decided to explore their spa. Once there, the first thing we reacted to was that they used the promotional photos from another Marriott hotel that obviously had much larger premises. It wasn't crowded when we were there, but you can't help but wonder if there won't be problems even with a half-full hotel. There was a small pool, a whirlpool and three different types of saunas.

After a walk, we tried the hotel bar. It is somewhat unclear whether the greatest experience was the drinks themselves or the local celebrity, Diva, who prepared them with great passion. Diva is a guy with a BIG personality who, for some unclear reason, ended up on a much too small stage. Regardless, they were very good drinks that were made according to all the rules of art. Unfortunately, Diva didn't work the second day, which resulted in much more boring drinks and also stingier wine packages with the food. You can guess which drinks were made on day one and day two...

We had quite low expectations as the online menu looked more like simple pub food rather than what you would expect from a modern hotel. Well, we were surprised when it was absolutely amazing food worthy of any gourmet restaurant. The first day we had serrano croquettes with mojo rojo as a starter, whole roasted sea bass as a main course (Eva chose a herb baked chicken) and a very good apple pie for dessert. Eva, who is not a fan of seafood, was somewhat sceptical about my whole fried fish. When the eye fell out and rolled over the plate, her face turned a slightly greener colour than the herb-baked chicken. However, the fish tasted great despite my wife's strange reaction.

On day two, we had gazpacho for a starter, rib-eye steak for a main course (Eva had a hamburger) and crème brulée for dessert.

But now I went ahead of the events. Before dinner on day two, we also had time for another spa visit and a walk to Ulriksdal Castle. The castle was unfortunately closed but the beautiful park was well worth a visit. We also appreciated the café with Italian gelato and the riding house that was converted into a theatre in the 18th century. The Confidencen, as the theatre is called, stood and fell into disrepair for almost two hundred years before Kerstin Dellert took it under her wing. It is also Sweden's oldest rococo theatre.

On the way home from the castle, we went a little wrong which resulted in us also experiencing Tivoli Park which was a pleasure in itself.

Overall, it was a very nice trip with unexpectedly good food and nice walks.