If you are on Instagram, you may have seen pictures of the stunning jungle pool at this hotel before. This is the reason why I chose to stay here, as I love a good hotel pool even on a city break.
I went to Copenhagen to try the very well-known The Alchemist, which is a Michelin-star restaurant that regularly features on the top 50 restaurants in the world list. I also really recommend Copenhagen for a city break. There is plenty to do in this beautiful city, and although it is popular with tourists, it is way less crowded than other popular European cities.
If you want to find out more about my visit to Copenhagen and what there is to do, you can read my Forbes article here.
In this post:
Location
Copenhagen is a very compact city, but Manon Les Suites has a central location near Orstedparken. One of the restaurants that I mentioned in my Forbes article, Vaekst is less than 10 minutes walk away in a pretty street full of bars and restaurants in the old Latin quarter.
Check-in
Manon Les Suites looks unassuming on the outside. It is actually a fairly compact building, centred on the pool, with the rooms surrounding the outside of the pool.
Reception were generally very helpful and the area feels very stylish. Here, you can also purchase a range of the hotel’s toiletries and amenities found in the rooms, which is ideal if you enjoyed using them. (more about the toiletries later).
The receptionist explained where everything was as the hotel facilities are spread over a number of floors and accompanied us to the lifts (which are tiny!).
The rooms
We had booked a two-bedroom suite as friends, which comes with one larger room with a bath and a shower, and a smaller room which just has a shower and is a bit dark. This would be a good arrangement if you had children, but as two friends who pay equally, I would say you would be better with two separate rooms or sharing a larger one-bedroom suite.
My friend inquired about changing rooms, and the hotel was more than happy to accommodate her, showing her several rooms that were available. The two-bedroom suite is essentially a Small suite with an additional bedroom, so these pictures are representative of a Small suite.
The rooms have an industrial chic with a Scandinavian eco feel too, with lots of wood and exposed pipes.
My room had a large four-poster bed with two separate single duvets (as is common in many European countries). Although I initially thought that the room only had blinds, it turns out that the curtains were not just for show! This meant that the room was dark enough and the bed was very comfortable. I faced the street but could not hear much noise – you don’t get much traffic in Copenhagen, which helps.
As you entered the room, there was a kitchen area with a sink, kettle with tea and coffee (proper coffee bags), and a mini bar and fridge. Water bottles for filling were provided rather than bottled water.
A shopping/pool bag is also provided and can be purchased at reception if you would like to take one home.
My suite had plenty of seating as well, which is unusual for many hotels, and this also made a useful unpacking area.
The highlight of the room was the bathroom for me with its huge soaking tub, separate shower, and generous amenities.
I also liked the double sinks, which both came with their own toiletries, which was generous.
There was one of the best arrays of toiletries and amenities I have seen in a hotel, all in large sizes as the hotel prides itself on its eco-credentials. At each sink, there was hand wash and hand cream, plus a gorgeous body oil which smelled like lemongrass and a body lotion. The shower had the standard body wash, shampoo, and conditioner, which were all of great quality. There was also a drawer containing items such as bamboo toothbrushes and a hairbrush.
If I stayed again, I would go for the Deluxe Suite:
Breakfast
Breakfast is served in the rooftop bar and you can sit outside if you are lucky enough to get good weather. There is tea and coffee to help yourself too, but you can also have barista drinks such as cappuccino if you ask at the bar – there is no extra charge for these. They also had a bottle of prosecco for a cheeky bucks fizz if you wanted!
The buffet was fairly small but had a good selection of all the basics, including cooked food and some vegan options. The choices changed slightly every day, too, so you did not get bored. There was a cooked selection with eggs, bacon and hash browns as well as vegetable nuggets and fresh vegetables. As well as the hot selection, there were the usual breads, cereals, fresh fruit, and yogurt as well as salad. You can try some local specialties or stick with international favourites.
Facilities
The highlight was definitely the pool, which makes you feel more like you are in Bali than Copenhagen. Be aware that they allow outside guests to buy a pass, so it can be busier than you may expect on certain days, and day beds are limited. There are robes, slippers and towels for the pool provided in the room, although there are also a few towels at the pool. If you fancy a tipple, there is even a bar at the pool which does cocktails, coffee etc, although we did find the bar staff varied from excellent to disinterested.
The pool is warm and perfect for relaxing in. It was lovely to come back after some sightseeing and just relax by the pool or take a swim.
On the rooftop, there is also a traditional sauna and aromatic steam bath infused with essential oils, as well as a refreshing cold-water bucket bath to cool off afterwards. The bar on the rooftop has a decent range of cocktails and beds for lounging after the sauna. They also offer massages, but like everything else in Copenhagen, they were a bit pricey at nearly £90 for 30 minutes.
There is also a gym that is open 24/7.
In addition to the rooftop bar, there is another bar in the basement, which is open in the evenings.
Prices and booking
Rates are higher in the summer, with a room like ours with two bedrooms costing around £600 per night. In low season, you can get a studio suite (Small Suite) room from £195 rising to £450 at peak times.
The hotel does lots of special offers which you can find here.
You can find the main hotel page here.
Conclusion
I am always slightly wary of eco-hotels as sometimes they involve compromises in quality but this was not the case here. The pool and rooftop bar really gave you the feel that you were on a “proper” holiday rather than a city break. Despite the facilities, the hotel is still conveniently located for getting around, and it provides bicycles if you want to blend in with the extensive cycling culture here. I liked that we could walk to the old Latin Quarter for dinner and drinks, too.
Although the prices may seem slightly high, having stayed in Denmark before, I would say these are reasonable when you look at what else you would get in the same price range.
