Norway's Best Hotel or The Thief Hotel

Recently I have been to a trip to Norway and Sweden on an extended weekend in June. First I flew to Stockholm via Frankfurt and after a two night stay at the Grand I left the Venice of the North by flying to Oslo with Norwegian Air Shuttle, an airline to remember (they offered free Wi-Fi and unlimited onboard entertainment on your mobile or tablet device). After the arrival at Oslo Airport I took the Flytoget Airport High-Speed Train and within 20 minutes I reached Oslo Central Station. From there, an exclusive taxi (they only have modern Mercedes taxis - that's why they are so expensive :) ) brought me to my breath-taking Designhotel. After 5 minutes taxi drive and crossing a parking garage, I finally arrived at the coolest Luxury Hotel I have seen so far - The Thief.

After checking in I received one of their largest rooms and one of the only ones overlooking the Oslo Harbour. Everything is new and absolutely dazzling inside this little place of design heaven. In fact I love the design of Antonio Citterio (I love the Bulgari Hotels) and at the Thief, all furniture was desiged by Antonio Citterio and made by B&B Italia and Maxalto.

The room was bright and when I opened the curtains I had an impressive panorama and thanks to the cool design of this hotel, I could even see the other side of the harbor, which lies behind the hotel. Beside an enormously comfortable bed, a balcony, two comfortable chairs and a large entrée, there was also a stunning bathroom, which had a separate shower and separated toilet. When you walked into the bath in the nights, a cushioned light went on. 

But the best of all was really my view (I loved it so much), nearly all sights were at your fingertips: The old castle and the fortress, the harbour, the Oslo Fjord, the top of the Oslo Opera House as well as the Modern Museum in front of the hotel! Did I also mention that my room had an in-room shop? The Thief is probably the first hotel to offer such service in Europe, they have everything you need: socks, a white shirt, tie, hair spray, facial mask, earplugs, headsets, and even toothbrushes and hand creams. 

Beside all this luxury, a room at The Thief is also equipped with a Nespresso Coffee Machine (and plenty of capsules - I love if hotels are generous in all ways) and for turn-down-service in the evening, a bottle of hot water and tea arrives. Pure glam can also be found in the bathrooms: you can choose between neutral smelling toiletries by Carita Paris or either the colourful british branded ila bath amenities. I chose the option to try each night a different one, and I love both! This is also an excellent idea. From my point of view, this should be the case at all luxury hotels.

Last but not least I would like to mention the breakfast buffet. Although the quality of the products is very good and also all staff members are very helpful and kind, the buffet seems to be on the small side. And after strolling through it you soon notice that it really is. Scrambled eggs, omlettes and special wishes can be ordered in front of the cuisine or just tell your server - they are all happy to assist you.

The worst part of my stay was that I had to leave after two stunning nights at one of my latest favorite hotels. The check-out went fast, but unfortunately I did not receive any envelope nor an adequate bill with the hotel dates on it. 

Total points for my experience at The Thief: 9,0/10

Rooms start at 260,00 euros per room/night including breakfast.

Staying at The Grand (Hotel) Stockholm - Part 2

The best part of my stay was of course the Nordic Spa at the Grand Hotel. The indoor pool is one of the most wonderful in Europe to my taste, together with the one at the Corinthia London and the Hotel Europe in Killarney. There were two gender-separated changing rooms with sauna, steam room and dipping pool as well as showers and a small bar. The temperature of the indoor pool was very pleasant at 27c. If this is still too cold for your taste, there is a hot jacuzzi next to the pool at very comfortable 32c. One thing to remember is that the out-of-the-world Nordic Spa is also limited by space and therefore there are also limited relax chairs: a total of 10 chaise longues are way too less at peak hour, but there are also relax zones around the pool which take away the 

After coming back to my room at the first evening we decided to have dinner in the hotel and after coming back to the room I found out that there was a disturbing noise coming from the ballroom in front of my room. I went down to the front desk to change the room, but they told me that no other rooms are available. So I went back very sadly and waited until 11pm until the music stops according to the schedule. In fact it was 11.15 pm until there was no more noise.

After a sightseeing tour on Stockholm's waters with a boat, we went through the market hall, the Vasa Museum and of course we have been to NK, the Selfridges or Harrods of Scandinavia. When coming back to the hotel I watched inside the ballroom and I saw that they build up for an huge event. I guessed that there will be the same issue on the second night. And of course I was right! When coming back to my room at 10.00 pm I experienced noise again. I called the front desk and they told me again, no other room available, that the event lasts until 1 am. WOW, so I wanted to have a drink at Cadier Bar, but there was absolutely no seat available. 

After checking out, they did not take notes about my issues and they only grant a compensation after I complaint about my sleepless nights. They invited us for breakfast one day and that's it. I was not satisfied with this small compensation and therefore contacted the General Manager personally after coming back to Austria. 

Mrs Barck finally invited me to stay again at the Grand Hotel Stockholm and I am waiting for the voucher to be arrived here in Central Europe. I will keep you updated for a new experience at this Grand Hotel and member of the Leading Hotels of the World.

Staying at The Grand (Hotel) Stockholm - Part 1

After some stressful weeks it was time again for me to take a little break and hide away from everyday life. I decided to visit the deep North of Europe, a place where I have never been before. I booked Lufthansa return tickets from Innsbruck to Stcokholm via Frankfurt and from Oslo back to Innsbruck also via Frankfurt. I was very satisfied with all flights, except the SAS flight, where you have to purchase your drinks and snacks, otherwise all other flights served free drinks and snacks, as usual with Lufthansa. Unfortunately the Business Class seats were not different from the ones in Economy Class, you just get your neighboring seat in addition, which is nice but not necessary. 

After a two hours flight from Frankfurt, I arrived at Stockholm Airport, which is originally in Arlanda, 40 km outside of the city center. I took a taxi as this is the most convenient option, which brought me to the Grand Hotel within 30 minutes. The arrival was not very special and I was not even guarded to the room. The booked Single Room was also very nicely decorated and furnished in a modern way with new furnitures. The bathroom was held in white marble and everything was brand new inside my room. Unfortunately the room as very small for my kind of expectations and also the view was not really "Grand"!

On the above pictures you can see my suitcase in relation to the room size. Not really what I expected from such a renowned hotel and from a member of Leading Hotel of the World. After a while I started exploring the city and left the Grand Hotel behind me. On the same evening I had dinner at the Verandan Restaurant overlooking the Royal Palace, which is open to public for free on National Day (6 June). The food was very good for Sweden's standards and the views were just impressive. I really loved the dessert: "Chocolatnepumuk" or something like that.

Restaurant Check - The Restaurant (Taubenkobel) in Schützen am Gebirge

Sunset in Vienna - Lovely, isn't is?

The last weeks have been very stressful for me and my team but after all these stress you are even more looking forward to some relaxing days. We decided to visit Vienna and the world-class "Taubenkobel" restaurant, voted as Austria's 2nd best restaurant after the famous "Steirereck" in Vienna.

Welcome to "Burgenland" - a very tranquil region!

The town itself is everything else then revived. Maybe one of the most silent towns even I have seen. As mentioned above the main reason for our trip is the restaurant and not the village, so after finding parked Ferarris and other luxury cars, we finally arrived at "The Restaurant formely known as Taubenkobel", as it is called since March 2014.

The gate to food heaven in Austria.

Upon entering the small gate you are transformed into another world. A world that doesn't really fit inside this town. We were greeted in a very friendly way and got a tour through the restaurant via the open-kitchen, the fish corner and the fire place.

Welcome at the Taubenkobel!

As we were placed on our table, refreshing towels arrived together with a plate of freshly sliced salamis and ham. Although the design is very (very) unusual for an Austrian restaurant, we finally began to love all this details about the restaurant. Instead of cutlery you only find a wooden plate and a small pot with a special milk cream - in fact the first course of the long menu.

Excellent Rosé Champagne with refreshing towels.

The most impressive thing on this evening was not the wine glass (which is similar to a whiskey tumbler), no, it was the way how the bread is served. Put in a wooden bowl and broken on your table into different and dissimilar pieces. Is it really impressive or just not adequate?

The first course - Part 1

We from our side, we were impressed of all the courses and all the presentations of the food. We found out that the focus of this restaurant is placed on the food and its origin and not on details, decoration and  light interiors.

The first course - Part 2

Last but not least I can guarantee you, that this restaurant is really worth a trip to probably Austria's most calm region. They also have wonderful rooms and suites and they are belonging to the world-class Relais&Chateaux Hotels and Resorts, so what else do you need as a reason to go there?

Creamy butter, sea salt and lard.

A very unusual bread

The second course (the white cream is made into the plate)

A very unusual wine glass with an outrageous wine inside.

Third course - Part 1 - a cream soup of pea

Third course - Part 2 - Profiteroles with gorgonzola cream

 Fourth course - Jelly of pumpkin seed

Even I had a premiere, too: A georgian wine!

The main course before preparing

The prepared main course - a knuckle of pork

Finally our dessert - Panna Cotta with different herbs

The wonderful courtyard in the middle of the small village.

Staying at the Beau-Rivage Palace

Last weekend I had the chance to stay at one of Europe's best hotels and I was so excited to this world-class property. Now, after a weekend full of stunnig impressions, I would like to share my experience:

From the moment I arrived to the last greeting at check-out, my stay at this picture-perfect and movie-scene like palace hotel, was absolutely outstanding. 

We got an upgrade to a fascinating and eye-catching Junior Suite with lake views in the recently renovated part of the hotel, and I was flashed by the design, the views, and of course the state-of-the-art technologies. The bathroom was enormous with luxe Bulgari Eau Thé Rouge amenities, separate shower, double vanities with en-mirror tv and partial lake view. The walk-in wardrobe was simply amazing, I felt like on-set of a new movie! 

After a heavenly night in the extraordinary beds with pillow spray by Cinq Mondes, I have already been awaited for breakfast at La Terrasse. The buffet was not enormous but everything was of high quality and the service was very kind. They brought us coffee, a bread basket and of course fresh fruit juices together with a glass of water. 

The Cinq Mondes Spa is a nice place to relax, although the layout of the pool area was not my taste and the pool was a way too cold for this time of the year. 

I can warmly recommend this hotel to everyone seeking for an unforgettable experience!

Thank you to the Beau-Rivage Palace for the amazing Upgrade and this opportunity to test the hotel!