Hotel Rossini Copenhagen
Like many of our cruises, this one was booked at the last minute. Fortunately, we found a decent one way fare to Copenhagen, but finding a hotel was another story. There was a large conference going on in Copenhagen, so rooms at a reasonable rate were few and far between. We finally settled on the Hotel Rossini, in the Valby area, just a short metro or bus ride from the center of the city. Fortunately, when we arrived, we were able to get a room immediately, which often isn’t the case when you arrive in the morning as we did.
The staff at the hotel truly cared about their guests, helping with luggage storage, taxis, directions and internet. Although the site says that there is wireless, we weren’t able to access it. There is a computer in the lobby that guests may use. Also in the lobby is a nice lounge and a small area with food and beverages for sale along with free coffee and tea. A very nice and extensive breakfast buffet is included for guests.
Connected to the building is a bowling alley, which we didn’t take advantage of. We had just a day and a half and had much to explore before boarding the Crown Princess. Although the prospect of taking a nap was a tempting one, we headed out to watch the changing of the guard and further explore the town.
The Little Mermaid
Copenhagen is very walkable with plenty of diversions on every block. From the palace we headed to the Nyhavn area and then walked to the Little Mermaid, quite some distance to the statue. Fortunately, we had a CPH card and could use that on the bus – #25 – which gets very close to the cruise terminal and goes to Valby via the center. We felt lazy so took the bus back to Nyhavn and had a rather ordinary lunch.
Nyhavn
After we left, the skies darkened and the rain started falling. We went into the Round Tower hoping that we might have a good view of the area from the top. As expected, we saw very little due to the rain. Near the Round Tower is a library, so we checked our email. By this time, it was getting late and we were getting tired. Being late in the afternoon, there weren’t any other attractions that we could visit, so we headed back to the hotel and decided to call it an early day. The goal was to stay awake until at least 9:00pm. I barely achieved that goal and was exhausted by the time we reached the hotel.
There are restaurants in the neighborhood, but we opted to get sandwiches from a take-away. One nice feature of the room was the tea and coffee maker. Taking advantage of that and a caffeine fix kept me going.
Our room was quite large, but was in need of a fresh coat of paint. Considering the price, the efficient and friendly staff, the location and included breakfast, I would definitely recommend this hotel.
Next time: Embarkation Day
Sail Away