*Hotel Rival, Stockholm (hotel website*)

We have made it a habit to always spend one or two nights in the city of embarkation prior to a cruise. This is especially important in 2022, when airlines are as unreliable as they have ever been. Selecting a good pre-cruise hotel is also important. I like to find a luxury property that is as close to the port as possible. After researching on Tripadvisor, I came across Hotel Rival. Hotel Rival is the #2 rated hotel* in all of Stockholm. We also prefer boutique, local properties over international “chain” hotel brands whenever possible. Hotel Rival checked all of the boxes.

When we arrived in Stockholm’s Arlanda International airport, we were having trouble getting our cell phones to work to order an Uber. We could have taken a taxi to the hotel but, instead, decided to take the Arlanda Express train from the airport to Central Station, which would put us about 1.5 miles from the hotel.

The train is clean, quiet and fast. Getting to the Central Station only takes about 15 minutes and, at only $19 per person, is much less expensive than a taxi or even an Uber. When we arrived at Central Station, I was able to get my cell phone working and Apple Maps showed the hotel to only be 1.5 miles away, so we decided to walk. I should mention that we each had a roll-aboard and backpacks. If we had large checked bags, we would have been forced to get a taxi. And, as it turned out, we probably should have taken a taxi anyway!

The route laid out by Apple Maps did not take into consideration some roads that were under construction. We had to make several detours and it ended up taking us more than an hour to get to Hotel Rival. Still, we enjoyed the exhilarating walk.

When we arrived at Hotel Rival, we were greeted by the clerk at the front desk and check-in was a breeze. We walked through the lobby to Watson’s Bar, one of the largest hotel bars we have seen anywhere. It spans three levels and looks like a fun place to hang out in the evenings.

After an all-night flight, we are only interested in getting to our room and checking out the bad for some much needed rest. We were assigned to room 606. The room was large and beautifully appointed. Even though the property appears to be older, the furnishings, bedding and bathroom look recently updated.

There is a large window looking out over the front of the hotel, two chairs and a nice-sized desk across from the bed. A flat screen television is mounted above the desk and there is even a DVD player and a selection of DVDs in the room. The closets are very large and include an ironing board, electronic safe, bathrobes and slippers.

The bathroom is very large and looks brand new. There is a huge walk in shower and a separate bath tub.

*The walk-in shower has a rain shower head and wand*

Molton Brown amenities are always an indication of a top-notch property.

After spending a few minutes exploring the room, we enjoyed a three-hour nap on the very comfortable bed. We awoke rested and ready to do more exploring. Across the street from Hotel Rival is a beautiful park that is well worth a stroll.

We made dinner reservations at Taverna, the hotel’s restaurant/bar. Before dinner, we sat at the bar and I enjoyed a glass of Cabernet while Rickee had a Limoncello/sparkling wine cocktail. After enjoying our drinks, we were seated at a small table for dinner. For dinner, I ordered the Minute Steak with Frites and Rickee ordered a pasta dish.

Of the two dishes, my steak dish was the better. Not so much for the steak, which was good, but the tomato salad was one of the best salads I have ever tasted. And, the bowl of French Fries were so hot you could barely eat them, very crisp and salted perfectly. Rickee’s pasta dish was just okay. There was a spice used in the sauce that gave a floral flavor that just did not live up to the rest of the dish. However, the fried kale accompanying the pasta dish was excellent.

Taverna is open for lunch and dinner and they also offer outdoor sidewalk seating.

After a very restful night’s sleep on the comfortable bed, we enjoyed the hotel’s complimentary breakfast before checking out. I now wish we had planned two nights in Stockholm as we would have enjoyed more exploring with Hotel Rival as our home base. This is a beautiful property and one that we can highly recommend to anyone cruising in or out of Stockholm.

Hotel Rival is only 10-12 minutes from the cruise port. An Uber ride cost us about $15.

*Tripadvisor.com rating.

Viking Mars

Pre-Cruise Stay at Hotel Rival in Stockholm

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