For Charlotte’s birthday, I decided to book her a special trip and allow her to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Lund by strolling around Copenhagen for a long weekend. Clearly, visiting the city required an excellent base, and for the two of us I opted for the Copenhagen Island hotel.

Before even arriving at the hotel I found myself really impressed by the staff. Emailing them to ask for their advice on the city and to check with them about the best way to get to the hotel, I mentioned that it was a special occasion for my wife. I will be honest, I have in the past been a little cheeky by trying to get little added extras on special occasions, but in this instance I was simply answering an enquiry from the reservation staff about why we were visiting the city.

One email later and we were offered a free glass of prosecco at a time of our choosing in the hotel bar so we could celebrate Charlotte’s birthday in style!

Arriving in Copenhagen, local transport takes you effortlessly into the city centre for a reasonable price and we then had a ten minute walk to our hotel through well lit areas that feel really safe (as, in all honesty, all of Copenhagen does).

For those of you who are less happy to walk and would rather take a taxi, taking one to the Copenhagen Island hotel from either the airport or main train station would be fairly cheap. In addition, were you to hire a rental car, there is ample parking available at the hotel.

The Copenhagen Island hotel is close enough to Tivoli, Noma and the main tourist attractions to get everywhere by walking, but if you fancy going to see the Carlsberg visitor attraction or the more cultural crown jewels exhibition, you may fancy getting a bus or a taxi.

Upon our arrival, we saw that the hotel is very Scandinavian in design, with minimalist, understated decor. It has an interesting stairwell in the main lobby that gives you excellent views out onto the water.

The staff were very quick to show us to our room and to check everything was alright, despite the fact that we opted for the lowest band of room (the standard room), so they are clearly not snobs!

The room itself was again understated in style but came with free wifi and an interesting view of the train station and the main city centre, including Tivoli. The room was beautifully clean and the bathroom facilities and amenities were excellent. There was a desk (more interesting to those staying on business) and a lovely big bed.

As foodies, of course we opted to have breakfast and were not at all let down! A great selection of cheese, Nordic foods such as herring and smoked fish, and lovely cooked breakfast options like sausages and eggs meant that all tastes were catered for. The buffet style also meant that we could get a really good feed whilst skipping lunch to keep costs down.

We’d definitely return to this hotel. It’s in a beautiful location but within walking distance of everything good about Copenhagen, and with friendly staff and an amazing breakfast, there’s nothing not to like!