Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [256]
All STF hostels have kitchens.
SVIF
Around 190 hostels belong to STF’s ‘rival’, Sveriges Vandrarhem i Förening (SVIF; 0413-55 34 50; www.svif.se). No membership is required and rates are similar to those of STF hostels. Most SVIF hostels have kitchens, but you sometimes need your own utensils. Pick up the free guide at tourist offices or SVIF hostels.
Hotels
Private, family-owned hotels with individuality are few and far between: the big hotel chains – with comfortable but often rather bland rooms – tend to monopolise hotel accommodation options.
Sweden is unusual in that hotel prices tend to fall at weekends and in summer (except in touristy coastal towns), sometimes by as much as 40% or 50%. In this book, we’ve listed the standard rates first, followed by weekend and summer discount rates. Many hotel chains are now also offering flex rates, which let you change your reservation details until the last minute, and lower rates for early booking online. Hotel prices include a breakfast buffet unless noted in individual reviews. Ask at tourist offices for the free booklet Hotels in Sweden or visit the website www.hotelsinsweden.net.
Travellers on a budget should investigate the two cheapest hotel chains, both with flat rates for rooms. Formule 1 (www.hotelformule1.com) has four hotels (Göteborg, Jönköping, Malmö and Stockholm); the small but functional rooms (Skr390) have shared facilities and can sleep up to three people. Ibis (www.ibishotel.com) hotels offer simple rooms (Skr495 to Skr700) with private facilities. Breakfast is additional at both chains (Skr40 and Skr70, respectively).
The following hotels are the most common midrange and top-end chains:
Best Western (www.bestwestern.se)
Choice (www.choicehotels.se)
Countryside (www.countrysidehotels.se)
Ditt Hotell (www.ditthotell.se)
Elite (www.elite.se)
First (www.firsthotels.com)
Radisson SAS (www.radisson.com)
Scandic (www.scandic-hotels.com)
Sweden Hotels (www.swedenhotels.se, in Swedish)
Radisson SAS and Elite are the most luxurious. Scandic is known for being environmentally friendly. The top-end Countryside chain has the most characterful rooms, in castles, mansions, monasteries and spas.
Mountain Huts & Lodges
Most mountain huts (fjällstugor) and lodges (fjällstationer) in Sweden are owned by STF. There are about 45 huts and nine mountain lodges, usually spaced at 15km to 25km intervals, primarily in the Lappland region. Reception hours are quite long as staff members are always on site. Basic provisions are sold at many huts and all lodges, and many lodges have hiking equipment for hire.
STF huts have cooking and toilet facilities (none have showers, but some offer saunas). Bring your own sleeping bag. Huts are staffed during March and April and also from late June to early or mid-September. You can’t book a bed in advance, but no one is turned away (although in the peak of summer this may mean you sleep on a mattress on the floor). Charges for STF or HI members vary depending on the season, and range from Skr190 to Skr300 (children pay about Skr75), with the highest charges on northern Kungsleden. Nonmembers pay Skr100 extra. You can also pitch a tent in the mountains, but if you camp near STF huts you are requested to pay a service charge (Skr60/80 for members/nonmembers), which gives you access to any services the hut may offer (such as kitchen and bathroom facilities).
At the excellent STF mountain lodges, accommodation standards range from hostel (with cooking facilities) to hotel (with full- or half-board options), and overnight prices range from Skr200 to around Skr800. There are often guided activities on offer for guests, plus they usually have a restaurant and shop.
Private Rooms, B&Bs & Farmhouses
Many tourist offices have lists of rooms in private houses, which is a great way of