Where To Stay in Copenhagen: A Review of the AC Hotel Bella Sky
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I went back and forth on where to stay on my trip to Copenhagen. And, as Type A personalities usually do, agonized way too long over it. Although it’s definitely an important decision in the travel world, where to stay in Copenhagen isn’t a make-or-break your life decision. But, in typical Type A fashion, I acted like it was and this time, I’m really glad I did!
The Debate
As happens for me with a lot of destinations, two main accommodation locations emerged as the obvious choices:
Stay in the city center where it’s more expensive, but within walking distance to everything
OR
Stay outside the city center where it’s cheaper, but will require transportation to the city center.
For some people, this is an obvious decision. Whether you fall into the camp of “city center all the way-pay more, walk everywhere, be in the action” or the camp of “cheap as possible, don’t care about action, I’ll figure it out”, it’s an easy decision for you. This might be because you have a higher budget to work with, are extremely frugal or because you’re Type B and you. just. pick. one.
And honestly, if you are that Type B person who can just pick one, I’m really envious. Okay, I’m downright jealous. Green-eyed monster jealous. I’ll get there somewhere one day, but probably not there exactly.
Copenhagen Resources & Recommendations
- AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen-Book a room
- TripAdvisor-Read reviews for the Hotel Bella Sky
- Allianz Global Assistance Travel Insurance-Don’t take the risk of not having insurance
- CheapOair-take up to $30 off with promo code WORLD30
- Lonely Planet ePocket Copenhagen-the best destination guidebooks out there! You can also preorder the new 2018 version here.
After MUCH time weighing EVERY pro and con imaginable (and possibly making up some that didn’t exist or certainly didn’t pertain), I chose…
AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen
Beautiful isn’t it? Not going to lie and say that didn’t play into it because it definitely did!
The Exterior & Grounds
The AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen is an unusual and unique property. The architecture is beautiful with its leaning towers and mirrored windows.
It’s in a nice area although there isn’t much right around it except for the metro. For distance purposes, I took this photo while standing on the metro platform looking back at the hotel. It’s only about 1.5 blocks away. There is also a large shopping mall located just under a mile away.
It isn’t a problem if the hotel is somewhat remotely located when the metro is close with only a short ride to all the action!
While we waited for the metro, I became completely fascinated with this building!
It appeared to be apartments over a couple of businesses. Either way, really cool and different!
You might also like: 3 DAY COPENHAGEN ITINERARY: WHAT TO DO IN THE CAPITAL OF DENMARK
The Rooms
Finally, we arrived at our room. I say finally because…
Our room was located in a different tower from reception. So, this made it a little tricky to get there. It was kind of an over-the-river-and-through-the-woods route. We went up the tower we were in, crossed the bridge and then up the second tower.
I loved the way they number their rooms! I haven’t seen anything like this before.
The rooms aren’t huge, but that’s Europe. They are, however, nice, clean and modern.
Heads up (literally and figuratively): The closet is an open steel rod that sticks out but runs parallel to the wall. If you don’t know to look up, you likely won’t see it.
Just as I didn’t.
I wanted to take a quick photo from a higher angle to get more of the room in view and I didn’t want to stand in the chair. The built-in, very large and sturdy luggage area (shown above) looked like a better choice to get said quick photo.
Well, about that…
As soon as I stepped up, I smacked my head on the end of the steel rod. So hard. So hard I came close to passing out. I was beyond seeing stars. I’m glad it was on the top of my head hidden by my hair because a ginormous knot quickly formed.
I remember thinking “is this the first time I’m going to try out my travel emergency medical insurance(yes, you should always have travel insurance)?” I am not so sure I didn’t have a slight concussion. And that knot was there and hurt for two weeks which also happened to be the duration of my trip.
So, all of that to say, this is why you aren’t supposed to climb on furniture. Also, always look up. This is one of my photography mottos because you can achieve really cool shots from this angle. Yet I don’t seem to do it indoors.
I will now!
The beds were super comfortable and each had its own bedside table, reading light and most importantly-outlets!
The Bathrooms
In the chaos, I forgot to get photos of the bathroom which is unfortunate because it was pretty cool as bathrooms go. It was spacious, had plenty of built-in shelves next to the vanity that offered a nice variety of higher-end toiletries as well as room to store your things.
The shower was a door-less walk-in with the floor sloping slightly down into the shower area. The hot water never ran out, the water pressure was strong and the white towels were fluffy!
The Views
We had floor-to-ceiling views from our room of Copenhagen in the distance. Now you see why I didn’t mind one single bit about the indirect way of getting to the room!
It was beautiful waking up to these views every morning,
crossing the tower bridge
and beautiful watching the sunset too!
Actually, the whole property is very pretty at dusk.
Don’t miss the really cool hotel signs! There is one located in the front and back of the hotel. This one is at the back and the easiest one to photograph.
Why It Won
1. Cheaper
Being a Scandinavian country, Denmark isn’t cheap and traveling Europe on a budget is key. Because the hotel isn’t located in the city center, it isn’t as expensive. This worked well in its favor!
2. Amenities
At the top of most everyone’s list. Heaven forbid there not be wi-fi access because ANY downtime without a device is just no bueno, right? My excuse is that I need it for work and while this is certainly true when traveling, I must admit I was just as bad before I started my blog!
Other amenities included air conditioning (something I always look for in Europe), concierge/travel desk, and options for breakfast.
3. Convenience
To be more of a remote hotel, it had a lot of conveniences. These included an airport shuttle as well as a cruise terminal shuttle.
And in addition to having a metro, the hotel also has a couple of restaurants including the Sky Bar that features those beautiful views of Copenhagen.
4. Aesthetics
Aesthetics aren’t always at the top of my list, but they are on the list. I try to find a boutique hotel or something featuring the destination’s culture. However, really great room views and unique architecture work for me too when there are other supporting perks.
5. Reviews
I always read reviews on hotels before I book and the AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen gets really good reviews. You can book your room here!
Know Before You Go
AC Hotel Bella Sky
Center Boulevard 5 Copenhagen 2300 Denmark
+45-32-47-30-00
1. Airport Shuttle: Runs to/from the airport on a set schedule and costs 15 DKK ($2.50 USD) per person each way. No need for reservations. You can find out more information here.
2. Cruise Terminal Shuttle: The hotel does provide one and you do need reservations as it fills up quickly. If you need this service, I recommend booking it when you book your hotel stay. You can either call the hotel or email them. We actually booked when we checked in and got the last 2 seats on the shuttle. It is a long way from the hotel to the cruise terminal so this would end up being an expensive taxi ride if you miss out!
3. Metro: The metro ticket system can be tricky.
- Bella Center is the station by the hotel. There’s kiosks only, no actual person working.
- Instead of inserting tickets into machines for access, tickets are randomly checked by attendants on the metro. Make sure you know where yours is at all times.
- You can purchase single tickets or City Passes. These tickets are also good on the buses and trains. Unless you know you are only doing one metro roundtrip within a couple of hours, I recommend the City Pass because…
- Copenhagen puts a time limit on their single tickets of 1-2 hours depending on the zone type. This isn’t revealed on the kiosk when purchasing and is located in very fine print on the ticket. So don’t just assume because you bought your roundtrip ticket that you are golden until whenever you choose to return that day. The fine is pretty steep if you are caught with an expired ticket.
- You can find all ticket information here.
PIN IT!
This at least provides you with another option other than just expensive, city center accommodations. Of note, I was a full paying customer. I didn’t receive a discount or anything in exchange for this post. I really enjoyed my stay and felt the hotel offered value and hopefully, you do too!
So, what team do you typically side with? Are you team hardcore city center/where the action is, team cheap as possible/don’t care where it’s located, or does team compromise (like this) work for you?
‘Til next time…
Trimm Travels,
I totally understand your pain – I also spend waaaaay too much time deciding where to stay! The hotel looks really cool and I love your shots of the green building too. I will have to add Copenhagen to my bucketlist 🙂
Hi Anna, glad to know I’m not the only one who struggles in this area! Thank you for that reassurance! LOL! Copenhagen is really nice. Thanks for reading!
Nice pictures. I have lived in Copenhagen and know the area well – I worked close to the metro. It’s a cool area with a lot of new buildings, but I guess you have to go further into Copenhagen to really get the feel of the city. BUT – that’s really easy with the metro, and the hotel prices in the center are ridiculous. So I think you made a good choice:-)
Hi Line! Good to know you think this was a good choice considering you lived in Copenhagen! Yes, hotel prices in the center are ridiculous and the metro just made this so easy so I felt it was a win-win. Thanks for reading!
The AC looks like a beautiful hotel and you can’t beat those views but I am a hard-core city center guy. In part, it’s about getting the true experience of a place by seeing it in all lights. More than that, it’s about hard numbers. There is a bit of a cost savings with transportation and more availability of food but it’s really about time. When I travel, I can amerterize a cost per day for being on the road. That is how much every minute of every day costs me if I am sitting at the pool or commuting to see something I really want to see. Getting to spend more time on task can be directly linked to how much it cost me to go somewhere. We believe in activity driven travel, which clearly dictates where to stay.
Hi Ed! That’s cool-glad that works for you! It’s all about preferences. I believe in “to each his own” and “what works for one doesn’t always work for another” which is the beauty of travel. If we all did it the same way, it would be pretty boring huh? Like you, I also enjoy activity driven travel, staying in the city center and being type A, but for me, a lot (as explained in this post) goes into choices made and each destination and situation is different. Thanks for reading!
What a great hotel choice! The pics are looking really special. I will keep that in my mind – hopefully I can visit Copenhagen soon.
Have a nice day and safe travels
Martina
Hi Martina! Thanks and hopefully you’ll get to visit Copenhagen soon! Thank you for reading!
These are very interesting accommodations. The design elements are so unique. I really like the way they number the doors with those LED lights. Very chic and glamorous.
Hi Punita, I thought the same thing! I had never seen room numbers in sparkly LED lights! I loved it, very unique! Thanks for reading!
This looks really good. When in Copenhagen, I’m doing the same: I always stay in the outskirts and pay a friction of the prices in the center. And since the public transport system is really good, I’m losing maybe – all in all – 40 minutes per day; no biggie. Plus, public transportation is included in the Copenhagen Card which every single tourist should get, anyway, so…where’s my train, baby? Another thing that makes staying in outskirts attractive – at least to me – is that you get to experience how local people live. I like that a lot.
Hi Renata, Very true, I never thought about how staying in the outskirts is a way to experience how the local lives, but that is true well to an extent anyway since it is still a hotel! 😉 I don’t always stay on the outskirts though, sometimes I do stay in the city center. Just depends on all the factors I take into consideration. Thanks for reading!
What interesting architecture and a cool way to display the room numbers! It’s great that you have some greenery to look at versus a city street. I’m one to always pick a hotel outside the city centre since I hate cities. 🙂
Hi Delisa, yes this hotel is quite ideal for people who don’t like cities and it does have incredible greenery and views. I thought the way they displayed the room numbers was cool too! Thanks for reading!
Love the hotel choice. The decision on where to stay is always hard for me. I haven’t been to Copenhagen yet, but it is on my bucket list.
Hi Laura, glad to know I’m not the only one who has this problem! 🙂 Thanks for reading!
“The rooms aren’t huge, but that’s Europe.”
What do you mean by this?
Hi! Hotel rooms (elevators also) in Europe are known for being smaller than we are used to in the US 🙂