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If you know me (even a little), and I think you do if you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you’ll know that I grew up listening to ABBA. My mum is a big fan, and she spent her teens travelling to Sweden to see them live. I still remember being young and asking her if she collected anything as a kid, and she replied: “I collected ABBA items”.
So, you can imagine my excitement when I learned that I would be staying at Slottsholmen during a recent visit to Sweden! You see, Slottsholmen is Björn Ulvaeus’ hotel! You know, ABBA-Björn, as we call him. Björn owns and developed the hotel, and it is actually run by his daughter, Anna.
Fun fact: Björn is from Västervik, which is where Slottsholmen is located.
Now, I had some fantasy that he would be sitting in the lobby playing the piano at some point during our stay, but he didn’t. However, I was told that people have indeed met him at the hotel in the past, as he often visits. So if you’re hoping to shake hands with 1/4th of ABBA, this may be the best place to be.
Checking in: Slottsholmen Hotel
As mentioned, Slottsholmen is located in Västervik. This is a beautiful coastal town in Sweden’s Småland, with an archipelago of 5000 islands on its doorstep (the Tjust archipelago is worth exploring, and Västervik is the perfect base for it). Slottsholmen itself has become a hub on the water, with an incredible restaurant (more on that later), a bar and lounge where you can enjoy the views of the water (and a killer gin tonic), and nothing but suites in their repertoire.
Did you notice that small mention at the end? The rooms at Slottsholmen are all suites! Meaning they all have king-size beds, balconies, breathtaking views, and that’s not even the best part. Every single room is equipped with an LP Player and a collection of classic records (ranging from ABBA, of course, to Led Zeppelin, Queen and Elvis Presley). I stayed in a studio suite, and couldn’t have felt more like a princess (or an 80’s dancing queen, depending on the record I was playing). My suite had a washing machine, a fully equipped kitchen and an espresso machine. There was also a full-sized dining table, so if you feel like entertaining during your stay; you could.
Side note: naturally I had to FaceTime my mum from my suite with “I Kissed the Teacher” blasting on the record player.
I only spent one night at Slottsholmen but would have loved to stay longer. I enjoyed a great night’s sleep, some killer music (I forgot how much I loved “Knowing me, Knowing you”), and also got to watch the sunset over the waterfront before dinner.
Dining at Slottsholmen, Västervik
We were treated to the new 5-course autumn menu at Slottsholmen, and you can imagine my excitement when I learned that each course would be paired with a glass of wine from their massive wine list. As I have said time and time again, I am not a food writer, but after eating my way through some incredible restaurants in Gothenburg, having some unique dining experiences in Småland, and now this evening at Slottsholmen, I dare say that Sweden alone is changing me. The food was just that good.
One of the things I loved about the menu was that 3 out of 5 courses were vegetarian! They used local ingredients and produce in such a way that meat wasn’t necessary to make the dishes complete (in my opinion). Pictured below is tartar of beetroot, which had me checking twice because I thought there would be meat involved, haha. It was so good, and with a perfect wine pairing, the experience was made even better.
Now, that’s not to say that the meat dishes disappointed. I have never been a huge fan of pork, for no particular reason. It has simply never been my pick when I have other options. But at Slottholmen I had the best rib I have tried in my entire life (no joke), and so now I have decided to stop saying that. In short; if you are visiting Västervik without staying at Slottsholmen, make sure to book a table in their restaurant for an incredible dining experience.
Summing up
To sum up, staying at Slottsholmen is a great experience, whether you are travelling solo (and can enjoy your king-size bed all alone, like me), or with a family, their suites will have you covered. If you are travelling with kids, you’ll love that you have access to a washer and a kitchen. Additionally, the balcony can be used to enjoy a nice glass of wine after they have been put to bed.
From the cozy atmosphere in the bar and lobby, complete with great views and fires roaring (if it’s cold outside), to the massive suites and ABBA records you can play on repeat, I couldn’t recommend Slottsholmen enough!
Side note: the suites are incredibly well isolated, as neither I nor my travelling party could hear each other blasting music as loud as we could in our suites.
