Newspaper Article

Attention to retail ; If you're thinking about where to do your Christmas shopping, why not expand your horizons? Here, the travel team bring you the best shops in the world, from Stockholm to Sao Paolo

RHIANNON BATTEN, LYDIA GARD, LUCY GILLMORE, STEPHEN BAYLEY

2004

Overview

This form-and-function attitude extends to the city's hospitality industry, too. Spend a night in almost any of the city's hotels and, as you step sleepily into your bathroom the following morning, the sleek, tiled floor will gently toast the bottoms of your feet. Likewise, the recently renovated Cafe Opera boasts a dramatic new bar that may look good propped up by the city's fashionistas but whose secondary purpose is to softly cast light up to the belle epoque ceiling above. And, at Nouveau Riche, one of the city's best- loved restaurants, designer Jonas Bohlin has maintained the glamorously high ceilings but given the atmosphere a softer edge by hanging Design Torget's quirky chandeliers from the ceiling; each one is a huge metallic globe supporting about 40 upturned wine glasses. Equally eccentric glasses can be bought (but sadly not kept) at the city's Ice Bar. Throw on a glamorous fur-lined poncho, stuff your hands into warm mittens and head into a room made of ice to neck vodka from frozen cocktail glasses for as long as your lips can stand the cold (or until your glass melts). The glasses are hewn from ice shipped in from the river Torne in northern Sweden, where the Ice Hotel is based. Hotel J at 1 Ellensviksvagen, Nacka Strand (00 46 8601 3000; www.hotelj.com) has double rooms from Skr950 (pounds 72) including breakfast. Nordic Light, Vasaplan (00 46 8505 63300, www.nordichotels.se) has rooms from Skr1,190 (pounds 91); all are comfortable, well-equipped and come with funky light effects and breakfast. For more traditional surroundings, try the Hotel Esplanade at 7a Strandvagen (00 46 8663 0740, www.hotelesplanade.se). Doubles here start at Skr1,695(pounds 130), including breakfast. There are various Wayne's Coffee branches across Stockholm (www.waynescoffee.se); Nitty Gritty is at 26 Krukmakargatan (00 46 824 0044; www.nittygritty.se); R.O.O.M is at 20 Alstromergatan (00 46 8692 5000; www.room.se); Design Torget at various locations (www.designtorget.se); Cafe Opera is on Kungstradgarden (00 46 8676 5807), Nouveau Riche is at 4 Birger Jarlsgatan (00 46 8545 03560), and the Ice Bar is at the Nordic Sea Hotel on Vasaplan (00 46 850 56 3000; www.nordichotels.se).

• Publisher: Independent Digital News & Media