NIMB HOTEL, Copenhagen 1-hour 55-minute flight from London
And breathe. Arriving at Nimb Hotel for its weekend Winter Retreat, I can feel my shoulders loosen and my breathing slow as the penny drops – I’ve been given permission to relax. My suite, I joyfully note, feels of similar square footage to my entire two-bed flat and is everything you’d expect from five-star Danish design – luxurious, definitely, but tasteful rather than lavish. There’s a nod to the hotel’s heritage with antiques dotted throughout, but the giant four-poster bed, beautiful soft linens and up-to-the minute technology make the overall vibe contemporary. Oh, and the bathroom is pure Scandi chic – all fresh white walls, natural wood and buffed stone. I make a mental note to spend as much time in here as possible.
Over the next three days, I happily submit to the wellness programme of morning and evening yoga and holistic beauty treatments (the Winter Healing Facial leaves my skin feeling wonderfully perky, and Body, Mind Therapy, a holistic massage, helps me to switch off). The retreat offers a special vegan menu – think Ottolenghi-style salads and a superfoodladen breakfast buffet. We have lunch at Nimb’s dreamy Restaurant Gemyse – an organic, sustainable and beautifully designed space with its own kitchen garden – which is filled with light, and bunches of kale replace flowers in vases. In the evening, we dine in a candlelit converted greenhouse, with a glowing wood-burning stove, surrounded by stacks of teetering terracotta pots, growing herbs and piles of logs.
It would be easy to hibernate here for a weekend, but if you’re keen to explore, there’s plenty to see and do on the doorstep. Nimb is set in Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens (one of the oldest amusement parks in the world and a must-do, especially at Christmas), which is a stone’s throw from the harbour, with its iconic multicoloured buildings. From here you can take a guided boat tour through the idyllic canals or munch your way around the new gourmet food market, Torvenhallerne. The term ‘hygge’ is in danger of becoming worn out, but if you’re keen to experience it first hand, then head to Copenhagen and succumb to serenity.
LUCY JESSOP