CPH Living

Class: Comfort

Style: Modern design

Rooms: 12

CPH Living is a stylishly converted two-level barge with 12 rooms moored in the city’s harbour and billed as the first floating hotel in Scandinavia. CPH Living has clearly put a premium on its cool, efficient rooms and lovely waterside views of central Copenhagen. Services and amenities, however, give new meaning to the word “minimalist.”

LOCATION

Though set on a quiet residential bank of the harbor, CPH Living is less than a 15-minute walk from many points of interest, including Central Station, the Radhuspladsen (city square), Tivoli Gardens amusement park and Christianshavn subway station.

ROOMS

Smallish and angular, the standard double rooms are filled with smooth walnut-colored wood surfaces, including the long plank floors and rectangular slab desk. A sleek wooden armoire is a portrait of efficiency, thanks to many clever sliding compartments. Furnishings run the gamut of Scandinavian design, from Ikea desk lamps to the classic Arne Jacobsen wooden desk chairs. The beds, whose mattresses are topped with foam pads, are exceptionally comfortable. Though a flat-screen television is on hand for entertainment, the marquee attraction in each room is the panorama that unfolds through the floor-to-ceiling wall of windows. Lone kayakers, sailboats and families of swans pass lazily by, with the spires of the Copenhagen skyline across the channel beyond. Amid the quiet lapping of waves and the gentle rocking motion, the room creates an exceptionally peaceful cocoon that feels sealed off from the city, a feeling heightened by the lack of a telephone (though there is a Wi-Fi network).

BATHROOMS

The small mosaic-tile bathrooms are airy and impeccably clean, but feature only a simple sink, toilet and shower. Don’t expect to find a bathtub, heated towel racks, robes, slippers or even toiletries — only a liquid dispenser that serves as both soap and shampoo.

AMENITIES

“Faciliteter” is the Danish word for “amenities,” but it’s seldom heard at CPH Living. Want a rubdown at a spa or a workout in a gym? You must go find one in the city center. Hungry? The only option is the vending machine in the reception area for a Mars bar and a bottle of Coke. Need to ask the desk about sightseeing tips, arrange for transportation or complain about some problem in the room? You can call the number on the door to the lobby. Other than snuggle in your room, the only thing to do is sit and admire the city view from the rooftop sundeck.

BOTTOM LINE

Pleasure lovers and luxury buffs, this is not your hotel. But if you’re looking for a secluded love nest, a meditation retreat or a novelist’s garret, CPH Living is a fine option. Though you won’t find any frills — and possibly no hotel employees — the cozy rooms and waterside vista are inspiring and calming.