Review of Clarion Hotel Stockholm 4*

Pros + Two TV's in the room, one in the upstairs living area and one integrated into the bed end. + TV integrated into the bed end was hoisted up and down electronically + Good looking room + Generally clean and fresh hotel and room + Nice and friendly staff Cons — Loud ventilation in the room that we couldn't shut off or lower — No means to connect a phone or mp3-player to the speakers that obviously wasn't even used. Not even radio via the TV. — Both of the TV's responded to either remote control so when we tried to watch TV downstairs the upstairs TV also powered on, which was very annoying — The breakfast was extensive but bland, the hotel would do better to have a less extensive but better cooked breakfast instead. A large selection isn't everything. — No water kettle or coffee in the room — The wardrobe in the room was vey poorly designed. The drawer inside the wardrobe scarcely pulled out because of the width, that was almost as wide as the opening when the sliding door was fully opened — No personal safe in the room — The glass on the outside pool was really mangy and hadn't been cleaned in ages it seemed — One of the bathrobes we recieved at the spa had a large rip in it Me and my wife checked in to a suite for new years 2012/13 as part of a New Years Eve package, which included a junior suite with breakfast, five course dinner and a one day spa-access for the both of us. The price was 3990 SEK for the both of us for one night. The suite was a two floor room, and very nice with an excellent view over the south parts of Stockholm, with the Ericsson Globe as a prominent part of the backdrop seen through the huge windows. The dinner was OK, although one of the appetizers wasn't to mine or my wife's liking. Also, the dessert was not very tasty in my opinion. It was way too large and overpowering with lots of rich chocolate and raspberry jam and cream, not very subtle. The main course consisting of pepper marinated filet of beef and a potato spring roll with pepper sauce and one of the other appetizers with scallops and lobster however was very nice. The main problem was that this dinner was pre-composed, so I expected that all the courses and tastes should fit better together than they actually did. The drink package for this dinner was however well suited and worth it's price in my opinion. Now to the thing that bothered me the most though; the "Upstairs Bar. " Me and my wife ordered us a couple of drinks. She a Margarita and I a Caipirinha. The Margarita was ok at best, but at 120 SEK it was a ripoff. But the Caipirinha was an outright scam! The bartender used only extracts and, at best, pre-squeezed lime juice. The liquor he used was dark to the color so I doubt that it was Cachaça he poured into the glass, he probably used some rum instead. Everything was completely wrong. A Caipirinha is built in a glass with around eight lime wedges, cane sugar, muddled, topped with crushed ice and Cachaça, not blended with extracts, two measly lime wedges he didn't bother to muddle, and charged 120 SEK! I would have gladly paid that price and even bought another one if only the bartender had been knowledgeable and proud of his occupation, but as it was, this was a ripoff! The taste was nothing to write home about either, not surprisingly. All in all, the quality impression was so so, considering the price we paid, the fact that the room was a junior suite which in my opinion should entail more quality and attention to detail, and the pros and cons lists above. I will most likely not stay here again. Possibly I will try the restaurant again, but that's it.