The last time I visited Trondheim, I stayed at the Radisson Blu out at the airport, which is fine, but a bit remote. This time around, I figured it made sense to stay somewhere in the centre of town to enjoy the summer, and just commute by train to the course venue at the airport.
Location
The Britannia Hotel is located on a quiet street in the centre of Trondheim. The famous Nidaros Cathedral is about ten minutes away by foot. From the main railway station at Trondheim Sentral it’s just a short walk of under ten minutes to the hotel.
Check-In
There are two young men at reception, looking dapper in their tailored suits. One of them immediately attends to me. He welcomes me to the hotel and inquires about my journey. He tells me it’s the first nice day they’ve had up here in three months.
The reception area is very nicely done, with light marble everywhere. Everything about the hotel looks new. The lobby is nicely decorated with bouquets of elegant, colourful flowers.
The young man at reception gives me a brief summary of the hotel’s services and then guides me to the lifts. My room is on the fifth floor. The lifts at the Britannia fascinate me. They’re the type where you have to select your floor before you enter the lift. What I’m fascinated by, is the fact that during my entire stay I not once share a lift with anybody else.
Deluxe Double Room
I’ve booked a standard room. However, when I arrive at the hotel, the receptionist informs me that I’ve been upgraded to a deluxe double room overlooking the quiet street that the hotel’s main entrance is on.
As in the lobby, the finishings in the room are very nice and look as though they were recently installed. The windows overlooking the street are facing the door.
There’s a small coffee table with an armchair facing the working desk and the bed behind it. The desk has two installed electric plugs and also houses the safe in a drawer underneath.
The bed is quite narrow. I think it’s more than fine for one person, but for two adults I think it might be a bit tight. Other than that, it’s very comfortable, with a nice firm mattress.
The washroom is gorgeous and kept in the same marble design as the lobby downstairs. There are twin sinks and the shower passes the flood test with flying colours. The water temperature is a bit fiddly to adjust and set just right. But it’s a lovely shower with good pressure. The cosmetics are by a brand I’m not familiar with, but they smell lovely! There’s also a dental kit, shaving kit, comb, and shower cap in the washroom.
Amenities
The room has good amenities. In the entré there’s a kettle and a Nespresso coffee machine with a broad selection of capsules and Twining’s teas. There’s also a stocked minibar.
On my desk when I arrive is a card welcoming me to the hotel, as well as a small box with two macarons and two biscuits.
There are also two fluffy bathrobes and two pairs of funky green slippers, one sized L and the other sized S.
The Britannia also provides an evening turn down service. The room is tidied and a small chocolate and still water are placed on my bedside table.
Dining – Breakfast at Palmhaven
There are two restaurants at the Britannia Hotel. The larger is the Palmhaven, which is where breakfast is served. The breakfast is an impressive and very extensive buffet. It’s not just that there’s so much to choose from, they make everything looks so nice too.
Dining – Dinner at the Brasserie
The second restaurant is the Brasserie, which is open all day and has an à la carte menu. The selection of dishes is fairly limited. However, there are some interesting choices. The food here is excellent and very nicely prepared. I have the trout with charred cabbage with a side salad and a plate of homemade chips. And a tarte tatin for dessert…
The Service & Staff
All the staff at the Britannia Hotel have impeccable manners and have been trained well. The service is flawless. Every time I pass by the lobby, the two receptionists and the bellman greet me. But also in the two restaurants there are never any waits and the staff interact with customers with ease and charm.
Conclusion
The Britannia Hotel really is a lovely place. It’s very well managed and it’s quite impressive just how well the staff are trained. Either that, or they’re just genuinely friendly and efficient. The buffet at breakfast is nothing short of fabulous, with just so many thing to choose from. All in all, this has been a very pleasurable stay at one of the best hotels I’ve stayed at in a long time.
Sounds like you lucked out with the weather.
The hotel is a bit on the grey side, but looks like a nice place overall. But was there no TV in the room?
Good point that you noticed. That was actually rather funky. The TV was laid into the mirror on the wall opposite the bed. When I first entered the room, the TV was on. I switched it off and forgot about it, simply because it wasn’t there anymore, if you see what I mean. Out of sight, out of mind. It wasn’t until the day I left that I came across the remote control and remembered that there was a TV.
Looks good!
Definitely. For me this hotel pretty much ticked all the boxes.
Francis Kurkdjian! Your toiletries were by the nose behind Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male, Baccarat Rouge from his eponymous Maison, and most recently the perfumer for Christian Dior.
Thanks for the clarification! I’m a bit surprised that the scent of the toiletries was created by the same person who created Le Male, which I always found a bit too heavy. Then again, I guess mastery shows in its diversity. Is perfume your business or a hobby, if I may ask?
Indeed, Kurkdjian’s compositions span a wide scent profile. The man behind Le Male is also the author of Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea! The two could not be more different.
Perfumery is a passion for me, as Is aviation and travel.
Well, that explains it. So, are you also a collector? I’m guessing you’ve read Patrick Süsskind’s Perfume? It’s rather an intriguing read.
My current favourite is Acqua di Parma’s Colonia. They recently introduced a new scent, Il Profumo, which has a very elegant, beautiful top note. However, once that evaporates, the heart note is rather heavy and smells like so many of those other heavy perfumes that are popular nowadays.
If you love AdP you must try Buongiorno (if you haven’t already). It’s one of their newer releases and is an absolute stunner. It has a juicy, succulent bite that’s quite transportive to summertime in Italy, and doesn’t dry down to something heavy at all. There are plenty of citrus colognes to be found but this one really stopped me in my tracks.
I do collect Guerlain in their iconic bee bottles. They are both beautiful to behold and to smell. Though I must say I have yet to come across anything that has inspired me to orgiastic cannibalism (which is a good thing!).
Thanks for the heads up, I’ll give Buongiorno a try and let you know.
Okay, so I found Acqua di Parma’s Buongiorno. It’s a nice smell, but it’s a bit too citrusy for me. The grapefruit gives it a sharpness that I don’t like so much. What I specifically like about the Colonia is that is has this clean, soapy smell.
Ah fair enough. One of the better “Italian barbershop expensive shaving soap” scents I’ve come across is Prada’s original Amber Pour Homme. It’s a rectangular clear glass and silver metal bottle with purple juice. It’s remarkably polished and sophisticated for what was a department store fragrance. It’s sadly been discontinued but you can still find it at fragrance discounters.
I like that, because it summarizes it perfectly. But that’s what I like about Acqua di Parma. That shaving soap smell makes it a uniquely male scent.
I suppose its my ‘fault’ , but i just cant Rhapsodise over what are basically just smells————– i Do like the classic ‘Aqua di palma’ fragrance[dont know the name] and also the DIOR mens fragrance that has been around for ages—— cant remember the name. I spent 20 years working for Saint Laurent——- fragrance wise i didnt like anything—— too ‘cheap’ and heavy[opium?]. The one smell i liked was ‘Y’
Just remembered———Eau Sauvage——- a nice fresh fragrance[if i had to choose anything!]
Not so fast, young man. They’re obviously not “just smells”. It takes true mastery to create a timless masterpiece like Chanel No 5, for example. So many perfumes have come and gone, long forgotten. But Chanel No 5 has existed for over a hundred years and remains the epitome of female elegance and grace.
Well,yes——up to a point!!
Well, thinking further about this you can see that my comments are entirely valid. Having worked for ,over 20 years in the trade[although not directly with perfumes,i have a fairly in depth knowledge of the trade—— there is a lot of pseudery in it, so i think my comments dont need to be ridiculed!!!
I’m also a bit over sensitive William——- its the bane of my life!
One final thing William.Even you seem to have been taken in by the No5 propaganda!——-‘Timeless masterpiece’ ‘female elegance and grace’!!!!!———— its just a best selling Fragrance—— Thats all!