Rex Hotel

The Rex Hotel is a family-run boutique hotel in Vasastaden with rates that regularly fall into splurgeworthy Cheapo territory. The Rex is that rare Stockholm beast: a well-outfitted design hotel with weekend rates within our range.

The hotel's lobby is characterized by tropical plants and teak wood furniture, both of which provide a nice balance to its otherwise standard Scandinavian crispness. Photographer Per Hellsten, the Rex's gregarious owner, also owns the four-star Hotel Hellsten across the street, and he is often seen around the hotel. Hellsten also owns the more Cheapo-friendly Rex Petit, located below ground level in the Rex Hotel's building.

The Rex occupies a renovated 1860s townhouse in which brick-walled hallways yield to modern, bright rooms. The little touches are the most impressive: Hellsten's framed photos grace the halls and guestrooms. Bathrooms are outfitted in slate sent from Greece, and toiletries are particularly swanky.

The hotel is surrounded by television studios, publishing houses, and other creative offices. It's close to the metro and an easy stroll to Drottninggatan and the city center.