Here’s what the LUXE people say:

Clean, green and on the scene, the land of the long-leggedy lovelies
spans 14 islands of the beautiful archipelago and spangles them with
treasures, from her medieval Old Town to her wealth of museums, art
and nature in all directions. With crystal waters, world class restos,
vibrant cultural scene, and her famed Scandi design aesthetic ranging
from fash to furny and everything in between, she may be spenny, but
hot damn is she worth it. Valkommen till Stockholm!

Want to find the loveliest places to stay from palaces to boutiques to
homely B&B’s or even a private boat? Want the finest food from Michelin
maestros to artisanal kitchens and local hidden caffs. Want to find
stashes of vintage fashion, furniture and decor and discover the cities
finest designers from shoes to lifestyle? Fancy your own yacht, personal
museum guide, or food guru to show you the markets and taste the local
seasonally sourced delicacies? Want the absolute cream of the mod Scandi
design world, or even to customise your own interior pieces? Want the
best and to avoid all the rest? Well, of course you do. And now you can.

LUXE Stockholm. Chic, fun and terribly useful.

LUXE Stockholm guide review -Here’s what I say:

Packaging:

Purse or front pocket size on card stock that folds accordion style. It comes in a plastic sleeve to hold it together. I don’t think it’s printed on recycled paper, or at least it isn’t labeled as such.

Tone:

Concise, snappy British English with words like, spenny (expensive), brekky (breakfast), bugbear (complaint), and of course loo (toilet).

Content – The LUXE Stockholm guide is divided into the following sections:

1. Hej Sötis (Hi sweetie – usually directed to a child or when being flirtatious) greeting.

2. Overview – Straight and to the point in only two full sentences.

3. Blah Blah – 16 general info bullet points, 4 need-to-know Swedish words/phrases.

4. Accommodation – The 12 Stockholm and two suburban hotels recommended by LUXE can be booked at luxecityguides.com with categories ranging from Action Station, Comfy Contempo, to Mamma Mia.

5. Restaurants – OK, the LUXE Guide crew really likes to eat. In this section you will find information on 49 places for fine dining, smart/casual, relaxed, lunch/brunch, and coffee n’ cake.

6. Bars – 10 bars are listed which is a very select list when one considers how many bars there are in Stockholm. How many bars are there in Stockholm?

7. Clubs – Wow, only four are listed, including one that shares my middle name, with Café Opera omitted. Bravo LUXE. I think that place is overrated though I feel the average tourist would be remiss if they didn’t go there and conclude for themselves that the place is overrated. Maybe people like Will Smith (I wasn’t there that night) went there because he didn’t have a copy of the LUXE Stockholm guide.

8. Spa and Beauty – These 11 recommendations include actual spas, make up stores, an outdoor rooftop heated pool as well as where to take a yoga class. One recommendation claims to have been a favorite of Stockholmer Great Garbo.

9. Museums – One can easily spend a week visiting museums in a capital city only to regret having spent the entrance fee and time inside. LUXE lists 10 must-see museums. That greatly helps when having to pare down to just a few.

10. Activities – Not your basic activities, or maybe they are: boat rides, skydiving, foodie tours, glass blowing and more are included in the 12 recommendations.

11. Very useful information – 16 bits of information that can come in handy including emergency care, limousine service, personal guides, buying wine and beers and getting your clothes cleaned and shoes repaired.

12. Shopping itineraries – If shopping is one of the main reasons you travel you will be delighted to find several shopping itineraries included in the LUXE Stockholm guide for interiors and fashion, fashion and accessories, vintage and antiques, funk fashion and vintage, as well as stores to visit on Birger Jarlsgatan, Östermalm, Södermalm/SOFO (South of Folkungagatan – OK, I’d never heard of SOFO but it does crack me up when Stockholm tries to give New York City attitude), Odengatan/Upplansgatan and Gamla Stan.
–Standout design – The best in vintage, new classics, modern, signature prints, elegance, old values, gadgets and 4 more are listed.
–Standout stores – 14 stores that sell everything from film and fresh fish to press samples at 50% off from one of Sweden’s leading fashion brands.
–Advanced shopping – need custom made furniture or one of a kind wallpaper? You get the idea of what is included in the 10 listings.

The guide concludes with a list of 14 things/places that LUXE Loves about Stockholm and (eek) 5 things LUXE Loathes about Stockholm. Only 5? They didn’t talk to any expats (ouch).

Highlights:

While everyone’s taste is different the LUXE guide lives up to its mantra of chic, fun and rather useful. This isn’t your “do Stockholm on $50 a day” guide. Rather it is “here’s how to do Stockholm if you’ve got money to spend. But even if you don’t have a wad of kroner to blow this LUXE guide includes plenty of affordable must-sees.

Lowlights:

The print is very small and in all capital letters.

Love factor:

I hated to get to the last page of the guide. It was an entertaining read.

Personal note:

I don’t know whether to be depressed or grateful for having read the LUXE Stockholm guide. Of the 123 LUXE listings (excluding the shopping itineraries) packed into this compact guide I have only eaten at 4 restaurants/lunch/coffee establishments, drank in 5 bars, partied at 1 club, indulged at 1 spa & beauty business, visited 4 museums and participated in 3 activities recommended.

After a short pause I’ve decided I’m grateful to LUXE for they have given me literally dozens of solid leads and motivation to be a professional tourist in my adopted city. Winter be damned; I’m going to check out these LUXE recommended places (excluding hotel accommodations, though I will recommend them to out of towners) one by one. Look for a new series on Stockholm Expat where I explore Stockholm the LUXE way.

LUXE Stockholm Guide give-a-way – 25 August through 8 September

The lovely people at LUXE City Guides want to give 4 Stockholm Expat readers their very own LUXE Stockholm guide. For a chance to get your hands on one answer the following question via the comment section below or email to: expat@stockholmexpat.com:
What do you like most about Stockholm and why? If that question is too lame for you and you’re up for it, share your favorite Stockholm experience.

*Disclosure: I am fortunate enough to have 5 LUXE Stockholm City Guides to give away but I am saving one to give away to a lucky new member of the American Women’s Club Stockholm.

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