Queen's Hotel, Stockholm

Along Drottninggatan, one of Stockholm’s busiest and best-known shopping streets, big international chains dominate the hotel scene.

Queen’s Hotel, which opened in 1930, is a refreshingly independent spot with spacious rooms, some of which overlook Drottninggatan itself.

But the strange interiors – part modern, part classic, and partly worn out – let the whole place down a bit. The good news is that even the standard rooms are clean and tidy, with classic wooden floors. These rooms come with their own desk, a flatscreen TV and a reasonable en-suite bathroom.

Family rooms have globe-shaped chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and are quite a bit more spacious: these have big double beds and separate, chocolate-brown sofa beds, which can comfortably sleep two children.

Really, what you’re paying for here is the location. Though as we said, there are lots of other hotels just outside the door – so shop around first. You’ll find reviews of other hotels near Drottninggatan here.