World’s first Jumbo Jet Hostel in Stockholm
For something more unusual, the world’s first Jumbo Jet Hostel is set to open at Uppsala, near Arlanda airport, in mid-December 2008 (www.jumbohostel.com). Businessman Oscar Diös has been given permission to operate the jet as a 25-room hostel, with the jet staying firmly on the ground. Just a ten-minute walk from the departure hall and with beds from as little as £22 per night, the hostel is ideal for guests with a very early flight the next day. The three-bed rooms are approximately six square metres in size, and each one has a flat-screen TV where guests can watch TV or, if they choose, the departure times for all flights from the airport. All rooms offer a shower and toilet in the corridor, apart from a few rooms upstairs which boast their own en-suite shower and WC. The pièce de résistance of the hostel has to be the suite in the converted cockpit which offers panoramic views of the airport, with the controls left in tact, ideal for anyone who wants to pretend to be a pilot for the day. For those who don’t want to stay the night, the hostel also offers a café serving breakfast, coffee and basic meals to visitors and guests, as well as tours where people can explore the plane and enjoy the view from the walkway on the jumbo jet’s wing.
Ski in central Stockholm
Visitors to Stockholm this winter will be able to enjoy a spot of skiing thanks to the opening of Skistar’s Hammarbybacken skiing complex last season (www.skistar.com). Conveniently located by Hammarby Sjostad station, it’s a case of hopping on a train from the centre of the city and walking to the lifts with your skis under your arm. Thanks to the new snow-cannon system for the 2008-9 season there will be enough snow to open the slopes as soon as there have been a few days with temperatures five degrees below zero. There are four slopes in the complex named after Skistar’s ski resorts in northern Sweden: Åre, Vemdalen, Trysil and Sälen, and the centre has capacity for 2,400 people per hour on the 750m-long slopes. First-timers can learn in the beginner ski-school and all ski equipment can be hired on site. Skiers and boarders can take a break from the action at ‘Cliff on the Slope’ which serves waffles, simple hot meals, buns and cakes.