DenmarkNovember 6, 2026, by Maartje

Hotel The Monica on Ærø, Denmark

Remote Places, Sleeping wing
Denmark, November 6, 2026, by Maartje

Hotel The Monica on Ærø, Denmark

A bright green front door on a cobblestone street, and behind it a hostess who cooks for you herself. Hotel The Monica in Ærøskøbing, on the Danish island of Ærø, is a boutique hotel with three rooms and one hostess: Monica Conradsen. We haven't been there ourselves yet, but this address – Hotel The Monica on Ærø, Denmark – is at the very top of our list.

About Hotel The Monica

About Hotel The Monica

Monica Conradsen lived in various countries for 25 years, from Hong Kong to Africa, and furnished one house after another along the way. A former model, globetrotter, and clearly someone who doesn't like bare walls. She poured all that experience into an old townhouse on the Brogade, right in the heart of Ærøskøbing. Hotel The Monica features three double rooms, and you rent the entire house for your own party, with full board. Monica cooks, serves, and hosts herself. So you are essentially staying at someone's home, except you don't have to do the dishes. Is there just the two of you? Then there is the Garden Room, a separate garden house that you book with breakfast only.

You can tell Monica has good taste right on the sidewalk. That green front door is a Farrow & Ball color, and the color extravaganza continues inside. Plum-colored panels and striped, hand-painted wallpaper hang in the dark hallway, and furthermore, Monica dares to try color combinations that most people shy away from in their own homes. She designed the kitchen herself, with a carpenter who made the island. Upstairs, there is a library filled with design books and art. One room is painted a sunny yellow, and another has its own door to the garden. In every room, there are fresh flowers, art hanging on the walls, and a stack of books. Hygge, but with guts.

Monica cooks everything herself in an open kitchen. On warm days, you eat in the courtyard or the garden, and lunch is served under the fig tree. In the afternoon, there is a Japanese-style afternoon tea with homemade Danish cake. Monica cooks with products from Ærø and the rest of Denmark, and everything is served on tableware by a ceramist from the island. Our favorite detail isn't even on the menu: the bedding dries on a line in the herb garden.

Next to the hotel, Monica has its own shop: Boutique The Monica. There you will find unique books, gifts, and other items you won't find anywhere else. In short, it is the place where you can buy everything you saw at the hotel and wanted to take home. Handy, and dangerous for your baggage limit.

Hotel The Monica is made for a group of friends or family who want the whole house to themselves and let themselves be pampered three times a day. It is also possible for just the two of you, in the Garden Room. A fair note: three rooms and only one party at a time means you have to book well in advance. last minute So this probably won't be a weekend getaway. Fancy seeing more of Denmark? Then read our road trip through Jutland

Near

Near

Ærøskøbing itself is an outing: cobblestone streets and a square with shops and cafes. We are adding these addresses to our list.

The Old KøbmandsgaardThe old grocery store on Torvet Square is now a café and delicatessen with products from the island. This is where you go for lunch with smørrebrød, and then you fill your bag with local cheese, Ærø whisky, and salt. dgkshop.com

Hammerich's House: a half-timbered house in the center of Ærøskøbing that is now a museum. Low ceilings, crooked corners, and the town in miniature. aeroemuseum.dk

Bathhouses of ÆrøskøbingThe colorful bathhouses on the coast date from the early 1920s and are privately owned. You cannot go inside, but they are certainly photogenic.

Skjoldnæs FyrThis granite lighthouse stands on the northwest tip of the island. Climb to the top for a view of the sea and the surrounding islands.

themonica.dk

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