Helnan Marselis Hotel — Hotel in Aarhus Municipality

On the shores of the Bay of Aarhus with miles and miles of partially sheltered coastline for walking/running and swimming, Helnan Marselis hotel is in an idyllic location. Unlike some shorelines of central and northern Denmark that are flat and fairly featureless, the coastline here is a bit rugged and interesting with lingonberry bushes, trees and rocks. We enjoyed watching the waves and taking walks along the shore.

Aarhus, as one of the largest cities in Denmark, has a lot to offer as well. Fortunately, its close enough to walk to along the sidewalk or along the shoreline paths. A 20-minute walk will take you to the havn, shopping areas and some of the old sections.

I'm talking a lot about the surrounding area because that's this hotel's best feature. From the very quiet place it's located to the easy access to everything around. Not to mention that on a clear morning you can watch the sunrise over the bay... Breathtaking.

The hotel itself stretches hundreds of feet along the shore, with many rooms having excellent views of the water. Our room, a deluxe sea view, was ample sized, with a more recently renovated bathroom, a comfortable bed and pillows, two french arm chairs for relaxing and watching the sea. The whole front of the unit was floor to ceiling windows with a very large sliding glass door that was as large as half the window length (about 6-7'). Also had a nice balcony.

That said, the hotel is showing its age and losing some shine. We were glad to be on an upper floor. The hotel is built into the hillside, two floors up, two down. Still, it's a classic and a gem of a find.

Front desk staff was friendly and helpful. Breakfast staff was friendly also. Overall, breakfast was good, though better on Saturday and Sunday than Friday. A fair selection and good...

I have been vacationing in Denmark every summer for the last 25 years. My husband is Danish and has family in Aarhus, so we have stayed at the Hotel Marselis many times. My family and I just spent three days there in August, having not been to the hotel in five years. This visit was a huge disappointment and I’ll tell you why.

The hotel has fallen into disrepair. We had two rooms; both had stains on the carpet, one room had a broken curtain rod, and interior of closet had broken pieces of wood molding. The common areas of hotel are dated and in need of updating.

The bathroom tub/shower is very narrow and a slipping hazard. The bathroom products consisted of ONE miniature soap bar about three inches in diameter and paper thin, and low quality shampoo. The towels are rough and thin.

We had beach view rooms with a balcony. A lovely view but with only one chair, not suitable for two people.

The breakfast was abysmal, consisting of bacon and eggs, neither being prepared well. The coffee machine was broken the entire stay, brewing lukewarm coffee that tasted awful. Guests complained, but for the three days I was there, it didn’t get fixed. No lunch or dinner was served and there is no room service.

The hotel operates with a skeleton staff. There was literally only one person at the front desk during both check in and check out times… in August, the high season. No bellhop to help with luggage and we had to wait nearly 30 minutes to get a wobbly luggage cart to self-transport our luggage.

This was never a 4 star hotel, and it certainly isn’t now. I’d give it 3 stars for beach location and subtract a star for room and (lack of) amenities. I’ll never stay at this...

I was there with a friend for two nights because we were visiting the city of Aarhus. What is really incredible about the hotel is the view and the location. It's right on the beach and by the infinity bridge, so you can hear the waves crashing in the evening and jump straight into the sea in the morning. You can also be in the city center in 15 minutes by bike. So I would also give it five stars for the location. But everything else has nothing to do with four stars. The drain in the bathroom was blocked and made strange noises. There was mold in the shower and on the wall. The bathroom could not be locked and had no ventilation. One of the two bathrobes, which we were only given on request and with the remark that they were the last two, was filthy. It is not possible to darken the room and as it faces east you wake up with the sunrise. The breakfast is standard, but the breakfast room is far too small and the furnishings are obviously from the 90s. The sauna fits a maximum of two people and apparently no attention is paid to the fact that people put towels underneath. There is no minibar in the room and there was not even a bottle of water as a welcome drink. The hospitality of the staff also left a lot to be desired. All in all, despite its phenomenal location, I would not recommend this...