Swedish women 'are British men's favourites'

British men looking for love would rather find it with a Swede than with a woman of any other nationality, a new poll has shown.

A new survey commissioned in Britain by phone company Orange showed that men in the UK put Swedish women at the top of their list of desirable lovers, ahead of French, Spanish, Italian and Irish women.

Swedish men did not fare quite as well, with Italian, Irish, Spanish, French and Greek men considered preferable. Still, British women said they would prefer to find love with a Swede than with a Dutchman, a Dane or a Swiss man.

The poll, carried out by YouGov, interviewed 2,376 people in a representative sample. Pollsters asked respondents what they wanted from a relationship with a foreign lover. Fifteen percent said they were lured by a sexy accent and 11 percent that they hoped for cheap holidays to their partner's homeland.

Surprisingly for the notoriously language-shy Brits, 10 percent said they enjoyed the opportunity to learn a language. Less surprisingly, 8 percent said that a foreign lover would have greater sexual prowess.

The survey did not reveal why British men are so keen on Swedish women, although a number of Swedish women have become big stars in the UK, including television presenter Ulrika Jonsson and model Victoria Silvstedt.

Source: The Guardian

Sweden voted top European destination!

Sweden has been named the top European destination by readers of the Guardian, Observer and Guardian Unlimited.

The scenic country held off strong competition from Italy to scoop the top accolade. Sweden's Scandinavian neighbour Norway finished in third place.

The survey offers a unique and fascinating insight into the tastes and preferences of a discerning group of travellers.

"We are very pleased that Sweden has been chosen by such a quality group of readers," said Visit Sweden's regional director Fredrik Barthold.

"The results have confirmed us in our choice of target group and we hope that those who voted Sweden top destination will help us to spread the word about Sweden for the future."

Andy Pietrasik, travel editor of The Guardian, added: "I suspect glamour and the pull of nature have something to do with our readers voting Sweden their favourite European destination.

"There can't be too many capitals like Stockholm, where you can stay in a boutique-style hotel owned by former Abba stars, enjoy a gourmet dinner, party in clubs, and then, the next morning, swap your dancing shoes for a pair of hiking boots to explore the islands or the coast.

"If you really want to get back to nature, you can head up to Lapland. But even there, they've made a style statement in the form of the Ice Hotel.

"Swedes seem to have effortlessly struck the perfect party/healthy balance, and that would appear to be a winning combination."

Sweden is the third largest country in Western Europe with an area of about 175,000 sq miles - nearly twice as large as the UK.

The country has a population of around 9 million people.

Source: The Guardian

Checkout Activities In Sweden for trip ideas to Stockholm.

The Original Ice Bar Stockholm

No visit to Stockholm is complete without a visit to the Original Absolute Ice Bar. Located in the Nordic Sea Hotel next door to the T Centralen, the Ice Bar as the name suggests, is made entirely out of ice! No, the toilets are located outside the bar, before you start to wonder! The modest admittance charge gives you a 45 minute experience (any longer than that and bits of your body will start to freeze), and your first drink is included! Due to the bars controlled temperature of -5, special suits straight out of Flash Gordon have to be worn. The space age looking poncho & gloves not only have the ability to make you grin with embarrassment the whole time your in there but they do a good job of keeping you warm. As you finger through the extensive cocktail list, it becomes apparent that the bar is being sponsored by Absolute Vodka. All the drinks on the list contain some combination or other of their fruity flavoured vodkas and to be quite honest, they are absolutely yummy! They're served in an thick glass made of ice, which I must point out can be easily dropped with the cumbersome gloves your wearing. Drink now safely in hand your officially ready to study your surroundings, which in reality is no larger than your average living room. The walls are decorated in all sorts of wonderful carvings and shapes, which incidentally are updated regularly by skilled ice craftsman to keep them fresh and interesting. You can sit on one of the ice chairs if your brave enough and watch the rest of the occupants negotiate their lips around their slippery, cold glass while trying to remain cool in the process. More often than not the bar staff find themselves sweeping up the broken glasses and their contents, before offering a costly refill. The glass leaves a nice tingling sensation on your lips as the cold cocktail slips down your throat and then it gets to work, warming you from the inside. You now begin to realise that your participating in quite a unique experience but enjoy it while it last because it's not long before your 45min are up and you notice the outline of the next eager customers pressing their impatient faces through the window. Just smile and raise your glass to them, as you sip the last remaining drops of alcohol from your now melting glass. Don't let anything spoil this memorable moment, as the euphoric sensation of hypothermia begins to set in.

Yes, its well worth a visit just for the entertainment value alone. You can then thaw off in one of the many excellent bars & clubs you'll find in this beautiful city that I've come to love.

For trip ideas to Stockholm & the Ice Bar, checkout Activities In Sweden.