Here are the latest visitor accommodation openings in 2021 in Sweden. There’s luxurious new penthouse suites, tiny private island archipelago escapes, glamping pods swung in the trees, eco/organic & sustainable options, close-to-nature designer experiences and beautiful retreats form a bygone era re-purposed.
West Sweden & Gothenburg
The 72Hr Cabin – 4 NEW glass cabins in West Sweden
To explore the effects of the unique relationship Swedes have with nature, a case study was carried out in Dalsland, West Sweden in 2017. Five people with stressful jobs got to experience Sweden’s close to nature lifestyle, while their wellbeing was monitored and measured by leading researchers (Walter Osika and Cecilia Stenfors from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, one of the world’s foremost medical universities). During the study, the participants stayed in custom-built glass cabins so they could be as close to nature as possible. After 72 hours, they all showed a decrease in blood pressure, stress levels and heart rate – as well as increased creativity.
Following the study, other businesses and areas in West Sweden snapped up the idea. There are four NEW glass cabins, designed by Jeanna Berger, opening in West Sweden during 2021.
- 2 at Erikson Cottage, an 18th-century farmhouse, approximately an hour and a half east of Gothenburg.
- 2 new ones at Dalslands Aktiviteter, which now has a total of 4 glass cabins, situated a couple of hours drive north of Gothenburg.
The Glass cabins at Erikson Cottage
Erikson Cottage is an 18th-century farmhouse that has been in the same family for four generations and is now a B&B. This romantic high-ceilinged cottage was built in the late 18th century and carefully converted in 2004.
Erikson Cottage is now opening 2 glass cabins at the beginning of May 2021, which can be booked for a one-night stay or, in line with the original concept, for 72 hours. The two cabins are in a beautiful secluded spot deep in the forest, one on a hill overlooking a lake and one in the forest.
Opens: May 2021. Possible to book 1 night or 72 hours
Price: 72 hours: 5000 SEK/person including half board. There are canoes, boat and fishing gear available for guests to use and the possibility to add a sauna and hot tub experience.
1 night: 3000 SEK/glass cabin. Included: bed and breakfast.
Two more glass cabins at Dalslands Aktiviteter.
The two original glass cabins which formed part of the 72-hour Cabin concept, at Dalslands Aktiviteter will have two additional class cabins this season. Dalslands Aktiviteter is the ultimate activity centre for anyone looking to explore the forests and lakes with their sights set firmly on adventure. The cabins are privately located on their very own peninsula, just above the water level, around 800 meters from the Dalslands Aktiviteter restaurant and activity center.
Opens: 1st April 2021
Prices: 72 hours: 7695 SEK/person for a single booking and 4995 SEK/person for two people. The price includes meals, a rucksack with equipment for outdoor life and access to a rowing boat and fishing rods.
1 night: 2800 SEK/glass cabin and includes bed and breakfast.
Swedish Country Living – two new hermitage cabins:
Book a stay in the Dalsland countryside, with forests and lakes on your doorstep. Surrounded by ancient farmland, untouched by modern farming techniques, grazing sheep and 100-year-old oak trees, you can’t help but restore your vitality and energy. The Hermitage is as close to nature as you can get. Large windows, a warming fireplace and a large bed. New for this year is a Slate cottage and A-frame hermitage cabin – two new hermitage cabins at Swedish Country Living. The A-Frame Hermitage has a ceiling height of 6 meters and the walls are in birch and the ceiling aspen, with cool, minimalist Scandi-style furnishings with a wood burner.
Opens: June 2021
Prices: from 3000 SEK/night
All-inclusive, two nights from SEK 7 700:- (2 dinners, 1 lunch, 2 breakfast)
Skärgårdsidyllen – NEW ocean studio on an island in Sweden’s west coast archipelago
Sweden’s west coast archipelago consists of more than 8000 islands and is unaffected by currents and tidal movements, which makes it perhaps one of the best places in the world for sea kayaking. Skärgårdsidyllen offers guided tours from their kayak centre in Grönemad, Grebbestad all year round. NEW for the 2021 season Skärgårdsidyllen open an ocean studio on Långeskär island, just off Grebbestad, in time for midsummer 2021. Guests who book the studio will have the island all to themselves, with plenty of time for fishing, swimming and kayaking. Guests are offered a sustainable alternative to reach the island, by paddling out to the island themselves, or they can be taken there by boat. Skärgårdsidyllen also offers guided island hikes in this amazing archipelago environment.
Opens: June 2021
Price: Opening offer: From SEK 5,000 per person in a double room, where you have exclusive access to the Ocean Studio including homemade breakfast, seafood dinner, coffee & dessert, guided boat trip or transport of luggage to the island, wild swimming, bathrobe & towel. You also have the opportunity to bring your own boat and dock at Ocean Studio’s pier.
1 person 7,500 sek/night – 2 people 10,000 sek/night – Children – upon request
The guests will be the only ones on the island and you can exclusively enjoy the Ocean Studio, surrounding nature and the view. The Ocean Studio has been a sanctuary for generations, a place for contemplation, recreation, fishing, swimming and a place for creativity. Environment, history, food and culture in perfect harmony.
In tune with nature – a NEW eco-friendly home by INFOREST
Nestled in the forests outside Hjo, one of Sweden’s loveliest traditional timbered towns, is the setting for some unique eco-friendly accommodation. INFOREST‘s four small houses, are completely self-sufficient, off-grid and constructed from sustainable materials. The new house ´Esther´ is INFOREST’s most recent addition. It’s also the largest, almost 10 meters long, making it very spacious. Esther, like the other houses, is off-grid and sits in a secluded position in the forest. Solar energy is stored in batteries and the house has an inbuilt water tank.
Opens: March 2021
Price: 1–2 people. 2 nights 1750 SEK/night, 3 nights or more 1600 SEK/night. Breakfast can be booked at 100 SEK/person/night. Bed linen, towels and final cleaning are always included. Although one night can be booked it is INFOREST’s philosophy that you should preferably book at least two nights to really get the benefit of winding down in the forest.
Gothenburg:
New luxury penthouse rooms at design hotel Riverton – The family owned design hotel Riverton in central Gothenburg completed its extensive two-year, 220 million SEK renovation in December of 2020.
The hotel now boasts a new SPA and gym, a sky bar & restaurant and 24 brand new rooms, including five luxurious penthouse rooms each with their own terrace with views of the harbor. Penthouse rooms starting at 4995 SEK (2 persons, including breakfast and Wi-Fi) Deluxe Double room starting at 1495 SEK (2 persons, including breakfast and Wi-Fi).
Travel Tips: book directly with the hotel and they will include a visit to their Serenity Spa and a welcome cocktail for free.
Värmland
Happie Camp: NEW secluded glamping pitches
Happie Camp is a connected network of secluded hide-aways that make it easier for people living in cities to get out to the countryside and access lodging and basic service in natural recreation environments to relax and recharge. After a successful first year they’ve added some new locations to their portfolio for 2021.
Happie Camp provides accommodation in beautiful natural environments and forests, offering their guests a private and all-inclusive experience of forest bathing and the genuine Scandinavian friluftsliv. Tents are fully furnished and decorated in a natural and Scandinavian style, equipped with everything you need for a comfortable stay in nature. The beds have futon mattresses made of linen and bedding of merino wool to secure a good night sleep in the fresh air.
Next to the tent is a furnished cooking area with outdoor kitchen and all the equipment you’ll need for preparing great meals outside. Guests can also order food bags with pre-designed, easy to cook, plant based gourmet meals. Close to every pitch there is a private intimacy tent with an eco-loo.
This is an easy and comfortable way to access unique and private accommodation in beautiful natural, countryside environments, finding peace of mind in the experience of solitude. Through the old tradition of Scandinavian friluftsliv, Happie Camp offer the opportunity of a blissful state of mind generated by being in the context of true nature. Like bathing, the goal of Friluftsliv is to be absorbed by nature, to let the landscape envelope through all your senses. Friluftsliv is living your life exploring and appreciating nature in an easy and uncomplicated way. Just like forest bathing, friluftsliv is all about simplicity. It doesn’t require any equipment, it’s just about being outside.
Price: One night SEK 3500
- Two nights High season (June 18th – August 22nd ) – SEK 5500
- Two nights High season (May 1st – June 17th & August 23rd – September 12th ) – SEK 4500
- Three nights High season (June 18th – August 22nd ) – SEK 7500
- Three nights High season (May 1st – June 17th & August 23rd – September 12th ) – SEK 5500
Swedish Lapland
Stay in one of the tallest timber buildings in the world
In September 2021, a new hotel will open in the heart of Skellefteå in Swedish Lapland. The hotel is situated in the new Sara Cultural Centre that is currently taking form. The building will be one of the tallest timber buildings in the world and become Skellefteås new hub for art, concerts, shows, meetings and congresses including a premium hotel with first-class accommodation, SPA and a restaurant with a panoramic view of Skellefteå.
The timber building will be sustainable and CO2 neutral. It is a carbon-neutral wooden building that will benefit both the environment and the people that will use it. The 20-story house is constructed mainly of timber that has grown in the regions boreal forests. Solar cells and efficient energy systems further contribute to minimizing the building’s carbon footprint. The wood used for the Sara Cultural Centre comes from sustainably managed forestry meaning the harvested trees are replaced by freshly planted saplings. The planted trees capture CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow, while the carbon dioxide stored within the refined timber products is locked into the building. Sara Culture Centre adds to the long tradition of timber construction in Skellefteå using the latest engineering techniques, which has made the building a model in sustainable design and construction.
Skåne
Clarion Hotel Sea U:
The brand new Clarion Hotel Sea U finally opened in February 2021. Clarion Hotel Sea U hotel offers excellent design, food, beverages and an incredible atmosphere!
Perfect for a weekend in Helsingborg, the hotel has a stunning rooftop pool, as well as a gym, bars and restaurants. Those arriving by car are able to park in the garage below the hotel.
Relish the weekend-all-week vibe and head up to the AMA Rooftop bar for a drink and endless views across the strait that separates Sweden and Denmark, have a dip in the rooftop pool or enjoy a bite to eat in the Japanese fusion restaurant AMA Nikkei Restaurant, where local produce is fused with international flavors. The Living Room is a great place to mingle and relax with friends and colleagues. And with the sea, the city, the continent and “The Tivoli” concert venue as our closest neighbors, guests are within easy reach of all the most popular attractions Helsingborg has to offer.
Stockholm
Seglarhotellet, Sandhamn in the outer archipelago is under new management and has relaunched. They now have NEW deluxe rooms and are open for bookings rear-round with access 12 months of the year. Making this the perfect way to experience the archipelagos ‘magic season.’
Sandhamn Seglarhotell is a great place to get close to the nature and experience the sea. Sandhamn is one of Stockholm archipelago’s most unique and heritage-rich islands, located farthest out in Stockholm’s central archipelago, just before the open sea begins. There are regular boat trips to the island several times a day, summer and winter.
The history of Sandhamn Seglarhotell dates back to the 1800s. Today, it is run by the couple Johanna Nordström and Marcus Wallén, who has a background at some of Stockholm’s most iconic restaurants.
Price: 1 night B&B for 2 people staying in a deluxe suite starts from 4290 SEK including access to the spa and gym and a 1 night stay for 2 in a deluxe room starts from 1390 SEK.
AC Hotel Stockholm Ulriksdal – A brand new modern hotel in Solna, Stockholm
AC Hotels by Marriott, Marriott International’s design-led lifestyle brand, has expanded with the opening of its first property in the Swedish capital, AC Hotel Stockholm Ulriksdal. Built with a blend of form and function, the hotel offers travelers the ideal base to discover the architecture and Scandinavian design Stockholm has to offer.
This new hotel located in Solna, 10 minutes from Stockholm city centre, is strategically located near public transports and walking distance to Friends Arena, Arenastaden och Mall of Scandinavia. The hotel offers an urban, modern, high-style design for a feeling of harmony and creativity. Featuring 223 hotel rooms and suites, AC by Marriott Stockholm Ulriksdal also offers a bar and restaurant PicPoc by Pontus Frithiof, Viitalize Gym & Wellness.
