Many aspects of Swedish architecture are influenced by nature, from choice of construction materials to interior design trends that incorporate the natural world through floral patterns and stone and wooden furnishings.
However, in Sweden’s many unique accommodation offerings close to nature, the natural world is intertwined with architecture in even more prominent ways. Many are created to blend seamlessly with their natural surroundings, such as the Treehotel just outside the northern city of Luleå. Its cabins include a birds’ nest nestled in the treetops and a mirrored cube that reflects the wilderness all around it. Lappland’s Icehotel is made from frozen blocks pulled out of the nearby river, and at Kolarbyn Ecolodge, guests stay in rustic grass covered huts reminiscent of real-life hobbit holes.
More traditionally designed lodgings are often built from indigenous wood or other natural materials, using elements of their surrounding environment to decorate their interiors – blurring the line between indoor and outdoor and nature is ever-present.
Treehotel in Harads, Lapland
The Bird’s Nest room at the Treehotel in Harads, Luleå, Lapland
Photo: Håkan Stenlund
Treehotel in Harads, Lapland
Photo: Håkan Stenlund
Treehotel in Harads, Lapland
Photo: Håkan Stenlund
Tree hotel
Photo: Lola Akinmade Åkerström/imagebank.sweden.se
Year-round Icehotel
Photo: Asaf Kliger/imagebank.sweden.se
Kolarbyn Ecolodge in Västmanland
Photo: Claudia Deglau
Kolarbyn Ecolodge in Västmanland
Photo: WildSweden
In Swedish culture, wellness is approached in a holistic way, focusing on the mind and body. Being outdoors is ingrained in the society, and many Swedes take any chance they get to head out to the forests, beaches or mountains as a way to relieve stress and boost their wellbeing.
One of the greatest things about Sweden is that, no matter where you are, green areas are always nearby. And with Sweden’s Right of Public Access, everyone is free to enjoy them as long as they do so responsibly. Even just outside Sweden’s three largest cities – Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö – there are a number of inspiring retreats and eco lodges that let you combine a city break with a natural escape, allowing you to disconnect from the stresses of the outside world and reconnect with nature. Many of these accommodations offers spas, saunas and other therapeutic treatments, but you might find that the only therapy you need is the peace and stillness of the surroundings.
Researchers at one of Sweden’s top universities set out to test the effectiveness of time spent out in nature on overall wellbeing in a project called “The 72 Hour Cabin”. Five individuals that worked in high-stress jobs spent 72 hours on the picturesque Henriksholm Island in Western Sweden. They slept in a glass cabin, surrounded by nature even when inside their room, and participated in activities such as fishing, swimming and cooking their meals over an open fire. This resulted in stress levels dropping by as much as 70%, while creativity and connectedness to nature increased.
Glass cabin at Baldernäs Herrgård
Further 72-h-cabins were set up at Baldersnäs, Dalsland, after the role models on Henriksholm: you can stress down when spending 72 hours in Swedish nature
Photo: Jonas Ingman/Westsweden.com
Glass cabin at Baldernäs Herrgård
Photo: Jonas Ingman/Westsweden.com
Glass cabin at Henriksholm
Photo: Jonas Ingman/Westsweden.com
Glass cabin at Steneby, West Sweden
Photo: Jonas Ingman/Westsweden.com
Modern design or natural mimicry, luxurious eco lodges or rustic camping, the one thing that all these close-to-nature accommodations have in common is that as soon as you step outside the door, you find yourself in the midst of some of the most stunning landscapes. Maybe it’s a meadow leading to the edge of a lake, an island beach with soft white sand, an old-growth forest with towering trees or a mountain peak with views of the surrounding nature.
These retreats offer so much more than just a place to stay. They are a base for exploring nature; many of them offering a wide range of activities. These can include biking, hiking, canoeing or other water sports, winter activities or wild animal safaris. Besides accommodation, local cuisine using ingredients grown (or even foraged) from the area is often a part of the experience.
If you are looking for a chance to ‘be one with nature’, Sweden’s abundance of close-to-nature accommodation will leave you spoiled for choice. With a diverse selection of locations, landscapes, designs and amenities, your perfect nature escape can be found in Sweden.
Islanna tree hotell in Falköping
Islanna Tree Hotel is located deep in the heart of nature, close to Lake Hornborga in Falköping, West Sweden.
Photo: Islanna