Dear travellers! In case you are near Västervik and are…read morelooking for a decent place to stay, this bed and breakfast in south Sweden is worth trying. The rates are low and amenities such as beddings, bath robes and towels, fireplace and a lot more are all included. Of course they serve breakfast at an extra price. The management is German no wonder the vacation house is also known as Ferienhaus Südschweden but the innkeeper speaks Swedish and English as well. Really, the place is serene.

When we booked we had no idea that Hallagården wouldn't be open at all. They have Tingsgården open…read moreall year and that's where we stayed 5 nights, just about 100 metres from Hallagården. We were very lucky in that we were the only occupants and we could take two rooms in the large 250 year old home. Had we not been alone, they would not have been able to meet our booking agreement of a room with a private bathroom. There is one WC on the ground floor and one bathroom on the 1st. The kitchen was large with 1970s Miele appliances but otherwise not well kitted out. The price was very reasonable at 650 SEK per night, including breakfast, towels and bedding.

What a special place! Håkan and Ulrika are extremely welcoming and warm, we felt right at home from…read morethe first moment. Every cabin is handmade and beautifully designed - simple and clean and natural, with everything we needed and nothing more. There's no electricity or water in the cabins, but the bathhouse is very nearby with gorgeous showers, toilets, a sauna. Inside the cabins are kerosene lamps and candles. We loved the clean, leaf-filtered air. We loved the quietness of nature at night, and the birdsongs that woke us each morning. We visited in July. The days were warm enough to swim and kayak (which we did several times a day). The nights were cool enough for sleeping, but not cool enough for a fire. Breakfast was served in the restaurant - a big Swedish breakfast with various homemade breads, jams, cheeses, fruit, yogurts, mueslis, juices, coffee, tea. So, so good! The restaurant, also constructed from wood, gets plenty of natural light through the irregular-shaped windows. You can see the farm on one side of the building, and the lake on the other. In the middle of the room is a huge fireplace made of clay and stone. I can only imagine how cozy it is during colder months, and trust me, I plan to find out one day :) For lunch and dinner, Håkan provided organic vegetables grown himself on the land. We also had the choice of fish or lamb (raised on the farm as well). We chose the latter and did not regret our choice. There's also good beer and wine available for purchase. We cooked our own meals in the outdoor kitchen with other guests staying at urnatur. By the end of our stay, we'd made several new friends. Even though we cooked different meals, it was amazing to share the space, the same open fire, the same pans and utensils, and of course the same dinner table. I absolutely love this concept and now dream of having my own outdoor kitchen. There's so much more I could say, but I'll stop here and urge you visit urnatur for yourself. It's a restorative place created by really wonderful people. We look forward to visiting again very soon, and thankfully, it's only a 2-hour train ride from our home in Stockholm.