The Treehotel, set in a rugged, attractive forest in Harads, just south of the Arctic Circle, has an eco-friendly mantra meaning that it leaves a light footprint in the landscape – the ambitious rooms are built in live trees using non-intrusive techniques to attach and secure them while power comes from hydroelectricity. Abandon any recollections of rickety clapboard childhood constructions though – these adult treehouses are chic and seriously stylish, full of cutting-edge Swedish design flourishes.
Each of the eight rooms is individual and has a distinctive design. Take your pick from the Mirrorcube, a well-camouflaged reflective hideaway with discrete terrace and rustic interiors, the Bird’s Nest, which looks like a mass of woven wooden twigs but hides a cosy interior, the UFO, which hang’s suspended in the forest like something from the film E.T. and is a huge hit with families. The Blue Cone, accessed via a bridge from the hillside, and The Cabin, a simple snug ideal for two on a romantic break, are more traditional treehouses but have spectacular window feature walls looking out onto stunning panoramic views. Although the three largest rooms, the Dragonfly, the Biosphere and the 7th Room have showers, note that the other treehouses use showers and saunas in adjacent buildings. What's more, the all-new Biosphere room, coming May 2022 will feature a facade of 340 bird nests, attracting a variety of species that will nest outside your room throughout the year, greatly assisting in the conservation efforts of Treehotel.
Rates include a hearty breakfast in Britta’s Guesthouse, where kitsch Grandma-chic contrasts with the stylish design of the Treehotel. Evening meals featuring haute hunter-gatherer dishes and local delicacies such as reindeer and moose meat or fish from the nearby rivers. There’s also a bar where you can sip birch-flavoured schnapps and swap stories of exploring Sweden's Arctic north. If you’d prefer a bit more privacy, meals can be delivered to your treehouse, or you can enjoy a special three-course dinner inspired by forest flavours while sat 10m high up, at a tree table. For the most romantic dining experience though, ask us about a picnic feast in the snow, lit by torches and candles, where you’ll sit on reindeer skin and eat in a heated tipi pitched on an ice-covered lake.
Spend your days in the great outdoors, enjoying close-up wildlife encounters with moose, reindeer and Arctic fox or go bear spotting under the Midnight Sun. We’ll also introduce you to the forest Sami so that you can gain an insight into their traditional culture through tales told around a campfire. The genial owners of the Treehotel, Britta and Kent, can also organise excursions from husky or horse-drawn sled rides to biking, trekking and snowshoeing. There’s a zipline on site while you can raft or ice fish on the nearby rivers. Depending on the season, go for a stroll beneath the Midnight Sun, or slip across the Arctic Circle in search of the Northern Lights.
After a day exploring and acting anything but your age, spoil yourself with a Swedish massage, a session in the tree sauna or a dip in the open-air hot tub surrounded by the forest to truly reconnect with the countryside and, regardless of where you’re from, your Viking roots.
