Going to Lapland means immersing yourself in magic, vastness, the last wilderness of Europe, heaps of snow, northern lights, midnight sun … but also discovering some of the most unique places to stay in the world.
One of them is the Treehotel in Harrads. Magic in the trees! We were invited to test this unique stay for two nights. And it would be a lie if I said I wasn't blown away by this concept.
History
What started as a labour of love blossomed into one of the most unique hotels in the world.
The owner bought an old retirement home which she completely restored in the style of the 1930s. Over the years it became a listed building and a well-regarded restaurant too.
After a while the owner's husband came up with the idea of putting up treehouses. Not ordinary treehouses, but full-blown tree HOUSES. The first treehouse was built eight kilometres from the guesthouse. The others followed later in the forest behind the guesthouse.
Where the original guesthouse is historic, the treehouses are ultramodern to say the least, if not futuristic.
The treehouses
In total there are currently 8 treehouses. One of them is still 8 kilometres away and a ninth is under construction. The treehouses themselves are all equipped with an INCINERATING TOILET and a tap with 3 litres of water per day. The Dragonfly and the 7th House also have a shower.
A quick word about that incinerating toilet; it's an ecological system that collects your “business” in a kind of oversized coffee filter and then burns it at 600 degrees. It's odourless and above all ideal when you have no plumbing.
You'll find a proper bathroom in the middle of the resort. They are warm bathrooms with good showers. For those who like them, there are also saunas and a hot tub.
The treehouse also has an extensive minibar, plenty of power sockets, good wifi, a table with chairs and/or a seating area and at least one good double bed.
We stayed in the Birdsnest with one modular double bedroom and one with bunk beds. What also struck us was the temperature and stability. We've done a lot of glamping, but this was a truly warm, cosy cocoon. No damp, no draughts, no cold. Blissful.
Treehouses as a museum
Besides sleeping in the treehouses and enjoying the beautiful sunrises from them, simply admiring them is already a real treat. It's a kind of tidy Verbeke Foundation … at any rate you get a genuine museum feeling as you walk through the forest.
Did you know, by the way, that anyone can come and visit here?* If you book in advance you can even have a lovely lunch for 150 SEK per person. If you're lucky, that can be in one of the little guest rooms or by the fire.
Activities
For us, endlessly enjoying the magical combination of nature and architecture was actually more than enough. Add to that the search for reindeer and moose. And as the cherry on the cake, testing every hill with the entire collection of sledges you can borrow from reception.
The favourite for gliding along the paths was the spark, or kicksled, and for speed the flat little trays. You can also borrow snowshoes at reception.
But you can also do the typical activities such as ice fishing, northern lights safaris, dog sledding, snowmobiling and more at Treehotel.
We didn't find it necessary at all and simply enjoyed this magical place.
In daily life there is always so much pressure and stress that sometimes grounding yourself for a while in places ‘away from it all’ is the best thing you can do. Magical places like Treehotel, which truly captures the imagination, only help with that.
* Do you find a full stay at Treehotel or in Lapland pricey? Then be sure to click on this article in which I explain how you can have a special budget holiday in Lapland.
