Travel Explorer Magazine Issue 4

SWEDEN’S TREE HOTEL
Words & Photos by Robbie Sinclair
Taking time out to do nothing can be much harder
than we think. Yes, we can book our white sand ‘fly
and flop’ holiday and our city break spa day, but do
we actually switch off? Many of us are so focused
on getting the digital thumbs up from social media
followers, that we fail to stop and actually look and
listen to what is happening around us. On my recent
trip to Sweden I did just that and it’s changed my
perspective on weekend breaks and allowed me to
take some much-needed time out.
After a few nights staying at The Ice Hotel we started
our 3 or so hour car journey to The Tree Hotel. As it
was September the long stretches of road were lined
with the most beautifully coloured leaves marking the
changing of the seasons. Rich reds and spicy orange
colours littered the green landscape that looked like
the perfect picture postcard. The air was crisp and
the quiet roads made this all feel like it was all mine,
I didn’t have to share it with anyone, no pedestrians,
no drivers, just me, my partner and the few birds that
soared above us.
According to our sat-nav we had reached our
destination and as we turned into the car park
of the humble cottage of Kent and Britta, owners
and masterminds behind the Tree hotel, I couldn’t
imagine that this was the birthplace of the incredible
feats of design I had seen online in my quest for the
perfect tree house hide-away. To check in, we entered
the warm home that instantly transported us back to
times gone by.
A strong mid 20th century theme ran throughout
the home that was used for check-in, breakfast,
lunch and dinner as well as charming relaxation
spots. Well-loved armchairs and hand embroidered
wall hangings put an instant smile on my face, and
although I wasn’t born until 1983 I felt a huge sense of
nostalgia. Many of these 1930’s - 1950’s trinkets that
littered the shelves and walls took me straight back
to my grandmother’s house. Before even meeting our
hosts, I felt instantly cared for. I felt welcome.
We were given the warm welcome we’d imagined
and handed our set of keys for our home for the next
couple of days. Our chirpy hostess gave us a simple
map and pointed us in the direction of the tree houses
after the usual jokes about the woods being home to
“lions and tigers and bears - OH MY!”. She said she
usually just does that joke for kids but thought I’d like
it too! I did.
As we started our 10-minute walk through the woods
in search of our tree house we followed the route and
caught our first glimpse of these magnificent marvels.
The first room we saw, called ‘The Cabin’, loomed
over us and sitting high in the trees, the capsule like
structure told us that we were entering a world of
floating homes and mind tricking architecture. As
we continued up the path we caught a glimpse of the
UFO room that looked like something from a 1980’s
sci-fi movie. Just as we almost missed it I saw a glint
of sunlight hit a large square structure up in the trees
and realised that I had walked past the Mirror Cube
room without even seeing it!
Our room; The Blue Cone (which is actually red)
stood bold amongst the green trees that surrounded
it. We crossed the bridge to the door and turned the
key; our room was cosy and optimised Scandinavian
design with light wood and sheep skin rugs. A large
window delivered the most breath-taking views that
sat opposite the large bed that was cocooned in a
cubby and added to that comforting feeling. A small
ladder led up to a mezzanine level which housed
30 | RB COLLECTION | TRAVEL EXPLORER
Travel Explorer Magazine Issue 4.indd 30 15/01/2018 12:46