When arriving at the Treehotel it’s hard to imagine that these tree huts that blend in so perfectly with the landscape are hotel rooms. The Cabin overlooks the Lule River valley and you reach it by a horizontal bridge among the trees; the Mirrorcube is camouflaged by mirrored walls, reflecting the surrounding woods and the Bird’s Nest is just that – a gigantic bird’s nest that fits a whole family.
“The Treehotel is situated in untouched nature, in the middle of the forest. You feel free up in the huts, when it’s windy they move and make squeaking noises just like the trees,” says Britta Jonsson-Lindvall, the founder of the unique hotel that attracts everyone from backpackers and families to the VIPs of the fashion world.
“The word has spread. We attract people, such as Kate Moss, who have stayed in the world’s most luxurious hotels. They come here to escape the buzz, and to be left alone,” Jonsson-Lindvall says with her northern sense of irony.
“Once an agent called and said they had a very important person who wanted to come, she asked: ‘can we arrange that?’ My staff and I just laughed. Regardless of who you are, you are VIP to us.”
Before making the Treehotel a reality with her husband Kent in 2010, Britta Jonsson-Lindvall worked as a nurse and project manager within healthcare. She was tired of running projects and wanted to try to start her own business. “Initially I turned an old retirement home into a B&B here in Harads, but there was a lot of work and little money. I told my husband that we either have to come up with something else or sell.”
The turning point was a documentary filmmaker who was shooting in the area, and made a tree room as a prop for the film. This gave Britta an idea: What if you could put a bed in there and rent it out?
“That’s what we did and that was the first time we received guests from outside of Sweden.
“This particular one was quite a drive away and we decided to build our own tree rooms with the help of some really talented architects who Kent had met on a fishing trip. From there on it all went really quickly. Media from all over the world started to report on it, and they still visit us every week,” Jonsson-Lindvall says.
Today Britt and Kent run six tree rooms that are connected to her old B&B, which now serves as a guesthouse where all the meals are served. The ingredients are all sourced locally, with game and berries from the woods being some of the delicacies. “There are not that many hotels where you can pick blueberries and lingonberries right outside of the door.”
Besides just relaxing and taking long walk in the woods, there are plenty of activities to take part in, including ice fishing, dining on ice (where you enjoy a three course meal in a heated tipi on an ice-covered lake), snowmobile safari and even spending the night in a cabin without electricity. “You travel there by dog sledge and arrive at the timber cabin in the middle of nowhere, where you can enjoy a traditional sauna,” Jonsson-Lindvall says.
So why does she think the Treehotel has been so successful these past five years? “We have lots of young visitors from the world’s biggest cities. They want to escape their busy lifestyles and experience being left on their own. You arrive surrounded by untouched nature in the middle of the woods. That is something you can’t experience in many other places in the world.”
Five days in Luleå and the Treehotel.
Day 1
After arriving in Luleå you’ll make your way to Sörbyn Lodge, which is located on a beautiful lake. There are plenty of winter activities to choose from including snowmobile tours, ice fishing and cross-country skiing. Enjoy dinner prepared with local ingredients, including fish, moose, reindeer and cloudberries.
Day 2
Get prepared for dog sledding with Isdimma Huskies through the winter landscape of frozen lakes and snow filled forests. Isdimma offers one of the best husky experiences in Scandinavia, using pure breed Siberian huskies.
Day 3
After breakfast you’ll head towards your next destination, the Treehotel in Harads, where you’ll spend two nights right in the middle of nature in one of the tree rooms. On arrival, you’ll be taken on a guided tour where you’ll learn more about the unique design and construction of the rooms.
Day 4
Start your day with breakfast inside the adjoining guesthouse. You’ll then embark on an incredible adventure – a two-hour snowmobile safari through the beautiful winter landscape surrounding the Treehotel. After this, you can relax or try out another activity, including a horse and sleigh ride, a cultural visit to a Sami village or skiing at the nearby resort of Storklinten. In the evening you’ll experience one of Treehotel’s most unique experiences: dining on ice, where you’ll be served a three course dinner in a heated tipi tent on an ice covered lake, with a chance to see the northern lights.
Day 5
Departure from Luleå airport.
Best Served Scandinavia offers a five-day Swedish Lapland Adventure from £1,790pp and includes return flights to Lulea via Stockholm, 2 nights at Sorbyn Lodge with breakfast and 3 course dinner each night, 2 nights at Treehotel with breakfast, 3 course buffet dinner 1 night, Dining on Ice 3 course dinner and drinks at Treehotel, 1.5 hour Husky Safari at Sorbyn Lodge, 2.5 hour snowmobile excursion at Treehotel, guided tour at Treehotel, transfers throughout including guided arrival transfer.
