Hotel Svala — Hotel in Ålands Archipelago

We had such a lovely stay with Sage and Jannika at Hotel Svala. We stayed in the suite which was a really beautiful space and so was the entire hotel, Sage is a professional set designer which you can really tell. All rooms were meticulously designed, both regarding coloring that matched the surrounding Åland landscape and with a distinct retro feel to everything from furniture to the smallest utensils in the dining room. It kind of felt like you were in a Wes Andersson movie set in the Finnish archipelago. The bed was super comfortable and the bathroom was also really nice. If you like the look of the website you will love the hotel. ||||The service and food were also amazing, all done by Jannika and Sage – we stayed a full week and were treated to delicious meals both breakfast, lunch and dinner. They take care to pick out the best produce from local farmers and really made a feast of all meals. The hotel is small and dinner was always served in communal style with all guests around a shared table which was really fun as you got to talk to lots of different people passing through. ||||Kumlinge is a lovely little island and neighboring Seglinge which is a 7 min (free) boat ride away is also really beautiful and has a really nice hiking trail that lets you take in both cliffs, the ocean and birch forest. We mostly took it easy during our stay, read books, went for walks, had a swim and enjoyed the quiet and calm. We even saw a moose swimming over to a neighboring island (!).||||Sage and Jannika shared a lot about the background to how they started the hotel and you felt immediately like you had been welcomed in to the family. In all, a perfect stay, both for a short stay if you’re travelling through the archipelago or for a longer period if you really want to relax and wind down for a...

We had such a lovely stay with Sage and Jannika at Hotel Svala. We stayed in the suite which was a really beautiful space and so was the entire hotel, Sage is a professional set designer which you can really tell. All rooms were meticulously designed, both regarding coloring that matched the surrounding Åland landscape and with a distinct retro feel to everything from furniture to the smallest utensils in the dining room. It kind of felt like you were in a Wes Andersson movie set in the Finnish archipelago. The bed was super comfortable and the bathroom was also really nice. If you like the look of the website you will love the hotel.

The service and food were also amazing, all done by Jannika and Sage – we stayed a full week and were treated to delicious meals both breakfast, lunch and dinner. They take care to pick out the best produce from local farmers and really made a feast of all meals. The hotel is small and dinner was always served in communal style with all guests around a shared table which was really fun as you got to talk to lots of different people passing through.

Kumlinge is a lovely little island and neighboring Seglinge which is a 7 min (free) boat ride away is also really beautiful and has a really nice hiking trail that lets you take in both cliffs, the ocean and birch forest. We mostly took it easy during our stay, read books, went for walks, had a swim and enjoyed the quiet and calm. We even saw a moose swimming over to a neighboring island (!).

Sage and Jannika shared a lot about the background to how they started the hotel and you felt immediately like you had been welcomed in to the family. In all, a perfect stay, both for a short stay if you’re travelling through the archipelago or for a longer period if you really want to relax and wind down for a...

I can attest to the amazing hosting abilities of the two owners who are also the managers and staff of the place. It is a mother and daughter team who have the most amazing design sensibilities and have created a beautiful, peaceful retreat from the modern fast food, screen centric, concrete world that so many of us need a break from. There's plenty of nature to explore, a sauna to relax in, and if you're there at the right times, you can visit the viking market (on a different island in the area), or experience white nights, or a Scandinavian Christmas. If you opt in for meals, they prepare the most thoughtful locally sourced shared meals that you'd never find at most hotels. They are world travelers themselves with super interesting stories to boot. So sitting at a big table with them and other guests is always something to look forward to. I learned that if you're interested in staying there and it doesn't look like it's available to book, you can contact them directly and they might be able to accommodate you. They're in the early stages of opening this hotel and the plans for the future additions and accommodations to the hotel sound even more amazing. Just look at the website and if it strikes a chord with you, you'd probably enjoy a stay. You...