Get back to nature and stay at The Treehotel

As a child, most of us had an experience hanging out in a tree house. We may have even wished we could live in one at some point. Having our own little space amongst nature and away from the big house. Our own little world to escape to.

The Treehotel in Sweden is bringing the magic of tree houses back at their hotel where nature and imagination run wild. You’ll stay in innovative designed cabins, nestled amongst the trees.

Treehotel is located in Swedish Lapland. It comes as no surprise that the home of Ikea has built this incredibly innovative hotel in the wilderness set amongst breathtaking scenery. Essentially, these are tree houses … to the max!

We simply love the concept of this hotel! You can stay in comfortable and cool designs such as The Dragon Fly, The Cabin, or The Birds Nest. Not only are they getting people back to nature, their completely immersing people in it.

This sustainable hotel allows you to experience nature in the most unique and memorable way you can imagine.

What is the Treehotel?

The Treehotel founders, Kent and Britta, have built a modern hotel with the best of Swedish style and design. They’ve taken the concept of the weekend camping getaway to the ultimate and provided people with a unique hotel experience in the middle of unspoiled nature.

The Treehotel is located in the forests surrounding Harads, in the far north of Swedish Lapland, just an hour’s flight from Stockholm. It’s a world-class eco-stay and has seven different tree rooms all designed by Scandinavia’s foremost architects. It’s fast becoming known amongst environmentally conscious travelers from all over the world, creating an international metropolis in the middle of the Swedish Lapland forests.

Let’s explore some of the wonderful designs and Treehotel room experiences on offer.

The Cabin

This is the classic choice off the exotic menu that Treehotel has to offer. Essentially it looks like your typical wood cabin, nestled amongst the trees, with one small exception. You are metres off the ground!

This treeroom gives you the feeling of standing on a platform high up on the hillside overlooking the Lule River valley. You can access the hut via a horizontal bridge among the trees. You’ll then get to enjoy the unobstructed birds eye view, in your simple, yet rather unusual cabin in the trees. Up to two people can enjoy staying here, with a double bed, bathroom, and balcony.

All guests at this remote getaway will have access to the Treehotel Guesthouse. Here you can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner in an authentic 1930 – 1950’s setting. There’s a restaurant, bar, sauna and relaxation area. For those who aren’t quite ready to completely disconnect from the world, there is TV and internet access.

The 7th Room

Hovering ten meters above the ground within the tree canopy, the Snøhetta-designed 7th room provides its guests with a breathtaking view of the Lapland treetops and the Lule River. Fitting in well with its surrounding nature, the design features large windows, a netted terrace suspended above the forest floor, and a tree stretching up through the cabin. The boundaries between indoors and outdoors are blurred, making the cabin part of the forest.

The 7th room experience begins when approaching the cabin from the forest. Nearing the base of the tree, the view of the complete cabin gradually recedes as a sixth façade appears. This façade is the bottom of the cabin, where a 12 x 8-meter surface is covered with a large black and white print of trees reaching up into the sky. A staircase brings guests from the ground and up into the cabin, along with a small lift for transporting luggage.

For the brave ones, a sleeping bag is all you need to enjoy a night under the starry night sky. Guests sleeping inside can also look up at the night sky, with expansive, easy-to-open skylights in both bedrooms. With its wooden characteristics and unique location in the treetops, the 7th room is a celebration of the Nordic cabin and the pine tree forest.

The Bird’s Nest

“I feel free as a bird”. It’s something we might say when we’re truly relaxed on our holidays. Escaping the world and taking time to get back to nature.

Well, the Treehotel took that quite literally and have created a room called The Bird’s Nest. This incredible piece of architecture is not only resting amongst the trees, it’s completely camouflaged into the natural surroundings.

The Bird’s Nest is based on the contrasts between the outside and inside. Although the outside is very rustic, rural and raw, the interior, is cosy and familiar.  

It’s a spacious environment where a family with two children can comfortably spread out. The walls are clad with wood panels and the windows almost disappear in the exterior’s network of branches. The room has separate bedrooms (double bed and two single bunk beds), toilets, and living area.

For added fun, you have a bit of a climb into your Bird’s Nest with the help of a retractable staircase.

Dragonfly

We couldn’t go past the name on this one. A dragonfly is elegant and graceful, hovering above the earth and catching glimpses of light in its glass like wings. The Treehotel has got the name down pat on this one, as this room closely resembles its namesake.

Despite managing to blend in with the wooded area surrounding it, the Dragonfly is without a doubt the biggest room. Unique in many ways, this room can function both as a conference space as well as private suite.

A 15-meter long ramp takes you up to the Dragonfly, where large panoramic windows give you a magnificent view over the valley. The cabin is built out of wood, with an exterior of sheet metal that will eventually turn rust-brown and blend in even further with the extensive pine-tree forest around it. The design and the spectacular interiors are the makings of Rintala Eggertsson Architects.

For a spacious stay, high above the ground, the Dragon Fly is our pick.

So, are you ready to get back to nature and explore your wild side? Head over to Treehotels and look into this must see to believe escape into the wilderness today.

Article by: Emma Lovell

Photo credits: Johan Jansson