Extreme sleeping is becoming something of a theme in northern Sweden. While the Ice Hotel has been offering a warm welcome to visitors for over 20 years, a newer option in unusual luxury accommodation is the Tree Hotel. With six unique rooms (and a treetop sauna for good measure – this is Sweden after all), the Tree Hotel offers a chance to experience the wild north of Sweden from high above the ground in quirky luxury. And unlike the Ice Hotel it is open throughout the whole year. Here’s a little taste of what it’s all about.
Despite the fact that most of these bizarre construction look entirely out of place in a Scandinavian forest (or any forest for that matter), the construction has been completed with sustainability and conservation very much at the centre of the design. Materials have been locally sourced where possible and the site has been built around living trees, with no trees chopped down to make way for the hotel.
Living in a tree – a quick look at the six rooms
The Cabin A favourite of the Sunvil team
Effectively a platform with a capsule below, this room is high up on a steep hill with great views over the Lule River valley. Access is by a horizontal bridge among the trees.
The Mirrorcube A favourite of the Sunvil team
Perhaps the most surreal of all the rooms, the Mirrorcube is a 4m x 4m x 4m cube camouflaged by mirrored outer walls that, at certain times of the day, appears to blend invisibly into its surroundings. The walls have been clad with a special infra-red film to stop birds flying into it.
The Bird’s Nest
Resembling a giant bird’s nest, this room at least looks as though it blends into the woodland (as much as an unnaturally large bird’s nest can hope to do). Inside it’s a relatively normal suite, although the winding branches on the outside do frame every aspect of the view. Entry to the room is by the use of a retractable staircase.
The Blue Cone
The simplest of the designs, the room is well suited for people with limited mobility as there’s a flat access bridge. The room is designed to give a sense of height and lightness, but also stability.
The UFO
If you’re going to design something as wacky as the Tree Hotel, how far can you push that wackiness? As far as building a UFO it turns out. Made using a durable composite material the inside of the UFO has a modern feel. As with the other five rooms, there’s a eco-friendly combustion toilet and a water-efficient bathroom.
The Dragonfly
The largest of the rooms at the Tree Hotel, the Dragon Fly has to two bedrooms(in the “wine” alcoves) and a designated seating area.
While the rooms are self-contained, there’s a common building, Britta’s Pensionat, where guests check-in, eat their meals, enjoy a drink and sauna and of course, access the internet. From the rooms it’s a short walk through the woods to what are probably the most unusual hotel rooms you’re ever likely to experience.
Image credits: Peter Lundstrom, WDO and Fredrik Broman, Human Spectra –www.treehotel.se