Uncovering Local Life in West Sweden

Historic elegance

Full of character and turn of the century (1900s) elegance, coastal Villa Sjötorp blends bygone character with modern comfort and service.

Once a private summer villa, Sjötorp exudes its past and is owned by Ellika Mogenfelt, whose great-grandfather, Haeger, built the original house. “Villa Sjötorp is my roots and a heritage passed down from my grandfather that I feel deeply responsible for caring for. Our wish is simple: to welcome our guests into a home that just happens to be a hotel”.

Sympathetically renovated with modern facilities, the interior retains much of the original styling. Entering Villa Sjötorp is like stepping back in time – there’s not a Kallax unit in sight. Perch on the terrace or sit on the swing hanging from the beech tree in the lovely gardens and feel calm descend as you gaze out to sea. There are only 14 rooms at this elegant guesthouse that is a popular base for accessing the natural beauty of Ljungskile in the Bohuslan archipelago.

Dining is one of the standout features of a stay at Villa Sjötorp. Sustainably sourced and locally produced, the seasonal menus blend herbs from the garden, foraged ingredients and fayre from local producers. Ellika notes “My choice to work with organic ingredients, preferably sourced locally, isn’t a marketing strategy. It’s simply the way I live. It reflects how I eat myself, what I serve in my own, and how I’ve raised my children”.

Escape to the country

Ostensibly rustic, yet with all your needs catered for, Swedish Country Living is a property designed to banish the digital frenzy we usually live our lives by. The name says everything in place offering an authentic experience of what country living should be. Owned by husband-and-wife team, Marie and David, who traded a busy and successful life in the city for a rural idyll in Dalsland, the cabins offer a space to reconnect with nature and focus on what is important. Set beside a lake and surrounded by forest, you can help but rediscover the simple pleasures in life.

The Hermitage cabins at Swedish Country Living have been created around a vision of sustainability. They don’t have running water or electricity, yet they offer simple luxury. A fireplace, candles and lamps create a relaxing ambience. And upcycling combines with locally sourced materials – wood, wool, slate – and Scandi elegance to bring guests pastoral perfection.

The unexpected side of sea food

The phrase the ‘bounty of the sea’ tends to invoke thoughts of fish and shellfish, particularly in an edible sense. Despite its virtually obligatory presence in a Chinese takeaway order, seaweed isn’t usually at the top of the list. But here off the island of Styrsö in the Gothenburg archipelago, for one woman in particular, seaweed is a passion. Karolina Martinson is a diver and sustainability advocate has made it her mission to showcase the versatility of Swedish seaweed and make it a staple of Swedish food culture.

Her recipes ranging from whipped panne cotta with dulce de leche to Japanese okonomiyaki with seaweed and mussels, demonstrate that the only limitation to the ocean’s vegetarian larder is imagination.

Seafood safaris, beach walks, dining and cooking experiences are available on a request basis offering a highly personal delve into coastal plant life. And only 30 minutes from the centre of Gothenburg, Styrsö itself is a delight. A car-free haven, you’ll find sandy beaches, charming villages and leisurely hiking trails.

Light, art and nature

Smögen sits a couple of hours north of Gothenburg in the Bohuslan archipelago and is one of the most popular spots in West Sweden. A seafood mecca, particularly shrimps, the 800-metre-long boardwalk of Smögenbryggan is dotted with shops, cafés and restaurants. It’s a bright spot on any touring itinerary in the region, but for ten days in September, Smögen positively dazzles.

The annual Island of Light festival brings together innovative light installations dotted around the island. Coloured lights and artistic projections beam onto the granite rock to create a luminous spectacle along the coastline.

Join locals in this distinct cultural experience sampling from food trucks along the Smögen Light Walk and taking in the spectacle from the water on boat trips.