Mondo picked three excellent choices for accommodation in a beautiful setting in Finland. Visit the luxurious Haasi Mirror House cottages on Lake Päijänne, the historic Carlsro Badhotell on the Åland Islands and The Barö in Ingå tested by Mondo.
The Barö
THE LANDSCAPE IS like a painting! The pines are swaying in the wind, and a fishing boat is moving slowly in the inlet. The Barö archipelago hotel in Ingå has become popular in no time at all. And no wonder, because accommodation providing this kind of experience in the middle of nature in the south of Finland is rare.
It’s about an hour’s drive from Helsinki city center, and the place is best reached by car. The closest train station is about 20 kilometers away in Karjaa, from which you must take a taxi or take a bus, but the service is not that frequent.
The Barö has been dubbed Instagram perfect, but instead of fancy decoration and anything flashy, the place relies on an ascetic approach. The design cottages are clad in charred wood, and the interiors are dark and restrained. It’s like a four-star design hotel. The cottages have a nice bathroom, minibar and an iPad to order food from room service.
Instead of fancy decoration and anything flashy, The Barö relies on an ascetic approach.
Some of the cottages are near the inlet, some more inland. For spectacular scenery, the cottages near the inlet are better.
The Barö is a sustainable choice: the building material is Finnish wood, hotel waste is treated locally, and energy is produced with solar panels.
The Berg restaurant serves four-course dinners. The fish-rich menu may occasionally go a bit over the top, but for anyone staying here, it’s still the fine dining experience we recommend.
The Berg also serves breakfast. It’s presented in a fine wooden box that you can take in your room to enjoy if you like. It includes delicious cheeses and mouth-watering salmon, among other things.
The room prices start from about 300 euros, and with the dinner included, the visit becomes a bit pricier than your average hotel visit. However, The Barö is ideal for couples, for example, that want to commemorate a special day with a one-night hotel holiday.
Barösundintie 679, Ingå, thebarö.fi
Haasi Mirror Houses
These three luxury cottages were built in summer 2020 on top of a pier structure in Lehmonkärki, Asikkala, near Lahti. The cube buildings have mirror walls, with a stunning view of Lake Päijänne. This is not economy travel, but the price includes a breakfast delivered to the cottage, a bottle of sparkling wine, bathrobes and slippers, sauna, outdoor jacuzzi, and SUP board rental. The rooms have an extremely comfortable bed, and a kitchen. This accommodation is only for customers over the age of 18.
Lehmonkärjentie 180, Asikkala, lehmonkärki.fi
Carlsro Badhotell
Great news for friends of the ‘Badehotellet’ TV series! The Delfs, a Danish-Finnish family, has opened an inn half an hour from Mariehamn, which operates on the Danish seaside hotel concept. Carlsro Badhotell customers may wander around in their bathrobes along the corridors of the 1910s building and go for a morning swim on their own jetty. The hotel also has a restaurant with a terrace, and a delicatessen shop.
Lumparlutsvägen 12, Föglö, carlsro.com
See also:
• New rise of the urban sauna culture: explore 10 authentic Finnish saunas >
Text: Valtteri Väkevä Photos: The Barö, Haasi Mirror Houses and Carlsro Badhotell
Published first in Mondo's issues 6–7/21 and 9/22.