The Alvasjön Residence

hjo, jönköping county

4 bedroom - 1 bath

(7 reviews)

Air Conditioning
Baby Bath
Baby Monitor
Babysitter / Nanny
Backyard / Garden
Balcony
Bathtub
Bed Rails
Bicycles
Cabinet Locks
Changing Table
Chef / Catering
Children's Dinnerware
Corner Guards
DVD Library
DVD Player
Dishwasher
Elevator
Fireplace Guards
Game Console
High Chair
Housekeeper
Outlet Plugs
Parking
Pet-friendly
Pool
Pool Gate
Stair Gates
Television
Toys / Children's Books
Washer / Dryer
Wifi
Window Guards

SLEEPS 8

1 king

5 twin / single

1 toddler bed

sleeps 1

1 baby crib

Perks for the Parents

Nestled in the woods of a baronial estate beside Sweden’s largest private lake, 2 hours west of Gothenburg, this remote hideaway featured in the Guardian's top 100 European villas of 2015. With a large deck with views of the lake, woodlands and lawns, the house is set on 1 level with an upper sleeping loft ideal for teens. The estate includes a bike shed and a lake house with a sauna, plus canoes and row boats. Spend days picking blueberries, cycling forest trails and diving from the floating platform in the lake.

Why Kids Love it

There is a vast amount of space to run and play in at the house, which is part of a small collection of cottages and houses on the same estate. Canoes and rowboats are fun in the summer, as is the sandy lake beach and beach hut. Three bedrooms are downstairs, while upstairs there is a loft ideal for older children. There are chickens on the estate to feed and visit for fresh eggs. The nearest town, Hjo, has ice cream shops, a pretty harbour, an outdoor heated swimming pool, lake beach and playground. Children should be supervised around the water and should wear pants and long sleeves while exploring the woods. As the property is remote, an adult should accompany children on the trails to avoid getting lost.

Things to Know

Minimum stay: 5 days. There is a stair gate for the steep stairs up to the sleeping loft; it is best for older children. The location is remote: the nearest town is 25 minutes away, and there is no WiFi or TV. The nearest road is 2 km away. Many of the facilities are shared, including bikes, canoes and the lake house. Life jackets and bike helmets are provided along with a tagalong, kids bikes and a baby bike seat. If you are lucky you might spot deer and elk in the forest. There is also serious fishing in Hokensäs, a five minute drive away, along with the best leisure centre in northern Europe in Skövde, 40 minutes’ drive away. Free parking on site.

About the Location

The house is in a private nature reserve near the town of Brandstorp in southern Sweden. It is a short drive from the shore of Lake Vättern and around 2 hours west of Gothenburg. Nearby towns include Hjo (25 minutes) which has a cashpoint and supermarket, Skövde (50 minutes) and Jönköping (40 minutes). The area is wooded and quiet, with cycling and hiking trails, forests full of blueberry bushes, pine trees and silver birches. It is rural with limited facilities, although there is a good shop a 5-10 minute drive up the road in Brandstorp. Car rental is essential. The nearest international airport is in Gothenburg, a 2-hour drive away; Stockholm is just over 4 hours away by car.

Accommodation Details

The house has a large open plan living space incorporating a kitchen, formal dining area and lounge, and 3 bedrooms downstairs, including 1 bedroom with kingsize bed plus optional cribs and fold out bed for a small child, 1 bedroom with 2 twin beds and 1 with 1 twin bed. The upper sleeping loft has mattresses on the floor and can sleep up to 3. The bathroom has a shower. There is a deck with seating and views of the lake and lawns.

Style Notes

Simple Swedish. This pared back country cabin has views of the lake and forest and revels in the countryside location. It is a place for simple pleasures: canoeing on the lake as a family, playing on the sandy beach and cycling trails in the woods. The decor is comfortable and themed around owls - the insignia of the former estate owners. The immersion in nature is the key feature, with a simple pared back interior to keep things calm and soothing. We love the spacious deck for evening entertainment and the great shared facilities.

Property perks

Concierge

A concierge service is available for this property
Baby rental
equipment partner

We work with a carefully-chosen baby equipment rental partner in this location
Kid & Coe
select

Kid & Coe Select properties have been visited by our team and checked for their suitability for family travelers
Itinerary

We provide a family-focused itinerary for properties in this destination
Professional
partner

This property is professionally managed by a trusted partner

Ed G.

Member since October 12, 2014

Contact Host

Ed, Sara, Ella and Simon live in Saltsjöbaden outside Stockholm most of the year and at Alvasjö our idyllic lakeside retreat in the summers. We love spending time at the beach in Comporta too!

Hjo, Jönköping County

Lakes, rivers and sled rides

On the western shore of Lake Vättern in south Sweden, four hour’s drive from Stockholm, Hjo is a water and nature lover’s dream. Be charmed by the simple wooden houses, the lovely parklands and beautiful landscape. Take the kids to the city park, visit the bison farm or check out local handmade crafts at Butik Rustik boutique. Call in at a kennel to see how sled-dogs live and listen to stories about their adventures north of the Arctic Circle.

7 reviews

Charlotte D.

Visited in August 2019

The house was well appointed and extremely clean with very comfortable beds. The bikes and lake equipment were all in good condition and great to use. It is a very peaceful place and if you are looking to totally get away from it all then it's the place to come. On reflection it was perhaps too remote for us and if our children hadn't been able to play with the owners' son, it would have been a really tricky week. We could have done with quite a bit more information about things to do and places to eat. The house is really quite off the beaten path and the nearest town with proper amenities is a good 20k away. We ended up relying quite heavily on google to find places for a coffee / lunch and did stumble upon a few gems. The theme park at Gotherburg is really worth the trip also taking the ferry across to Visingso from Granna.

Harald W.

Visited in August 2019

We had a wonderful week in this comfortable vacation home on the spectacular Alvasjon estate. Ed and Sara were most gracious and accessible hosts. We very much enjoyed exploring the surroundings, swimming and boating in the lake, biking around the estate and exploring nearby villages like Hjo and Tidaholm. We hope to come back to this magical place!

Nicole W.

Visited in July 2018

We had an unforgettable time at The Alvasjon Residence and were sad to leave. Ed and Sara and their lovely family were incredible hosts and thought of every little detail imaginable from a generous welcoming package of provisions to a very helpful information kit that includes local towns, attractions, maps and shops. The cottage exceeded our expectations and gave us the perfect escape from urban sightseeing.

Angie P.

Visited in August 2017

What a special place this is! Our family of 5 (kids aged 10, 7 & 3) stayed for 8 nights and wished we could have stayed longer. The house is really well equipped and comfortable, and we particularly appreciated the black out blinds on the windows and the welcome bottle of wine in the fridge! The kids collected eggs from the chickens and berries from the forest most days, and we were all very impressed to watch Ed's daughter catch a good size pike in the lake. The shared equipment was a fantastic plus: top quality mountain bikes for all the family, plus of course the row boats and canoes. Great local info from Ed and lots of helpful advice on how to make the best of the place (particularly loved the Children's House in Tideholm). We loved the lack of screens & the chance to completely disconnect and spend slow time together amidst such precious natural beauty. Highly recommend!

Katharina K.

Visited in August 2017

We had a wonderful time at the Alvasjon Residence. Sara and Ed were excellent hosts and the lake, forest and surroundings were stunning. We would go back to this unique place again.

Daniela M.

Visited in June 2017

We had a wonderful time at the Alvasjön Residence and would definitely come back! We travelled with our two daughters (4y, 10m). The house is equipped with everything you need: high chair, toys, baby cot, blender, plastic plates etc. The residence is located in a forest overlooking the private lake. If you don't want to see anybody you really don't have to. There are other houses on the property but they are mostly empty during the week. We enjoyed taking the bikes for a tour (one kids seat, two pull-alongs are available), hiking through the forest (maps are in the house), picking blueberries and mushrooms, taking the row boat out for a spin, playing on the beach, or sometimes driving to one of the many little charming towns. Especially Hjo and its harbour are worth a visit. The ice cream parlour Moster Elins at the harbour is superb! Everybody was very friendly and helpful. Ed provided us with lots of information beforehand, the caretakers of the property were always reachable by phone if something was needed. One of the best holidays we ever had!

Colin W.

Visited in June 2016

We spent 8 nights at this property in June 2016 with our 3 children aged 10, 8 and 5 and had a fantastic stay. The house is in an amazing location with beautiful woodlands and the lake right on your doorstep. The boat shed is well equipped with canoes, paddles and a wide range of life jackets and there is a wide choice of sizes of excellent quality bikes. The house itself was cosy and comfortable and had everything we required for our stay. Ed was extremely helpful, informative and easy to communicate with and ensured that we had a fabulous time. We would highly recommend this property.