Beautiful orange Swedish forests, spa, wine, good food and great company, a combination almost too good to be true. But this is what me and my sister experienced when we traveled south to Ästad Vineyard and Spa in the nature reserve of Åkulla Beech forest approx 2 months ago. It was a while ago, but this experience is worth waiting and hearing about. Let me tell you about our Ästad Vineyard experience…

How it all started…

Me and my sister picked up our car from a rental station on Friday morning, and drove south from Gothenburg towards Ästad Vineyard, a completely organic vineyard which also is one of Sweden’s biggest, located in Tvååker. None of us had ever been there before and the closer and closer we got to our destination, we were enchanted by the beautiful nature around us. That it was a beautiful sunny autumn day, and that all of the trees were beautifully colored in red-orange tones, made it all a lot better.

Ästad Vineyard and spa is located in Åkulla Beech Forest, at the end of a small, picturesque village with charming red colored houses with flowers on each doorstep. Ästad Vineyard consists of three big facilities in the village and seven cottages the visitors can rent and live in. We checked in as soon as we arrived and walked towards the spa and hotel facility. I loved that the whole facility has decor and interior inspired by the colors and natural materials of the local landscape.

Me and my sister had booked one of their suites that is located just above the spa and that has big windows facing, and having view, over their outdoor spa and its gardens. It was magical having this beautiful view from, not only your hotel room, but your master bed too. As if this wasn’t enough, the suites also have its own huge bathroom with a waterfall shower, own sauna and a beautiful (and big) natural stone bathtub. You can even use the tablet to connect your phone to the audio system and dim the lights before bedtime.

Then it was time for spa, so we changed clothes to our swimwear, wore the robes and slippers that were already placed in our hotel suite, to then just walk down the stairs to get into the spa area. Due of the COVID-19 situation the spa had more restrictions than usual and there weren’t as many guests In the spa (or at the whole facility in general) as it used to. This was not a disadvantage for us who wanted to have a calm and peaceful stay though, it was to our advantage, and we really enjoyed the spa this Friday afternoon.

Their spa is truly wonderful! It used to be known for their outdoor spa (that you see in the photos) but it was in May that they had built the indoor spa too, including lots of various showers, saunas, pools, spa treatments and if one wanted, you could get optional beverages or something to eat for a cost. Me and my sister stayed outdoors mostly, also taking a walk through the beautiful gardens to their saunas and pools further away from the spa. There they also have an underground sauna with windows facing the lake. This is the only underground sauna of its kind in Europe, where you have a view of the underground lake from the windows.

The main reason why we came to Ästad Vineyard from start was because of restaurant ÄNG that is located in the biggest facility and its tasting menu with selected produce and ingredients from the pantry of Halland. The team at ÄNG takes inspiration, flavors and advantage of produce when they are the best, from local farms, forests, meadows and water. Me and my sister had an amazing evening, being all dressed up, and eating a 15 course tasting menu where pretty much everything was local and had its sustainable foundation. I , who don’t eat meat, got the tasting menu with small adjustments if any of the dishes included meat.

The presentation of the dishes were beautiful, and I had some personal favorites of dishes that I really loved:

• The cod from Katttegatt with kimchi and cilantro oil was delicious. I liked that they had added some Asian fused dishes to the tasting menu too. It gave, the otherwise very “Swedish” food and ingredients, a fine touch.

• Sourdough bread with wheat from Limabacka Kvarn. I am a true bread lover and this one was all warm and just perfect. It was fluffy and light even though it was a sourdough bread.

• Crayfish from Buas coast, coniferous from juniper bush and yarrow from Ästad. I liked that this one had a light salty after taste and that the crayfish was so soft and really melted in your mouth when eating it.

• Last but definitely not least, their hasselback apple dessert with whiskey sauce, crunchy nuts and ice cream. We were full after eating 13 dishes, but when this one arrived and you took one spot of this dessert, you instantly wanted more. One day I want to remake this dessert and make my own version of it. So delicious!

After having a very long but wonderful dinner experience we were satisfied and tired and returned back to our hotel room. The day after we enjoyed a delicious big breakfast in one of the facilities before checking out from this beautiful and wonderful staycation. This place is definitely a place for those who wants to combine spa with wine, vineyards, nature, beautiful views and possible hiking tracks too in a calmer, natural environment away from the city life. I absolutely loved it and I know my sister did too.

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