The Swedes love their little island escapes. Especially those living in the capital Stockholm as the Stockholm archipelago provides dozens of beautiful little islands to enjoy the long days in the Swedish summer.

In July 2016, I got a taster of all the things that make Stockholm's archipelago such a unique location for a wonderful summer getaway. The four-star Hotel Djurönäset, which is just a 45 min. bus ride away from the city, was the perfect combination of work, play and relax…

1. Ready, Go … Relax!

In order to chill out a little bit before our packed schedule at the TBEX conference in Stockholm, me and my fellow Travel Bloggers were spoilt with choices. Some tried some meditation, others (including me) decided to try out the wood-fired sauna and hot tubs, which are outside by the sea near the hotel pub Sjöboden. As we made full use of the sunny spells between the rain, some of us even took a swim in the clear and clean stretch of the Baltic Sea just underneath the sauna and hut tubs.

Sea view from the sauna

Summer in Sweden, just as you would imagined it, right?

Hot tubs and the sea

The trails in the surrounding nature are also perfect for more sports-related relaxation activities such as hiking, cycling or running. The hotel even has its own tennis and boule courts, which guests can use during their stay.

The indoor spa area

And if the weather is not so great, you still have the option to relax in the 25 metre long indoor swimming pool. Also located within the basement of the hotel's main building are a saunarium, a steam bath, a spa and a gym.

With so much to do, you'll have no excuse of not finding a way to relax at Djurönäset! 🙂

2. Get some work done and relax afterwards in your home away from home

"Some companies worry that the internet connection is slow here because we are located on an island," says Pia af Rolén, Marketing executive at Djurönäset. But as we quickly noticed, that is a total myth. The internet was just as fast and reliable as you would expect it from any location in the city.

In fact, Djurönäset is one of the largest conference facilities in Sweden and can accommodate up to 550 overnight guests. The hotel's accommodation style is pretty unique, too as we found out soon after arriving:

View from my room

To our surprise, we got a whole house to ourselves, which was not only equipped with standard hotel rooms for sleeping, but also conferences rooms for co-working, a kitchen and even a comfy lounge with a fireplace to unwind.

Our lounge

3. Get a taste of the cultural and culinary delights of Sweden

The first thing we experienced after arriving at Djurönäset was lunch at the hotel's own archipelago pub Sjöboden, which is located down by the bay of the Baltic Sea. I had a delicious veggie burger with sweet potatoes. But there is also a good selection of fish dishes such as pickled salmon, which some of the other Travel Bloggers enjoyed.

As we were there on a Tuesday, we were also able to see some live entertainment, which Sjöboden hosts every Tuesday and Thursday night during the summer. This is also the perfect spot if you ever wanted to view a spectacular Swedish summer sunset!

Lunch at Sjöboden

No Swedish afternoon is complete without a coffee break aka the famous Swedish "fika". So that obviously had to be part of our schedule. At Djurönäset, we enjoyed "fika with a twist" as the hotel provided us some vitamin-packed fruit shots together with delicious pastries and of course lots of coffee…

Fika at Djurönäset

In the evening, we were treated to a lovingly prepared 3-course-meal served by very attentive restaurant staff. They told us that a lot of the food and drink are sourced from locally produced ingredients, such as the Swedish apple juice that went along well with my vegetarian avocado starter.

Dinner starter at Djurönäset

Travel bloggers @work

Dinner dessert at Djurönäset

Needless to say that the breakfast buffet the next morning offered everything one could want, too. There were all kinds of Swedish breads, fruit, müsli and yoghurt items as well as a full English breakfast – all sourced form locally produced and organic ingredients as well.

4. Get hitched (and stay in the honeymoon suite)

A short walk from the hotel down by the sea, you'll find three separate little houses, of which two can be used to host a wedding ceremony and reception and one which houses the hotel's most luxurious accommodation option – the "honeymoon suite".

This suite overlooks the sea on one side and is surrounded by a beautiful forrest on the other. If you get married here, you'll feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, yet close to all the amenities you need.

Sea view from Djurönäset

Wouldn't everyone like a view like this for their wedding?

5. Get your heart rate pumping with a ride on the submarine

Feeling adventurous? So did some of my fellow Travel Bloggers. How handy that Djurönäset offers a really cool and unique tour in a mini submarine, on which you can explore the magical world beneath the sea.

Another sea view from Djurönäset

If you rather would like to experience the archipelago from above the water, you also have the option of rowing a boat or canoe.

My verdict: Especially during the long and bright days in the summer, Hotel Djurönäset offers everything you need for an authentic Swedish island getaway – just like the one you've seen in the movies!

Special thanks to…

… our hosts Visit Stockholm and the Hotel Djurönäset as well as all fellow Travel Bloggers who made this trip such a fun experience! For a different angle on our common experience, check out their blog posts about Djurönäset, too.

Here I am with (from left to right, back row to front row): Jenni from traveltorecovery.com, Laura from savoredjourneys.com, Sheila and Tom from romancingtheglobetravelblog.com, Henar from wanderwings.com, Betsy and Pete from passingthru.com, Claire from talesofabackpacker.com, Marissa from postcardstoseattle.com, Mirje from anywhereism.net, Rahul from Plush TV,  Kemkem and Frederico from nextbiteoflife.com, Alex from crazysexyfuntraveler.com, Jacomijn from safeandhealthytravel.com and Mirre from mirreopreis.nl

Some of us even learnt how to pronounce Djurönäset in the end! 😉

Daily activities board at Djurönäset

All photos by © Sonja Irani | filmfantravel.com

Disclosure: As part of my participation at the TBEX Europe Travel Blogger Conference in Stockholm, this fam trip was funded by Visit Stockholm and the Hotel Djurönäset. The views expressed in this blog post, however, are entirely my own and therefore personal and unbiased.