Värmland, Sweden
Overview
Location & Accommodation
In December of 2020 I traveled to Sweden with my family and my two huskies and we rented a beautiful cabin north of Karlstad for a week. It's located right by a lake surrounded by beautiful nature and a couple of other houses. The day we arrived there was no snow yet which made it a perfect day to unpack and get cozy in the cabin, but the next day we woke up to lots of snow, which made the place look even more magical. The cabin is very spacious and perfect for a family / group of four. It is relatively remote, you definitely need a car to get here and there's not much close by in terms of supermarkets and stores. But the nature is absolutely gorgeous and we took a few hikes around the property in the snow which was amazing.
Overall experience
We stayed at this AirBnB over Christmas and it was everything we could have hoped for as we had a true white Christmas. The house is located right next to a lake, with a large garden space and driveway. It is not fenced in, but when we visited they had a very long line laying around which we could connect to my husky's collar, so she could freely roam around. The nature is absolutely stunning and the views over the lake with the classic Swedish cabins are breathtaking. The house has a spacious living room with a fire place and lots of rooms for the dogs to chill. The cabin was in good shape, the furnishings were quite simple, but perfect for a getaway in the middle of nature. It had everything we needed for our stay. If you're visiting in winter, I'd advise on bringing snow chains for the car. Even though the road was cleared multiple times during our stay, we were very happy to have some snow chains to drive into town as you're still driving on a good layer of snow on many roads. Furthermore, the hosts were super friendly and responsive!
Rating
Accommodation details
Indoor space
The cabin has two floors and you'll find the living room with kitchen, one large bedroom and a large bathroom on the ground floor. Upstairs there's another smaller bedroom and what could be considered as a second living room where more people could also sleep. The stairs to get to the first floor are rather steep and they're open stairs, making it not very accessible for pets and small children. One of my huskies slept in the living room, while we carried the other one upstairs as she prefers to sleep in the room with me. When we visited there was a small dog bed in the living room, a little too small for my male husky to lay in, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the comfort of it.
Outdoor space
The outdoor space is amazing! There's a large garden in front of the house that leads to the lake and jetty. The dogs absolutely loved roaming around the property. However, it's not fenced in, so we kept my youngest husky on a very long leash. It's very easy to go on a nice walk straight from the property as there's loads of forest area and beautiful views around the lake. In summers you'd also be able to make good use of the porch right in front of the house as the AirBnB does have outdoor furniture as well. The sunsets and sunrises are absolutely magical here!
Dog friendly amenities
Facilities & area
We absolutely loved our stay here. The cabin had everything we needed and even with the cold temperatures outside it stayed warm and cozy inside. The beds were comfy, the kitchen had everything we needed to cook and there was a fire place with wood provided. There's a town, Torsby, about a 20 minute drive from the house which has several stores, a big supermarket and some restaurants. And about a 10 minute drive from the house you'll find Östmark which also has a smaller supermarket. You will find lots of great winter activities close by, from ski resorts to snowmobile rental and even husky sledding!
Pet policy
I don't recall having to pay extra for bringing my two huskies along for this trip. We did bring all our dog supplies ourselves, but there was a small dog bed in the living room and a very long outdoor line, which was great for my husky Dunya as she absolutely didn't want to come inside after it had snowed. With all the access to nature and outdoor space, this really is an amazing dog friendly stay.
For more information about the AirBnB, please visit here.