Go Niche

As the rest of the country travels south this summer, why not be different and head north?

As the rest of the country travels south this summer, why not be different and head north?

With Scandinavian travel specialist the Mighty Fine Company, you can be more different still, eschewing traditional accommodation too.

How about sleeping with the fishes at the Utter Inn Hotel, three metres below Lake Malaren, near Stockholm? It is a typical Swedish red-timbered cabin, only floating on the water, and at night, guests climb down a ladder to a bedroom with 360 degree windows giving a panoramic views of the lake and its colourful fish. Breakfast is hand-delivered by boat in the morning. A two-night break starts from £550 (€640) per person, including return flights from London and some meals.

Odder still is the Oops Hotel, which looks as if it has sunk into the Vasteras archipelago. The hotel is designed to look like a house semi-submerged in water, with the top of the downstairs windows just peeping over the water line.

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In fact, what you are looking at are foundations, cleverly disguised as the ground floor. The hotel has a wooden deck on three sides, kitchen and sauna and a two-night break starts from £550pps (€640), including return flights from London and some meals.

Or how about a subterranean stay at the Mine Suite of the Sala Silvermine, 155-metres below ground? Originally hand-hewn by mine workers, the space is now a Gothic-style cavern with chandeliers, beautiful furniture and cosy bedding, surrounded by meandering corridors, vast caverns and magical underground lakes. A two-night break starts from £675 (€788) per person and room service is but a two-way radio call away.
mightyfinecompany.com

Sandra O'Connell

Sandra O'Connell

Sandra O'Connell is a contributor to The Irish Times