Kolbaryn — Sweden's most primitive hotel

Referred to as "Sweden's most primitive hotel," STF Kolbaryn has neither running water nor electricity. It is situated on lake Skärsjön in the seemingly endless forest regions of south central Sweden, only two hours drive from Stockholm.

Guests stay in small forest huts, half built into the ground, with two wooden cots and a fireplace. You chop your own wood, start your own fires and cook your own food. But you also get to enjoy the water, either by boat or floating sauna, take midnight wolf pack tours in the woods, and hunt for forest trolls. In Sweden, the connection to the wilderness remains a mythical one.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Kolbaryn is its origins. Kolbaryn was one of the few remaining locations for forest charcoal production using 400 year-old methods. At an annual gathering, groups transformed decayed forest materials into charcoal inside large make-shift huts for neighboring towns. Over time, more and more people became interested in joining the production and built small forest huts nearby. Today, these forest huts constitute the primitive accommodations for year-round guests at the lodge.

We first heard about Kolbaryn from Design Tripper last year where they also show other rustic Swedish locations including Urnatur and Tree Hotel.