Sometimes it will come to pass that I will engineer a whole family holiday around a bucket list experience and I would be lying if I said this was not the case for our Swedish Safari at Eriksberg. This family-oriented nature reserve in Sweden was the memory maker of our summer holiday road trip, where the animals were the cherry on top of a unique safari hotel experience.
The Room
Arriving at the nature reserve you would be forgiven for thinking that you’d stepped back in time with cobbled roads and traditional farm buildings lining the entrance. Eriksberg has a beautiful range of accommodation options and we opted for the the Ark – the newest hotel building on the site with sweeping views from every room of the grazing plain for deer and bison.
When you walk into the room the breadth of the view is phenomenal and the large balcony means you can take it in at length throughout your stay. The rest of the room is capacious and inviting. The three of us shared a king size room, with a pull out bed for our five year old and there was plenty of space for us all and our two weeks worth of luggage! The design was clean yet cosy with nods to the reserve such as coat hooks from deer antler. The bathroom boasted a large shower and individual products made especially for the resort.
The Food
I was not sure how the food at the reserve would cater for our needs as there was not much available information on the website but we were not so secretly delighted. Starting with breakfast, which we agreed was the best we had in Sweden, we found a bevy of treats at the buffet. For little travellers there were on tap pancakes and for a grown up palate there was a range of charcuterie from the game in the reserve. This is served in the Visenten restaurant, which also offers up a la carte brasserie food throughout the day.
We opted for the dinner, bed and breakfast package for our stay and while we normally prefer dining flexibility we were blown away by both of our dinners in the Havsornen restaurant. Each night we had a fine-dining set course menu using the best local produce with delicious wine pairing suggestions. They also expertly switched out some dishes for little diners, offering spaghetti bolognaise and meatballs in place of the main menu – and of course finishing with ice cream!
Amenities
It will come as no surprise that the safari drives are the highlight here, but there is so much more to keep you entertained! The drives are open from 12pm-6pm and you can take your own car and self-drive two loops to get closer to red deer, bison and birds of prey. The setting is stunning and there is a lake view stop which is where you can get out of the car and take the magic in. You can also join guided tours with Eriksberg staff to hear more in-depth about these majestic animals and their habitat. We spent the rest of our time in the ‘heated to bath temperature’ outdoor pool. With incredible views of the grazing plain, this was an ideal place to spend the mornings before the reserve opened. The pool has children’s swim times of 9-11am and 2-4pm meaning that you can book end your days with swimming fun, as well as tag teaming as parents to get some adults only relaxing in! The hotel and reserve also boasts and outdoor playground and indoor and outdoor gym.
Near to the reserve are the insanely beautiful white sand beaches of Ahus and Ystad. This part of Sweden is a brilliant option for long school summer holiday days and the reserve is a dream accompaniment.
Useful Tips
How to get there: The closest international airport to Eriksberg is Malmo which is a two-hour drive away. I would recommend hiring a car and taking in the dreamy white sand dune beaches on the south coast of Sweden on the way.
When to go: Stockholm experiences long sunny days in the summer – June through to August is the time to go!
Length of stay: Adding two nights to a tour of the Swedish Riviera in the south of Sweden would sprinkle extra magic into your trip.
Overall
There are some stays and experiences that stay with you forever – on paper, it was out of our way to make the six hour journey from Stockholm to the south of Sweden for Eriksberg but it was so worth it. Seeing these native animals in the wild and being cocooned in this high-end hideaway will be something we’ll never forget.
That Holiday Mum x