5 classic Danish (and 1 Swedish) “badehotel”

Enjoying hygge close to the beach

Growing up on the west coast of Sweden, we have always looked to our neighbors in the west, Denmark. We used to go there a lot during my childhood. It was easy since there was a ferry from my hometown to Denmark and somehow life always seemed a little sweeter on the other side of the sea. There is so much to see and do and we still go there a lot, to the beaches of sunshine island of Bornholm, to Copenhagen for some city life and to all the cute villages dotted around the countryside. To me Denmark has always represented vacation, lazy days in the sun and incredible ice cream. In addition, the Danes are also such an inspiration to us more square Swedes, where they seem to be much better in relaxing, enjoying life and not taking things too seriously.

And when on the subject of enjoying life in Denmark, there are few places where that is as easy as when staying at one of the classic Danish badehotel.

The term badehotel started to pop up during the 19th century as the glitterati of Copenhagen started to travel to the seaside in the Summer to get away from the hectic city life and relax in calm settings close to the sea. Fast forward to today where these hotel has become a kind of cultural icon where most seaside towns worthy of their name has at least one of these hotels on offer. Some have been around forever (more or less) and some are newer, but one thing they all have in common is that they are havens of tranquility set in the most stunning of locations, filled with Summery, classic design and they serve delicious food.

Below I have listed 5 of my favorite bade hotels out of the ones I have stayed at. 4 Danish and 1 is actually Swedish.

Svinkløv / Fjerritslev, Denmark

Svinkløv located on the northern part of Jutland, is a real stunner of a badehotel. It is this one that was the inspiration for the Danish TV-show “Seaside Hotel” which is a cozy series set in the 20s-30s. Svinkløv is gently embedded in the grass covered sand dunes, a short stroll from the sea. This is like the epitome of a Danish badehotel.

Read more about the my stay at Svinkløv here

Melsted / Bornholm, Denmark

We go to Bornholm every Summer and the top badehotel on the island is this one, Melsted. It is located right next to the town of Gudhjem, basically right on the beach. A stunning white building dating back to the 1930s. A real Summer dream.

Villa Berg / Marholmen, Sweden

Badehotels used to be fairly common also in Sweden, back in the day, especially in the southern part of the country. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to treat them with the same respect as our neighbors in Denmark and many of them has disappeared. But there are some exceptions, like this one, Villa Berg. A beautiful Art Nouveau building, sitting on a small hill, right next to the Baltic Sea. A great contender to the best Danish badehotel.

Read more about my stay and Villa Berg here

Aggershøj / Ærø, Denmark

Aggershøj on the Danish island of Ærø, is an unusual looking badehote.l. A stately building surrounded by a wonderful garden, almost makes it feel English. But make no mistakes, this place is Danish to the core, oozing of that Danish hygge we all seem to be obsessed with and designed with a lot of classic Danish features and furniture.

Read more about my stay at Aggershøj here

Hornbækhus / Hornbæk, Denmark

North of Copenhagen there is a small village of Hornbæk, right on the coast. So of course there is a badehotel here, the aptly named Hornbækhus. It dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and is filled with bright, colorful design by the Austrian-Swedish designer Josef Frank. And a short stroll from the hotel you’ll find one of the best beaches of the Danish island of Sealand.

Read more about my stay at Hornbækhus here