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Arholma is a lovely island of the Stockholm archip...
Arholma is a lovely island of the Stockholm archipelago, located next to the mainland. Besides a ferry (for pedestrians) there's no connection to the mainland and because of the fact that Martins house isn't located next to the ferry station, we would definately recommend on taking a boat taxi from Östersjö to get to the house initially. Besides many other things, Martin was very helpful with arranging that boat taxi for the first and last day of our stay.
The house itself is beautiful and well equiped. We didn't miss anything for the daily living. Besides the main house there are 3 other buildings to use. One is a pool house, one is a lovely cabin next to the sea and the other one contains a sauna and additional sleeping places, also right at the waterfront.
The property is beautifully situated in the middle of nature. The silence is soothing. There are a few neighbours in the area, but you don't notice much of them. When we met one of the few people on Arholma, they were always very nice.
Since the only shop on the island is opened only occasionally (at least in the low season) and a 45 minute walk away, it is advisable to bring your food on the first day.
When it came to planning our stay, Martin patiently answered all of our questions from the beginning and supported us wherever he could.
All in all we would like to thank Martin and his family very much for making their beautiful house available to us and for enabling us to have a fantastic holiday. We fell deeply in love with the place and hope to return soon.
Kind regards from Germany
Philipp & Co.
Written 30 June 2023. This review is the subjective opinion of an individual traveller and not of Tripadvisor LLC nor of its partners. Tripadvisor does not check Vrbo reviews.
by a verified reviewer on Vrbo.com
Secluded but amazing swedish summer retreat
If you want a more secluded all swedish summer place this is amazing! It has everything you would want... only thing is how to get to the island even with an amazing taxi oat and Martins helpful directions it’s still a bit of a trek and expensive. To go to the well stocked little store on the island you will go thru a forest and walk for about 35 min. That can be a bit hard so bring backpacks and we used the jogging stroller as help. Martin has a boat that you can rent but be sure you are comfortable to use it in the sometime windy conditions ... we were 15 people who stayed for a week and we loved it ..only thing is don’t use to much of the water as it’s easy to drain the well! Also if you have kids and teenagers tell them not take the spa cover off by themselves it’s easily damage as there is a fence around the spa... we did love our stay and made memories for a lifetime with our family and friends!
Visited July 2019
Written 14 August 2019. This review is the subjective opinion of an individual traveller and not of Tripadvisor LLC nor of its partners. Tripadvisor does not check Vrbo reviews.
by a verified reviewer on Vrbo.com
Very rare and special place to relax and unwind - Highly recommended!
We spent 2 weeks in Martin´s house (4 adults - 2 kids) and enjoyed every single day. No cars - no TV (you can only watch DVDs/Bluerays as there is no TV reception) - no internet (no wifi only 4G through your mobile phone) - this is a digital detox paradise. Martin can arrange a boat pickup from Östersjö brygga that will take you to the house within 5 minutes. You will find everything you need in the house. We were allowed to use Marin´s bicycles and used them every day to go shopping or just tour around the island. The shop on the island sells everything you need and it takes about 20 mins to reach it by bike. In the same distance you will find the harbour and the restaurant, another restaurant (Arholma Nord) is just 5 minutes further. You can visit Arholma Batteri there - a big cannon from the cold war (recommended) and after the visit you can eat in the restaurant. Maybe you want to bring larger/heavier goods (and alcoholic beverages) from the mainland on the day of arrival. We rented a small boat with outboard engine through Martin to feel more mobile but this was quite useless as the steady winds in the area are not the perfect match with a small boat. The main house offers 2 sleeping "wings" on the 1st floor. Each offers a central room with a double bed and 2 additional rooms (you need to walk through the central room to reach them) with bunk beds on the right and one on the left wing. On top there was another sleeping room on the ground floor plus 2 more at the dock. The pool has around 30 degrees and needs a cover during the night to keep the temperature. The Jacuzzi is a perfect warmup after a refreshing morning swim in the sea (we had 12 degrees during our stay). The wooden sauna is very nice as well and the cold sea helps you to cool down quick. We had 12 days with 17 hours of sunshine during our stay and just 2 cloudy days - no rain (just a few drops) at all. The temperatures varied around 20 degrees plus/minus 2 degrees. If you sit in the sun on the terrace in front of the house it´s always warm enough for shorts and t-shirt - no matter what the temperature says. There is a very nice sandy beach just 5 mins walking from the house where you can watch the sunset - don´t miss it - this was one of the daily highlights! If you want to relax and clear your mind this is definitely the place to be. If you are looking for animation, party or sightseeing you should better choose another place. Thank you Martin for everything!
Visited June 2018
Written 16 July 2018. This review is the subjective opinion of an individual traveller and not of Tripadvisor LLC nor of its partners. Tripadvisor does not check Vrbo reviews.
by a verified reviewer on Vrbo.com
Martin's place is perfect. Stylish, very well equipped and in a beautiful setting. Highly recommend.
We were a party of four adults and six kids under 10 and we spent a week in Villa Espskär in August. It was a huge success with our kids already bugging us to go back. The place is really well equipped with every summer-house activity you can imagine. The house is great; comfortable, well laid out and very cool but our experience was really all about the outdoors. We got great weather (by our standards; we're Irish!) so our days were spent swimming, boating, fishing and exploring the island on bikes. There's a great BBQ and outdoor eating spaces. We had a small medical emergency and the neighbours - Caj and Inger - were a big help getting me to and from the ER in Norrtalje. They are a lovely couple and we spent a lot of time hanging out with them and their grandkids came over to play.
Although we summer abroad, renting houses in groups every year, we hadn't been to Sweden and some were nervous about how remote Arholma is. However, that's the charm of the place. No cars on the roads, one small but incredibly stocked shop and the simple pleasures of island life meant we had a really memorable stay. If you want a bustling party island with lots of tourist traps, don't come to Arholma. If you want a relaxed, outdoorsy, back to nature experience where the kids don't even look for their devices, go to Martin's place. It's very special.
Visited August 2017
Written 14 August 2017. This review is the subjective opinion of an individual traveller and not of Tripadvisor LLC nor of its partners. Tripadvisor does not check Vrbo reviews.
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What this rental offers
Things to do
Fishing spots available
Bathroom and laundry
Hot bath
Towels provided
Washer
Location info
Kid friendly
Living spaces
Highchair
Indoor amenities
Fireplace
Internet access
Entertainment
DVD player
Television
Additional amenities
Sauna
Outdoor amenities
Patio
Kitchen and dining
Grill
Dishwasher
Refrigerator
Microwave
Cooker
Toaster
Availability
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Map
Getting there
Stockholm Arlanda Airport
50.7 km
Mariehamn Airport
70.9 km
Restaurants
Pans Thaimat
6.2 km
Granparkens Gard Och Kafe
4.2 km
Svanberga pizzeria
4.7 km
Attractions
Storholmen Viking Village
5.4 km • Children's Museums
Activities nearby
Fishing spots available
Things to know
Check in / out timings
Check in after 4 pm • Check out by 11 am
Cancellation policy
About this property
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