Arctic Fitness Retreat: Private Scandinavian Boot Camp in Swedish Lapland

The setup is simple. You get a private hotel in Kardis village, Swedish Lapland, with an indoor gym, an outside training area, a sauna, hot and cold plunge tubs, and an outdoor jacuzzi. The whole space is yours for the duration of the stay. Training happens twice a day if you want it to: strength and conditioning work in the gym, then circuits, running or functional sessions outside on forest trails or frozen lakes depending on the season. The environment does a lot of the work — clean air, no traffic, no noise, and in winter the northern lights overhead.

What makes this different from a standard fitness retreat is that nothing here is shared with strangers. You book the building, not a room. The private restaurant means meals are cooked for your group alone, and the chef can work around specific dietary requirements. There is no fixed timetable you have to slot into — the week is built around your group, and you decide how hard to train and when to rest. The owners describe it as a place to "relax, re-invent and invest in your health, both physically and mentally," and the seclusion is the point: with no bars or restaurants nearby, there's nothing to do but train, eat, recover and be outside.

Rest days are filled with Lapland activities that you pick from a list. Trekking in untouched forest, snowmobile trips, canoe fishing, lunch in nature, campfires, and reindeer visits are all on offer, plus the jacuzzi under the stars. These aren't add-ons bolted onto a fitness programme — they're the reason many groups come back. In winter the frozen lakes and snow-covered trails change the training completely; in summer the midnight sun means you can be outside at almost any hour.

The accommodation is a lodge with up to 10 rooms sleeping up to 20 people. You can rent the entire hotel or half the building while still keeping exclusivity. Rooms are simple and comfortable rather than luxurious — this is a working retreat base, not a spa hotel — but the facilities are all on site: gym, sauna, plunge tubs, jacuzzi, restaurant and training grounds. The whole property is surrounded by forest and sits close to the Torne river.

It suits teams and groups more than solo travellers, though a solo fitness enthusiast who wants a private block of training would also fit. The owners are clear that it's not a traditional getaway — it's for people who value secular living, wellness and personal growth, and who are happy to be far from civilisation. If you need a town, a bar or a beach within walking distance, this isn't it. If you want a gym, a sauna and 20km of forest trails with nobody else on them, it is.

What's included

- Exclusive private hire of the lodge (entire hotel or half the building) - Use of indoor gym - Use of outdoor training area - Sauna - Hot and cold plunge tubs - Outdoor jacuzzi - Private restaurant space - Up to 10 rooms for up to 20 people

What's not included

- Flights to and from Swedish Lapland - Airport transfers (can be arranged at extra cost) - Meals (in-house chef available at an extra charge) - Lapland activities (trekking, snowmobile, reindeer visits, etc.) - Travel insurance - Personal expenses