Digital Detox for Two at Sweden's Wildest Hotel: Off-Grid Forest Escape with Private Wood-Fired Hot Tub and Floating Sauna

Kolarbyn is a cluster of twelve charcoal huts in the Bergslagen forest, and it describes itself as a hotel with hundreds of stars — which is accurate, because the roof of your hut is the only thing between you and the sky. There is no electricity in the huts and no plumbing. Two compost toilets and a rustic washroom serve the site, and you wash up at the stream. That's the deal, and it's the reason people book it.

Your stay is self-catered but not unprepared. On arrival you get a guided tour and a dinner basket with everything for your first evening meal. From then on you use the forest pantry — a shared store of ingredients for breakfast, lunch and dinner — and cook on fire pits and grills. There's a forest kitchen with utensils, a covered meeting place called Samlingsmilan, and a spring for fresh water. Coffee brewed over the fire is a running theme in guest reviews, and pancakes with wild blueberries are a stated option for breakfast.

The included private wood-fired hot tub is set by the shore of Lake Skärsjön. You prepare it and light the fire yourself in the late afternoon so it's hot by sunset. A private sauna for two hours is also included, and the site's shared floating sauna sits on the lake. Canoe or rowing boat use is part of the package, as is a fishing permit and a hiking map of the surrounding trails and lakes.

What separates this from a standard cabin weekend is the level of self-sufficiency and the setting. Charcoal burning was the original industry here and the huts are built in that tradition. Wildlife is close: loons call across the lake at night, elk and beaver safaris can be booked, and goldcrests — Sweden's smallest bird at five grams — nest in the spruce around the huts. Nearest village is a walk away if you want an ice cream.

Arrival windows are fixed because there's no reception: Monday to Friday 15:00–16:30, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 12:30–13:30. Check-out is by 11:00. The operator is contactable by email or phone and notes they may be slow to answer because they're out in the forest with guests.

What's included

- Two nights in a charcoal hut - Dinner basket on arrival - Breakfast cooked over an open fire - Lunch and dinner from the forest pantry (self-cooked) - Private wood-fired hot tub by the lake - Private sauna for 2 hours - Canoe or rowing boat use - Sleeping bag, pillow, bedding and sheepskin rugs - Towel - Fishing permit - Hiking map of surrounding trails and lakes - Guided tour on arrival - Access to fire pits, grills and forest kitchen with utensils - Fetching water from the spring - Use of the shared floating sauna on the lake (bookable)

What's not included

- Travel to and from Kolarbyn - Travel insurance - Meals beyond the provided dinner basket and forest pantry ingredients - Bookable extras (evening elk or beaver safari, additional sauna sessions) - Extended-stay boat and sauna bookings (reduced rate, not included) - Personal expenses - Alcoholic drinks