Fabriken Furillen epitomizes industrial chic: it’s a converted factory on an old quarry in Gotland, Sweden.

We know that the Swedes are decades ahead of everyone in terms of green living. So you won’t be surprised to hear that one of the Nordic country’s hippest hotels is in a converted factory. Fabriken Furillen is a former limestone refinery located on the windswept shores of Gotland, Sweden’s largest island.

This industrial-chic retreat consists of a tall, grey square building in the bare, lunar landscape of the old limestone quarry, with rocks running down to a slate-coloured sea. The hotel’s interior is minimalist, with machinery still hanging down from the ceiling in a part-sinister, part-art-installation way. The owner is a fashion photographer, so the visual impact is clearly well thought-out. The hotel has plenty of natural light thanks to huge windows, looking out over the Baltic Sea.

Rooms in the main building have Wi-Fi, Bang & Olufsen TVs and CD players, while small white “hermit cabins” with decks have wood-burning stoves and locally-sourced sheepskin rugs for cool summer evenings, and outdoor toilets, for that glamping feel. Bicycles are provided for navigating the gravel paths around the grounds dotted with pine trees. It’s not luxurious, certainly not as indicated by its prices, but it’s a one-off and the setting is unbeatable, if at the monochrome end of the color spectrum. Fabriken Furillen is often used as a location for photo shoots.

The food served in the restaurant is all sourced within the area, with an accent on fresh fish, vegetables and herbs.

Rates from $281 including tax.

Gotland is famous for its superb cuisine, and being an island, fish features heavily, such as gutte (turbot); other produce – and dishes – are more unusual. Many farms sell produce direct to the public – look out for the “Gårdsbutik” sign.

Top food and drinks to try in Gotland:

Ransoms (wild garlic) and sand leeks (wild onions).

Burgundy truffles; lammskalle (lamb’s head); pickled pears; baby carrots;

dricke (juniper and hop beer); sugar-beet rum; grappa.

Image: nowness.com, wayfaring.info, faistoilabelle.wordpress.com, bishopthorpe.net,  naturspaziergang.de, WikimediaCommons, spisa.nu

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: Gotland’s Industrial Hotel & Curious Vegetables appeared first on EcoSalon.

Camper-vanning: the best way to see New Zealand’s huge landscapes at your own pace.

Slow travel is a growing phenomenon/mindset, along with slow food and slow fashion, the idea being to take your time, enjoy the journey, spend more time visiting fewer places: the opposite of 20-cities-in-10-days.

In a country like New Zealand, you need time to absorb the mind-blowing landscapes around you: “dramatic” isn’t even the word. Go tramping (New Zealand speak for hiking) in these phenomenal outdoors to spot the cinematic locations used for the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Piano. And what better way to appreciate these wide open spaces, where you can easily avoid seeing other humans for days, than by hiring a camper van and  around at your own pace, stopping when you want, sleeping at campsites in the most beautiful spots imaginable?

Not to mention waking up to views like these – all are locations of campsites with motorhome access run by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation. You’ll forget what cities even look like.

Maitai Bay, Karikari Peninsula (North Island)

Tapotupotu, Kaitaia (North Island)

Lake Tarawara, Rotorua  (North Island)

Otamure Bay, Whananaki (North Island)

Waikaremoana Lake, Te Urewera National Park  (North Island)

Te Iringa, Kainmanewa Forest Park (North Island)

Nelson Lakes (South Island)

White Horse Hill, Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park (South Island)

Lake Gunn, Fiordland, (South Island)

Ahuriri Valley, Canterbury (South Island)

Photos: Darren W, fourcorners.co.nz, New Zealand Department of Conservation, Oliver Ross, rankers, honeheke, snailtrail

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: New Zealand At a Snail’s Pace appeared first on EcoSalon.

The Scarlet is a super-chic eco-retreat on the south coast of England.

England isn’t known for its good weather, so its beaches can get overlooked by overseas visitors. The south-western county of Cornwall (as in Camilla, Duchess of), however, enjoys a micro-climate, meaning it’s (mostly) mild and sunny thanks to the Gulf Stream that flows past its shores.

The Cornish Coast is also hugely fashionable with Brits, and their chosen escape is The Scarlet. This luxury eco-hotel with spa is located on an isolated clifftop overlo0king the sea; children aren’t allowed, ensuring a peaceful, grown-up ambiance. Owned by three sisters, who conceived and designed it as “the place we would most like to be and want to share,” the hotel is hard to fault on either eco or design grounds.

The Scarlet has a solar-heated indoor pool, natural outdoor pool (supplied by rainwater, using a reed bed filtration system); an air-tight timber-framed building, reducing heat loss; a green roof planted with sea thrift (a native plant) to aid insulation; a biomass boiler using wood chips; natural ventilation; grey and rainwater harvesting; and even an electric car-charging point.

The decor is a perfect expression of funky chic – no cold, minimalist tones here; colorful prints complement rich colors, with wood floors and soft, curvy shapes (round tables and seats) adding to the warm feel; all 37 guest rooms, which come in five sizes, have sea views with outside space – balcony, terrace or garden access, complete with design-statement moulded plastic chairs.

Spa treatments use ayurvedic, organic seaweed and house-brand (ingredients: local clay, salt and herb) products. The relaxing atmosphere encourages you to hang out – literally, in pods suspended from the ceiling; there is also a couple’s suite, with double bath – say no more.

We like: the bright red log-fired outdoor hot tubs overlooking the sea; the mud bath, where you get messy slathering yourself and partner in mineral-rich Moroccan rhassoul, for that extra frisson; and the free meditation classes, a new addition to the yoga and pilates already offered.

If you can bear to drag yourself away, nearby activities include tree-climbing (discover your inner child), surfing (inner dude), wild swimming (inner adventurer/naturist) and basket-weaving (inner crafter).

Rates start at $260 including tax, breakfast, inner calm and (with luck) fine weather.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: The Scarlet, Cornwall, UK appeared first on EcoSalon.