Vacation in a holiday home — everything is possible!
Not in the mood for a vacation in a hotel room? No problem: As every week, we show fascinating ways to spend vacations in Europe. This time, it's in a holiday home — and some are pretty spectacular. We can dream...
Spectacular, ecological and local
The breathtaking view of the Komovi Mountains is one of the highlights of the "ethno village" Stavna, in Montenegro. The 10 cottages are built of wood and natural stones from the region and can each accommodate up to five people. The village restaurant serves mainly local specialties. The calories can then be burned off again during hikes and mountain bike tours in the wonderful surroundings.
Classic choice: A vacation cottage in the dunes
In many places along the German, Dutch and Danish seacoasts, small wooden houses nestle in the dune landscape. But only rarely is it as idyllic as here on Helgoland-Düne, a German islet, where space is limited. The holidaymaker boom of the past decades has also led to ever larger vacation home developments.
No better view of the sea
Due to the increasing demand for sea views, rows of beach houses, like this one in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, are increasingly common — also since there are very few places where building is possible without restrictions. These small huts offer accommodation for up to four guests. If you don't mind crowds of people outside your front door, you can enjoy the proximity to the water.
One just like the other
The desire of vacationers to have their own accommodation often comes at the expense of individuality. Vacation parks, like this one in Winterberg, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, are quite unashamedly designed to maximize profits. The number of vacation homes and apartments in Germany has increased by more than a third since 2010; last year, a record 11,443 were registered.
Spending the night in the treehouse
This is the opposite of mass tourist accommodation: Treehouses in the Erlebniswald Solling (adventure forest), in the German state of Lower Saxony, offer space for two to six people. The heated lodgings are a worthwhile destination for nature lovers all year round. Each house has a toilet and a balcony, and shared showers, a sun deck, a natural swimming pond and a playground are also available.
An underground vacation
The view might not be as spectacular as from a treehouse, but earth houses offer a more pleasant climate and usually a lot more luxury. Spacious living rooms and marble bathrooms, like in this earth house in the Swiss municipality of Untersiggenthal, aren't uncommon. Earth houses have always existed, especially in mountainous regions, but now they are now increasingly offered as vacation homes.
Windmill flair instead of the daily grind
The windmill Catharina, in Oldenswort, Schleswig-Holstein, is a protected landmark and a special kind of refuge. It offers space for six people over three floors and boasts a wonderful panoramic view of the North Sea peninsula Eiderstedt. Heavy wooden beams, a window in the mill's grinder section and an outlet for electric cars — this roomy vacation "house" combines past and present.
Ready for some island life?
Three rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and an unobstructed view of the sea in all directions — that's how this holiday home in the former lighthouse of Prisnjak, Croatia, is advertised. Anyone who checks in here has the large house and an entire island to themselves. If you don't have your own boat, you can take a mini-ferry. Then it's time to put on the brakes and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Vacation idyll with a view of the Milky Way
Similarly secluded and providing exceptional views is this finca, or estate, on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma. Spending your vacation in such a typical Spanish rustic accommodation all but guarantees relaxation. Where could mild summer nights be spent better than on a terrace under the stars?
Mobile vacation home
Those who ultimately prefer to have fresh views from their vacation home can simply rent a houseboat. The license to steer such a vehicle over canals and rivers in Germany is given to the vacation captains in the form of a detailed briefing. Then it's "Cast off!" and away they go on their rocking and rolling vacation trip.