To be filed under: always rely on the advice of locals when traveling. My husband and I (children in tow) spent a summer vacation in Sweden a few years ago. Our first instinct was to contact our Stockholm friends Martha and Anders for ideas: where to stay, what to do, where to eat, etc. I'll always be grateful to them for insisting we take a ferry to Grinda, a small island in the north Baltic Sea archipelago (a two-hour trip from the center of Stockholm), for a hike through the forest followed by lunch at Grinda Wardshus.
Since our visit, the restaurant has been gathering steam: owner Jan Pfister is on a mission to "elevate the cuisine of the archipelago" and it's been written up in Conde Nast Traveler, the Financial Times, and so on. I'm plotting a return visit.
Photos courtesy of Grinda Wardshus unless otherwise noted.
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Above: Henrik Santesson, the first chairman of the Nobel Foundation, bought the island in 1906 and built the Art Nouveau villa as his summer house in 1995.
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Above: Straight out of Bergman: the terrace overlooking the Baltic sea.
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Above: The moody wood-paneled reception hall.
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Above: Even in summer, a fire is lit.
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Above: A candle illuminates the restaurant concierge desk.
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Above: The pale, sunlit dining room; photo by Gentl & Hyers for Conde Nast Traveler.
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Above: Candles illuminate the dining room, even during daylight.
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Above: A simple, spartan guest room.
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Above: Built-in daybeds.
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