I always book different hotels on my trips to Sweden, to try out different areas for fun, but also to test drive different saunas. This time I booked the Ariston Hotell in Lidingö, a nice island community near Stockholm. With ski a ski hill... no snow during this bad winter though.
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January 2020, Ariston Hotell, Lidingö, Stockholm, Sweden
Sauna (Normal)
Our quick start for year 2020 involved skiing in the Austrian alps, about an hour south of Salzburg. We found a nice, affordable hotel, LUFA in St. Michael im Lungau. While being affordable at only a bit more than 100€ per night, it had nice sauna facilities.
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January 2020, JUFA Hotel Lungau, St. Michael im Lungau, Lungau, Austria
Sauna (Normal, Steam, Infrared)
While in Serbia I stayed at the Dvori apartments, about 10 kilometres from the ski slopes. They had a quite nice spa area, with a jacuzzi and four saunas. Very relaxing!
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December 2019, Dvori Apartments, Kopaonik, Serbia
Sauna (Normal, Steam, Infrared); Swimming (Indoor, Water, Waterbody-Pool)
Every time I fly out from the non-Schengen side of the Helsinki-Vantaa airport, I visit the new Finnair lounge sauna. Dark, hot bliss!
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November 2019, Helsinki-Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland
Sauna (Normal)
On the following week, I managed to score a luxury accommodation, a hotel room with a window!
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November 2019, The Studio Hotel, Kista, Stockholm, Sweden
Sauna (Normal)
Connect Hotel: In my quest to try all the saunas in different hotels in Sweden (or Kista, at least) I booked this hotel for a very special price... only for me. Cheap, but the room didn't come with a window. That was fine, it was a hack-documents-until-2am day anyway.
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October 2019, Connect Hotel, Kista, Stockholm, Sweden
Sauna (Normal)
Before the Red Cross camp opened for the caving conference, I had to stay one night somewhere, and have a place for some work conference calls. I ended up selecting the Tsarsko Selo Spa hotel. An interesting place, with many saunas and pools :-)
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September 2019, Tsarsko Selo Spa hotel, Sofia, Bulgaria
Swimming (Indoor, Outdoor, Water, Waterbody-Pool); Sauna (Normal, Steam)
This is how to serve champagne in Palju (a hot outdoor tub heated by wood fire): floating.
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September 2019, Kekkolan Kartano, Mikkeli, Finland
Swimming (Outdoor, Water, Waterbody-Pool); Sauna (Normal)
I've lived 25 years in Kauniainen, but today was the first time that I swam in our lake, the Gallträsk. A perfect, hot day for that.
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July 2019, Gallträsk, Kauniainen, Finland; House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland
Swimming (Outdoor); Sauna (Normal)
I am heading to the IAB workshop & IETF but not before trying the new black sauna at the Finnair lounge with Ari.
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July 2019, Helsinki-Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland
Sauna (Normal); Travel
Today I washed the sweat and dust of the day off at the Harmony Spa. Very, very nicely coloured sauna. Hot too. And a nice blue pool.
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July 2019, Harmony Spa, Budapest, Hungary
Sauna (Normal); Swimming (Indoor, Water, Waterbody-Pool)
Once again in Kista, Stockholm. For work. In the summer everything seems to be better, though. Like hotel pricing. Apparently Kista is not a big vacation destination, so even the best hotels go for 60€ a night, so this time I'm staying at the Scandic Victoria.
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July 2019, Scandic Victoria, Kista, Sweden
Sauna (Normal)
I attended a workshop at a private corporate facility in Kirkkonummi, and it turns out that there was both a very nice sauna, swimming place, as well as ruins from the Russian occupation times: a railroad leading to a rock, almost disappeared harbour pier. Nice surprise!
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June 2019, Corporate Sauna, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Sauna (Normal); Swimming (Indoor, Outdoor, Water, Waterbody-Pool, Waterbody-Sea); Urban-Exploration (Ruins)
Kinnerstugan, north of Visby in Gotland, Sweden, has a nice sauna. Plenty hot! And it is free... except that you need 5 crown coins for the showers.
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June 2019, Kinnerstugan, Gotland, Sweden
Sauna (Normal)
It turns out one can recycle the pine bath whisk. Just stick it in a terrace flower box, just like people normally decorate their terraces with evergreen tree branches.
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June 2019, House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland
Sauna (Normal)
For a work meeting, I stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Hague. It turned out that they had a nice spa area, with four different saunas and good pool.
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June 2019, Crowne Plaza, Hague, Netherlands
Sauna (Normal); Swimming (Indoor, Water, Waterbody-Pool)