Category: Tried & Tested

Pella Roca Cabins are a romantic Glamper’s dream. The cabins themselves are private and comfortable, with a style that epitomizes cabin chic fabulousness. Your stay can be customized to fit your desires, and planning your menu and romantic additions will make preparing for your stay part of the fun. The surrounding grounds and neighborhood offer a vast variety of activities, if you’re able to leave your porch. But once you set foot into your cabin, you will enter a new world of peace and luxury that is all your own.

Set in the French Countryside, on a truffle farm no less, La Pella Roca feels separate from your normal world of schedules and stresses. Should you not want to explore the surrounding towns, trek, kayak or hang glide, you’ll have absolutely no reason to leave your cabin. The proprietress Isabella will fill your fridge with delicious sustenance to delight every palate and make you never want to leave. A local France charcuterie board (with additions from Isabella’s native Spain of course) on your patio with a crisp sparkling Rosé is all your summer is missing. Then when morning comes, you’re in for a treat.

If you, like us, have never had a breakfast basket, you don’t know what your life is missing. Imagine a picnic basket delivered to your door with croissants, fruits, granola, yogurt, charcuterie, fresh juice, ok I can’t go on I’m hungry again. It is the intersection of charm, deliciousness and convenience and officially our new favorite way to wake up. The most fantastic part is that all of this delectable food magically appears at your fingertips, and you don’t have to speak to a soul to get it!

Continue your day sipping espresso on your porch, or enjoying our favorite part of the cabin (yes, we haven’t even gotten to our favorite yet!).

Each cabin comes equipped with it’s own private sauna and Norwegian hot tub, both of which are as amazing as they sound. One of you can build up the fire, while the other pours champagne, and as the stars come out feel free to wonder if this place actually exists on this Earth. Go to sleep, wake up, and repeat.

Or, if you wake up with a burst of energy, you can walk over to the pool to take a refreshing swim. Continue your lounging poolside or wander back to the cabin for a sauna. If you aren’t the lounging type of person (or are in a relationship with one who gets a bit stir crazy), never fear. Farther afield are medieval villages to explore and even caves containing Rock Art from 15,000 years ago. And of course, world-class restaurants for which France is known. In the winter, enjoy truffle season with bursting markets and cuisine. Summer offers a plethora of sporting activities from trekking to mountain biking to hang gliding. Reward yourself at the end of your day with a world-class French restaurant in the village. You can wear yourself out while knowing your private spa retreat awaits your return.

The romance and relaxation surrounds and permeates every molecule of the Pella Roca Cabins and grounds. Allow the bubble to encapsulate the two of you, and enjoy precious moments of privacy and let the peaceful setting slow your breath and clear your mind. Enjoy the convenience, without any of the stress. And after your break from the world, leave more equipped to take on the world.

First thing I thought when booking my incoming 11PM flight into Arlanda Airport in Stockholm was how I wasn’t looking forward to a late-night long commute. Luckily, the feeling didn’t linger for long. Off I got from the aircraft, carry-on in tow, and on to the next. Not to fly, but sleep.

Open since January 2009, Jumbo Stay at Arlanda Airport, “one of the world’s coolest stays,” as the website so merrily claims, comes at the rescue of weary travelers like myself. Landing close to midnight and with energy on the low, spending the night on-board a real jumbo jet gave me a much bigger kick than hauling myself all the way into town.

If I had only pushed the button for my stop… I hurriedly get off the free ALFA transfer bus, a station too late, crisscrossing questionable lawns to make my way back to the previous stop. The alternative would have been to wait it out, comfortably seated touring all terminals, but not unlike what I wanted to avoid in the first place – thanks but no thanks. Finally, the inescapable creature loomed on the horizon. I had doubts all along of how cool this would actually be, but now that I was looking at it, it did look the part. A Boeing 747-212B converted into upmarket hostel, the gigantic airliner once hopelessly parked, and unused, in the airport parking lot, emerges daunting, dimly lit, stretching out into the twilight of the Swedish night.

Already past midnight, I make my way up to the reception area. A minute after I realize the elevator only works with the button continuously pushed down, I reach the top and open the glass door. I check-in uneventfully, and release a sigh of relief. The free Wi-Fi included works perfectly.

Aside from the lounge, to the left of the reception desk, casual yet stylish, a hint of a Mad Men-ish vibe thanks to the bright orange stools arranged around white tables, complete with a TV, stocked refrigerators and a self-service coffee machine, the rest of the cabin feels rather sterile. Just a long hallway, mostly white, with rooms on each side of the aisle (33 rooms in total). Convenience is evident once again, coziness is not; it was envisioned as a budget-hotel alternative by owner Oscar Diös (at least for Scandinavian standards) for late night arrivals, like myself, or early morning departures. And indeed it was.

The single room I spend the night in includes two twin bunk beds (with a ladder for the upper), neatly arranged. Don’t expect any drinks, side tables, storage space, because there aren’t any. Just imagine your otherwise economy seats pulled out and made into a sleeping quarter. This is still more spacious. There are towels provided, thankfully, as I didn’t bring any. There is also a lamp, which slightly blinds me at 1AM when I get to sleep, and a flat-screen TV high up on the wall. Orange curtains, in agreement to the lounge stools, provide the only splash of color, behind which four passenger windows reveal the exterior, finally dark.

Excluding the no frills ambiance, I sleep well through the night. Besides the sound of the central air conditioning, no other noise disturbs me, certainly not one of airplanes coming and going. I did hear the neighboring passengers toss and turn, so do pack your earplugs, and eye mask for that matter, as in no time in this part of the world during summer, there will be light again. The bathroom is shared (a single bed ensuite will cost you some 475 Kroner more, that’s $55 more), but only partially. Forget the usual hostel bathroom, with few showers lined up, one next to each here. Here, you get your own shower cabin, toilet and sink, which for a non-hostel lover like myself, feels a-ok. You just have to walk down to the rear for it. I steered clear from the clunky common washbasin made of aluminum all the way in the back, uninviting, even intimidating.

Of course, there are also few luxurious options at Jumbo Stay, if one can call them that. The Double Bed Black Box Ensuite is most design forward and comfort friendly, while the innovative Cockpit Suite is exactly that, innovative but nothing more. Besides the ample terrace available for this suite alone, and the unique views that come along with it, the double bed parked where the once pilots sat is rather unnerving, giving the impression of a locked-in space. From the terrace, two engine rooms with a private entrance can be seen, a unique thrill for the aviation geeks but otherwise a laudable exercise of claustrophobia.

The next morning, I have breakfast in the same bar/café lounge with orange stools (equally uncomfortable), a surprisingly generous offering of cold cuts, eggs and few types of cereal and fruit, included for all private rooms (dormitory guests can purchase it for some $7). Aviation fans can revel in the memorabilia hanging on the wall – posters of the jumbo’s historical journey – from its first flight in 1976, delivered to Singapore Airlines, registered 9V-SQE, to Pan Am as N727PA Clipper Belle of the Sky in 1984, to Swedish Transjet Airways in 2002. Plenty more in between attests to its long, bumpy ride until opening as Jumbo Hostel in 2009.

These days, it’s the opposite of bumpy. It’s unique, convenient and true to its Swedishness. I see a Shoes Off sign as I finally make my way out and into town. A nice custom when entering a Swedish house – too bad it wasn’t more visible, or made vocal, for bleary-eyed late arrival occupants.

Down the winding roads of the French countryside, past pastures, villages, and ancient steeples, the grounds La Chassagne rests on 33 gorgeous acres. Originally a farm, the Schuit family converted the land into a camper’s paradise—full of greenery, wildflowers, and a peace that permeates even the most devoted city dweller’s heart. There are a variety of accommodation options on the property, but obviously our preference was one of their two-bedroom glamping safari tents.

Image Credit: La Chassagne – Safari Tent

The tent is made up of the classic canvas structure, but that is where the typical stops. The floor and furniture are handmade by the Schuit family that has run La Chassagne for over 16 years. Add the personal touches of gorgeous carpet, handpicked wild flowers, and the antique tea set; you have a home that is as charming as it is unique. The Schuit family added a kitchen to the tent as well, and aperitifs on your patio are all that’s needed to complete your paradise.

The forest is a few steps from your doorstep, and it begs to be explored. Dubbed “The Pirate Forest” for the family’s 6 year old boy’s birthday party, the name stuck, and now the path is full of whimsical hand carved wooden creations that make the forest seem even more enchanting than it already is. The lush landscape helps shelter you from all outside stress or troubles, and you can lose yourself (but not get lost, yourself!) on the winding path over brooks and animal tracks.

Image Credit: La Chassagne – The Restaurant

If you wander closer to the farmhouse, you’ll find plenty of nooks in which to curl up and read, with only the rampant wildflowers to keep you company. The original farm’s buildings have been renovated to fulfill the modern needs, and the Schuits wisely kept the original structures and charm. The cottages, restaurant, and chicken coop blend together as well now as ever before, and they set the backdrop to life at La Chassagne. Have Maarten walk you over to see the new beehives, and learn all you can on the fascinating subject. Or eat from Mary Ann’s table hôtes and experience what French food tastes like with Dutch hospitality. Food warning: you won’t want to leave.

Though it is tempting to spend your vacation within the grounds, you should try to tear yourself away to enjoy the neighborhood. The nearby Mupop Museum for Pop Music was just credited by CNN as France, and even Europe’s, best new museum. Interested in something a bit more antiquated? There is a medieval village, chateau ruins, and endless churches to explore and admire. Or simply take a drive through the French countryside—and wonder, with the multitudes who’ve gone before you, how the French can make dilapidated stone homes and fields of wheat so enchanting. Be sure to make it back for dinner. As discussed, no matter what your day entails, the table hôtes will be a highlight.

Once inside la Chassagne‘s borders, your body’s pace will adjust and your mind will quiet. It is a place to reset, recharge, and remember the simpler pleasures life affords. Whether you stay three days or one month, whether you come as a single, couple, or family of 6, you’ll be better from the visit.