The Ark at Eriksberg

The restaurant was excellent, from the game meat sourced from the park to the wine and service. The food quality was top-notch. Eriksberg is one of the best hotels in southern Sweden, and this gem is well worth visiting. I’ll definitely come back, and stay longer next time. We stayed in the newer building spread across the open landscape. Our room was bright and comfortable, with a great view, though it was a shame that the balcony wasn’t private and other guests could walk past. In the evening, deer and other animals came close to the hotel. It felt peaceful and magical. The wellness area is small but cozy. A late-night swim under the dark, starry sky was especially nice. The hotel sits right in the middle of Eriksberg Wildlife and Nature Park, with beautiful rooms, an excellent restaurant, a heated pool looking out over the plains, and stunning views of the wild animals. I’ll definitely return.

It’s usually one of my personal favorites, but on our last visit they served natural wine even though we’d explicitly asked not to have it. They also charged us for double accommodation despite our sharing a room.

The scenery alone makes this well-maintained nature reserve worth visiting, and the tour was beautiful. You may not see many animals since the reserve is focused on nature and most of them are left to live their lives. Bring binoculars, or rent a pair at the shop.

The self-drive safari for hotel guests was much appreciated. We could take it slowly and stop whenever we spotted an animal. We arrived around 1 pm, which left us plenty of time for an unhurried drive before checking into our room. The recommended app was really informative too. It played automatically near certain GPS-linked spots and told us about the reserve’s animals and history. Our room at the Mahvillan was large and comfortable, and handicap friendly. Since we booked at the last minute, we didn’t have much choice. We were in the room furthest to the right, with a view of the outdoor gym, which was quiet during our stay, and some cute ducks. Many deer were spending the evening at the other end of the lodge, so our room wasn’t the best for spotting them. The Safari villas or rooms at the new Arken might be better for watching animals from your balcony next time. We also saw the Illusion villa near a spot where you can stop and get out during the safari drive. I’m sure you’d see animals if you stayed all the way out there, but it has no running water, a Cinderella toilet, which I’m guessing is a dry toilet, and you have to drive to the main complex for meals. That won’t suit everyone. There is a lake to swim in instead of taking a shower, if that’s your thing. Before dinner, we spent some time in the Relax area with refreshments. The staff member there was nice, but seemed newly hired and didn’t know much about wine recommendations. The heated pool was pleasant, but small, and the pool area was really crowded when we were there. We eventually took our drinks up to the rooftop to get away from the crowd and enjoy the views. Later, more animals started coming onto the ‘savannah’, which was very cool. Our stay included a three-course dinner, and we enjoyed it. I don’t eat meat, so they offered fish or vegetarian dishes, and the fish was very nice. The courses were presented beautifully. The restaurant wait staff also seemed quite new and weren’t very knowledgeable. They weren’t great at explaining what was on my plate, though maybe that was because I asked them to explain in English. We still enjoyed dinner, especially our window seat, where we could make out animals grazing while we ate. That was magical. If you love animals, especially seeing them in their natural environment, you’ll love this place.