An island within an island, Germany
Gout ÜselitzA 16th-century manor house set in a river-like bay on the Baltic island of Rügen, the building now houses seven modern, minimalist holiday apartments. The house is located on an isolated island surrounded by water in Rügen. Apartments for two to six people can be rented individually, or the entire house, including the main kitchen, dining room, lounge and library, can be rented. The six-hectare (14-acre) grounds include an orchard and are visited by herons, egrets, cranes and other birds (each apartment has binoculars). The nearest beach is Streler Sund, a 10-minute drive away, and guests can kayak and sail nearby.
Prices starting from €140 per night, for two people, welcomebeyond.com
magnificent parade, Le Marche, Italy
Villa Poderina It is a four-bedroom, four-bathroom farmhouse with terracotta floors and exposed beams, set in three hectares of parkland with poplar, olive, holm oak and cypress trees in Le Marche in eastern Italy. Guests can drink and dine outdoors on the veranda, which features a dining table and double hammocks and offers views of the Furlo Pass, one of Italy’s most spectacular gorges. A dip in the L-shaped pool is a great way to cool off, but an even better place for a swim is the slow-flowing Candigliano River at the bottom of the garden, where there is a private beach. The farmhouse is about three kilometers from Acqualagna, the mushroom capital.
From €300 per nighteight sleepsemmavillas.com
Water world, Netherlands
Anna Biesbosch It is an off-grid cabin in the De Biesbosch national park, a tidal wetland near Dordrecht in the western Netherlands. The cabin has sliding glass and wood interior and exterior walls. Electricity is provided by a wood stove and solar panels for heating, cooking and hot water. There is an open-plan living/sleeping area, as well as a mezzanine bed, kitchen and bathroom with built-in bathtub. The park is a network of rivers, streams and reed beds, and the lodge is located on one of the forested peninsulas. Guests can take advantage of the canoe moored at the opposite pier and follow the marked paddling paths to spot bird species and the beavers that are the pride of De Biesbosch. Swimming is prohibited in front of the lodge due to beavers, but there is a swimming area a short walk away.
Prices starting from 257€ per night for two adults and two childrenholenberg.com
Row your boat from Spain to Portugal
Guests arrive comfortably by boat Peeling Cabinet It has its own pier on the Guadiana River in Huelva, Andalusia – the border between Spain and Portugal. A Moroccan-style bedroom opens to a covered terrace with a kitchen area, sofa bed and table. A separate hut has a composting toilet and an outdoor solar-powered shower. The cabin is off-grid but features a wood stove, barbecue, gas camp stove and solar-powered lanterns, and all stays include a welcome basket with homemade bread, home-grown fruit and vegetables and a bottle of wine. Guests can swim or go boating in the river. It’s a 25-minute walk from the village of Sanlúcar de Guadiana, but it’s more fun to go by boat, and the beaches of Spain’s Costa de la Luz and Portugal’s eastern Algarve are less than an hour’s drive away.
From £75 £10 per person for two plus two extra guestscanopyandstars.co.uk
family funAlgarve, Portugal
This is Portugal farm house It is in the hills close to the Funcho River. There are five double bedrooms, two of which are en suite, and a family bathroom. It is child-friendly with staircase doors, baby room, cots, high chairs and toys. Decks and terraces offer views of the Funcho Dam and are equipped with a pizza oven and barbecue; The beach deck beneath the carob trees is an atmospheric spot for dinner; There is an infinity pool and bird watching areas. The property is located on the Via Algarviana hiking trail and you can go paddleboarding and canoeing. Messines-Alte train station can be reached in five minutes by taxi.
Prices start from 500€ per night, sleep 10 people, responsibletravel.com
Private river pier, Croatia
Old Oak House It is a restored farmhouse on the banks of the Korana River, in an estate near the town of Karlovac in central Croatia. The three-storey house has three bedrooms, a bathroom on each floor, a living room and a kitchen-dining area. The land has two balconies with barbecues, a natural spring, an orchard, a vegetable garden and a forest area. The pièce de résistance is a private river dock next to a waterfall that creates a natural whirlpool bath. There are mountains and the towns of Ogulin and Slunj are a short drive away.
Prices starting from €1,050 per weekseats six, oneoffplaces.co.uk
Lots of adventure, Austria
A 500-year-old farmhouse in Palfau, in the Salza valley of central Austria rafting camp It was established in 1979 and is still run by the same family. The main activity is a half-day rafting trip on the Salza River, and the camp also offers canyoning trips and whitewater kayaking courses. Accommodation consists of tent pitches, dormitories, double rooms, a shepherd’s hut and two apartments. There is an orchard, campfire pit, archery range and resident goats.
Camping 14€ adult/8€ child, rafting package €121 per person For two people sharing a double room, additional nights €50 per person, raftingcamp.at
Kayak to your cabin, Finland
Viikinsaari Island There are five new cabins near Tampere. Strictly speaking, the island is on a lake, but the Finnish Lake District is a patchwork of lakes, rivers and canals – this means Lake Pyhäjärvi is connected to Lake Näsijärvi via Tammerkoski rapids. Guests arrive by ferry (including a 20-minute return trip from Tampere) or paddle from the nearest point on the mainland, 500 meters away. Two cabins are close to the beach and have lake views, and three cabins are located on a ridge overlooking the nearby forest. The beds are simple wooden A-frame structures consisting of a stove, radiator and fan; guests are overnight residents of the island. Viikinsaari has swimming platforms and a sauna. Guests can rent canoes, canoes and paddleboards. Other attractions of the island include a nature trail and the oldest restaurant in the area.
Accommodates two adults and two children from €167 per nightnollacabins.com
Family tree house, Norway
River Eye It is a handcrafted, off-grid treehouse located above the water in the Telemark forest in southern Norway. Large windows offer views of the river, trees and mountains. You can go swimming, canoeing, rafting, and take a bath in the heated riverside tub. The treehouse suits large families or small groups with one queen bed, two double beds and three futons; One of the beds is under the skylight for stargazing. There is a kitchen, wood stove, terrace and communal campfire. The treehouse is one of three properties at family-run A Camp that promise “an intimate encounter with untouched nature.”
From £170 a night, sleeps nine, hostunusual.com
A watermill in a wildlife haven, Dordogne, France
The 13th-century Moulin de Latreille was built by Cistercian monks on the banks of the Ouysse, known as the Emerald River, a tributary of the Dordogne. Today, the watermill is family-owned and has living rooms and three light-filled bedrooms with balconies overlooking the water. The facility is off-grid; The mill produces its own hydroelectric power and the land is a haven for wildlife. Guests can relax in a hammock, rent kayaks and canoes in nearby Souillac to explore the river, and hike through wildflower meadows and cliffs. There are great swimming spots right next to the weir or a short walk along the riverbank.
couples €145 bed and breakfastmoulindelatreille.com