I. Rooms at the top: Sweden's stylish new treehouse

Treehouse holidays are going up in the world, but the new futuristic Treehotel in Sweden's Lapland, aims to soar above the rest, says Rhiannon Batten.

Towards the end of his 50-s, a Tree Lover, which explores the link between trees and people, Jonas Selberg says: "Imagine being here on the veranda on a summer evening, or listening to the rain on the roof with the stove purring quietly." As he says this he's sitting in a treehouse he's spent the summer building, looking out over a wide tract of pine forest with a river flowing in the distance, reflecting a sinking sun. “You don't have to imagine it any more. Since last month, when the Treehotel opened in Swedish Lapland, anyone can check into a treehouse and survey the surrounding landscape”.

Selberg started building the Treehotel, determined to demonstrate that the natural environment around had value beyond supplying timber. Along with daughter Sofia, they have created a high design, back to nature retreat where guests can slow down, switch off and breathe more deeply.

The Mirrorcube, the most striking of the treehouses, is a glass box perched high in the forest. Like an architectural magic trick, it almost disappears into the foliage.

Inside, the Mirrorcube's chic interior smells of warm wood. The dimensions are neat (four metres wide, four metres long and four metres high) and it is light and airy inside. Like the hotel's other treehouses, the facilities here are fairly basic, not stretching much beyond an environmentally-friendly toilet (some treehouses have ones that freeze the waste and others have ones that burn it into ash) and a sink - meals and showers are taken at the guesthouse, 10 minutes' walk away. Underfloor heating will keep it cosy through winter, tea and coffee are provided, along with a designer kettle, and a huge bed is dressed in thick white cotton and stylish woollen rugs. There is a sense of playfulness here, too. A ladder is provided for those who are game for clambering up, through a tiny, Alice In Wonderland-style door to a roof terrace, giving 360-degree views of the surrounding trees.

Stepping out into fresh air (Treehotel is only 60km south of the Arctic circle), the forest is so still that the tiniest underfoot snap crackles like gunshot.

Down in the trees about 50m from the Mirrorcube is the four-person Bird's Nest, inspired by a giant sea eagle's nest. Looking just as you might imagine, its twiggy heights are accessed via an electronic stepladder that descends and retracts via a keypad strapped on to one of the neighbouring trees. Inside, the sense of snugness is exaggerated by small porthole windows.

"Building a treehouse is every boy's dream," says Kent, showing me around. "Now other architects want to get involved as they see it as a great showcase for their skills".

At well over £300 per treehouse per night, this is likely to remain a dream for many would-be guests, too.

There's plenty to do here for those who have much time. Sophia Selberg is enthusiastic about village walking tours where guests can stop for coffee, cake and conversation with a local family. "Guests want to meet real people," she shrugs. More energetic activities are on offer too.

Over a lunch of reindeer meatballs back at the guesthouse, Mr. Selberg explained how deeply rooted his commitment to the forest is. Though the hotel has been designed with fun in mind, it has a serious side too. "The forest for us is a relaxing place, a source of mental peace," said Selberg, adding that the he wanted to share this passion for the environment with guests. The Treehotel has duly been built as sustainably as possible - the Mirrorcube has even been fitted with an infrared film, visible to birds only, that stops them flying into it - and environmentally unsound activities such as snowmobile safaris are out.

Winter, Selberg told me, is busier than summer, with husky safaris, skiing, skijoring (a bit like waterskiing on snow but being pulled by a horse), ice fishing, cultural trips and sleigh rides on offer.

Rhiannon Batten

The Guardian, 28 August 2010

II. Vocabulary

to soar - взлететь; to crackle - трещать, хрустеть;

twiggy - ветвистый; snugness - уют;

tract - полоса, участок, пространство; showcase - возможность показать себя;

to check in(to) - зарегистрироваться (в отеле); sustainable - безопасный для окруж. среды;

to perch = to sit infrared - инфракрасный;

retreat - уединение; skijoring - лыжная буксировка лошадью;

airy - просторный, полный воздуха; snap - треск, щелчок

playfulness - игривость;

III. Comprehension questions

1. What is a new tendency in Swedish hotel business? What example of it is illustrated in the article?

2. In what part of Sweden is a Treehotel situated? How much kilometers is it from the Arctic Circle?

3. What were Jonas Selberg, the owner of the hotel, ideas about surrounding nature? Did he have a traditional, materialistic approach to the exploration of forests?

4. What house is the most striking of the treehouses? Describe it in your own words (outside and inside).

5. What inspired Jonas Selberg to create a bird's nest treehouse?

6. How can tourists get into the bird's nest?

7. How much does a night in such houses cost? Can everybody afford such holidays?

8. What outdoor and indoor activities does this hotel complex provide for its visitors?

9. Dwell upon ecological side of this complex. Is it eco-friendly? Are there any technologies that prevent, for example, birds from flying into the Mirrorcube?

10. Would you like to visit such hotels? How long would you stay there? In what part of the year? What activities would you prefer?

Resume

This article describes a new tendency in Swedish hotel business - treehouse holidays. It means that now unusual hotels are being built. Such hotels are situated in forests, and some of them even on the trees. As the time shows, tourists are interested in such hotels, and those, who have enough money (for these hotels are quite expensive - about 300 pounds per night) stay at such hotels and have great time. Many indoor and outdoor activities are provided for them in different seasons. For example, tourists can walk around in the forest and go to the village to meet local people and know about their life and traditions, they also can go fishing, skiing, sleigh riding, husky safaris are provided, too. Nobody will get bored.

Such hotels are notable for their unusual design which is close to the nature. The materials are purely ecological and harmless. Some houses which could possibly be dangerous for animals are equipped with some special techniques that only animals can notice.

In the whole, spending time in such hotels has a relaxing and recovering effect on human organism. The mixture of pure nature, energetic activities, ecologically pure food and other factors makes such rest outstanding. There is no surprise, then, why such hotels are gaining more and more popularity.

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