During our six-day trip to Sweden we decided to include three days skiing in Småland. After scouting the areas for slopes (there’s loads) we opted for a day at Mullsjö Alpin and then two days at Isaberg Mountain Resort. Both resorts differed in size, capacity and facilities, but both were great for us, a couple wanting to hit the slopes for a few days, and make the most of the resort facilities. Read all my posts from Sweden here.
Mullsjö Alpin
The ski resort Mullsjö Alpin Center is located in Jönköping County (South Sweden and has a range of slopes available for all abilities. For skiing and snowboarding, there are 4 km of slopes available with five lifts to transport the skiers from bottom of the slope to the top.
Although a small resort, the slopes are widely recognised as providing great views across Småland and beyond, as well as encouraging some of the more experienced skiers to take on their black runs.
Elevators with a total capacity of 3,900 people per hour reduce queues and with their touch-free Skipass system, it’s fast and easy to head back up the slopes to the top. The card is stored in the jacket or trousers pocket so you can easily pass the left cross without unnecessary stops.
They have also invested a lot of money in offering a snow-proof facility with 60 modern snow cannons that can make 600 m3 of snow per hour! After a few days of 5-6 minus degrees, they can open for a ride without a snowfall needing to fall. It really is a resort that delivers!
Ski Pass
Day pass (even evening) – 300kr (£26) / 2-day card (even evening) – 510kr (£45)
Ski Hire
1 day – 300kr (£26) / 2 day – 510kr (£45)
Isaberg Mountain Resort
Isaberg is the largest ski resort in southern Sweden with a real alpine character. They offer skiing on 10 groomed slopes, from the child-friendly green to the breathtaking black run and their modern six-seat express lift takes you the whole way from the valley to the top of the mountain, alongside seven other ski lifts dotted around the resort, meaning less time queuing and more time skiing. They’ve also got a snowmaking system which can produce snow from -3° and starts automatically when it is the right conditions.
In the summer the mountain’s nature experiences complemented by activities in forest, on land and at sea, such as excellent hiking trails, large MTBbike center, segway and more.
A much larger resort than Mullsjö Alpin, but this means it is much busier too. We ended up queuing both to park in car park, then to pick our passes, and then to grab our equipment. We arrived at 10am and didn’t get on to the slope until midday. We were told this was only because it is half term in Sweden, so top tip would be to visit outside of school holidays.
You can also stay at Isaberg, however due to the season we stayed at the local Hestraviken Hotel about 2km away. At Isaberg there is a great deal to choose from in terms of accommodation including cabins suitable for couples to large families or you can rent a space in their caravan park.
We also ate quite a lot of Isaberg, both in the day time at Toppstugan and in the evening at Restaurant Höganloft. During winter time the Restaurant Toppstugan is the best place to gather your friends and eat, perfectly located in the middle of the skiing area close to the parking lot and ski shop. Here you can expect to grab soup, chips, burgers and drinks. During the winter season this is also where you will find the Afterski
Restaurant Höganloft is a highly regarded restaurant offering everything from daily specials to delicious menus and party arrangements. Here you can try the food of Småland, such as potato pancakes with fried pork and lingonberries. They’ve also got a great bar to relax with friends and share experiences after a fun day. We ate here on one evening and both grabbed a pizza, after a busy day skiing, the service was great and the food was delicious!
Ski Pass
Day pass (even evening) – 370kr (£32) / 2-day card (even evening) – 620kr (£54)
Ski Hire
1 day – 310kr (£27) / 2 day – 525kr (£46)
My only recommendation would be, don’t go in half term or school holidays. It was super busy at both resorts, and I blame that for my knee injury. It was just too busy at peaks times, and you spent half your time dodging children or queueing for the ski lifts.
We had such a fun few days exploring Mullsjö Alpin and then Isaberg Mountain Resort, and having been skiing in the French and Austrian alps before we had a standard. They aren’t as comprehensive as the bigger resorts around the world, but they were great for just a few days of drifting on the slopes.
I already want to return to Isaberg, but maybe next time mid-week in January!
Where to stay in Smaland
I am rounding up my series of post about Sweden with a quick hotel mention. Whilst in Småland we stayed at three different hotels, all of varying size, style and theme. I’ve split them up into family-friendly, stylish and chic and lastly traditional Swedish boutique. First up… RC Hotel in Jönköping!
For activities and family fun: RC Hotel
From the outside the RC Hotel simply looks like a British leisure centre but it is actually so much more than this. It’s a hybrid activity centre, bowling alley, curling centre, gym, restaurant, conference centre and they even have a hotel popped upstairs comprising of 59 tastefully designed rooms. The hotel is also in a great location in the Rosenlund district, not far from the city centre of Jönköping.
The hotel is newly built and is a great choice of hotel for the active traveller. Me and Theo were doubtful at first as we’d never stayed anywhere like this, but we were pleasantly surprised by the hospitality and offering from this great hotel. At RC Hotel you can get involved with so many different sports including tennis, rock climbing, curling, badminton, bowling and so much more. It’s a great place to combine a stay with activities and great food!
And if you become hungry they’ve even got a cafe and grill downstairs at reception, and there’s something for all tastes, whether you’re hungry after training or are eating dinner with colleagues. Their speciality is healthy food and grilled dishes of every variety, and we ate here on one evening, going for the steak with sweet potato chips. We were really impressed with this hotel and will definitely return here when we come back to Jönköping.
For stylish and chic stay (and its next to the slopes): Hestraviken Hotel
Beautifully located with lake view next to Isaberg mountain in Småland, Hestraviken is a wonderful hotel, with a mix of style and tradition rolled in to one. The main buildings of the hotel are a traditional yellow manor and red timbered houses, with beautifully 1900’s restored interiors. Whereas, tastefully furnished rooms and luxurious suites are located in the various houses around the grounds. Our room was located in a separate building and all of the rooms were modern and stylish, overlooking the lake.
The hotel also has a restaurant, located in the yellow manor house, which has a lovely atmosphere almost as if you were visiting a beautiful home where everything has it´s personal touch. There are small charming dining rooms, lounges, bar and a veranda designed as a pleasant winter garden with a open fireplace. The kitchen is the heart of Hestraviken and the food was incredible, thought out well and included fresh seasonal ingredients from the region itself.
Hestraviken is also well known for it’s abundance of activities, some of these include a swim in the clean Småland’s lakes, canoeing on the river, hiking in the beautiful countryside, play golf, cycling, mountain biking at Isaberg, ride with horses in the woods, fish in the lake, visit the theme park High Chaparral, ski at Isaberg in the winter, and much much more. We of course went for the skiing and the slopes, heading up to the mountains on two days to experience what they had to offer. It’s a great base to spend your holiday when visiting the region of Småland. We thoroughly enjoyed staying at Hestraviken and we are already looking at coming back here when we return next summer!
For traditional Swedish charm: Hotel Amalias Haus
Located in the heart of southern Sweden, Hotel Amalias Hus is a luxurious four star boutique hotel situated on a unique 18th Century estate in the picturesque town of Gränna. We stayed at the wonderful Hotel Amalias Hus for one evening on our last night in Sweden and we were gutted we only got to experience this adorable little hotel for any longer. The hotel provides an oasis for leisure time and is the perfect location for exclusive and romantic getaways, both my family and friends.
The hotel’s 20 guestrooms have been masterfully restored to their original 18th century grandeur and are all individually decorated with hand-selected custom furnishings. Our room, located close to the main building, was a beautiful low set cottage, with a teal green exterior, and interiors features included a large comfortable bed, with draped curtains at the headboard, alongside a lounge room with fireplace and place to sit and relax in the evening. The room also had a bathroom with jacuzzi bath, shower and heated flooring. We loved spending the evening relaxing in our room with a bottle of prosecco before heading out for an evening in the nearest city.
Then in the morning we were treated to the most wonderful breakfast, with juices, tea and coffee, pastries, fruit, fried breakfast and much more. The colour of the table was incredible and it got the morning off to a great start! The service was also amazing, and they looked after us extremely well, making us feel like we were home. As a guest at Hotel Amalias Hus you can expect excellent service and warm hospitality everytime, where charming and picturesque ambience is perfectly combined with luxury and modern comfort.
*I was invited to Sweden with Småland Tourisme.
