An island on an island, Germany
Gut Üselitz, a 16th-century mansion on a riverine inlet on the island of Rügen off the Baltic coast, now houses seven modern, minimalist holiday apartments. The house is located on a remote island in Rügen, surrounded by water. The apartments, which can accommodate two to six people, can be rented individually, or the entire house can be rented, including the main kitchen, dining room, living room and library. The six-hectare grounds include an orchard and are frequented by herons, egrets, cranes and other birds (there are binoculars in each apartment). The nearest beach is Streler Sund, a 10-minute drive away, and kayaking and sailing can be enjoyed nearby.
From €140 per night, for two people, welcomebeyond.com
Beautiful gorge, Le Marche, Italy
Villa Poderina in Le Marche, east-central Italy, is a four-bedroom, four-bathroom farmhouse with terracotta floors and exposed beams, set in a three-hectare park of poplars, olives, holm oaks and cypresses. Guests can drink and dine al fresco on the veranda, which features a dining table and double hammock, and 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 to swim is in the slow-moving Candigliano River at the bottom of the garden, where there is a private beach. The farm is located about three kilometers from the truffle capital Acqualagna.
By €300 per nighteight sleeping placesemmavillas.com
Waterworld, Netherlands
Anna Biesbosch is an off-grid hut in De Biesbosch national park, a tidal swamp near Dordrecht in western Netherlands. The cabin has sliding glass windows and wooden inner and outer walls. There is a wood stove for heating, cooking and hot water and electricity via solar panels. In addition to an open-plan living/sleeping area, there is a mezzanine bed, a kitchen and a bathroom with a sunken bath. The park is a network of rivers, creeks and reed beds, and the hut is on one of the forested peninsulas. Guests can use a canoe moored at a jetty opposite and can follow marked paddling routes to spot birds and the pride of De Biesbosch: the beavers. Swimming is prohibited in front of the hut because of the beavers, but there is a swimming spot a short walk away.
From €257 per night for two adults and two childrenholenberg.com
Row your boat from Spain to Portugal
Guests arrive at Cozy by boat Peel Cabin in Huelva, Andalusia – it has its own jetty on the Guadiana River, the border between Spain and Portugal. A Moroccan-style bedroom opens onto a covered terrace with kitchen area, sofa bed and table. There is a compost toilet in a separate hut and an outdoor solar shower. The hut is off-grid but has a wood-burning stove, barbecue, gas stove and solar lanterns. All stays include a welcome pack with home-baked bread, home-grown fruit and vegetables and a bottle of wine. You can swim in the river or take a rowing boat. It’s a 25-minute walk to the village of Sanlúcar de Guadiana – but 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.
By £75 for two, plus £10 each for up to two additional guestscanopylandstars.co.uk
Family funAlgarve, Portugal
This Portuguese farm is located 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 stair gates, a baby den, cots, high chairs and toys. The decks and terraces offer views of the Funcho Dam and include a pizza oven and barbecue; the terrace on the water, under carob trees, is an attractive place to dine; and there is an infinity pool and bird areas. The property is located on the Via Algarviana walking route, where you can enjoy paddle boarding and kayaking. It is a five-minute taxi ride from Mesen-Alte train station.
From €500 per night, 10 people, responsibletravel.com
Private river pier, Croatia
The Old Oak House is a restored farmhouse on the banks of the Korana River, on 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 an eat-in kitchen. There is a balcony with two barbecues, a natural spring, an orchard, a vegetable garden and a forest on the property. The pièce de résistance is the private river pier next to a waterfall, creating a natural hot tub. There are mountains and the towns of Ogulin and Slunj are a short drive away.
From €1,050 per weeksleeps six, oneoffplaces.co.uk
A series of adventures, Austria
A 500-year-old farmhouse in Palfau, in the Salza Valley in central Austria, became one rafting camp in 1979 and is still run by the same family. The main activity is a half-day whitewater rafting trip on the Salza River, and the camp also offers canyoning tours and whitewater kayaking courses. The accommodation consists of tent pitches, dormitories, double rooms, a shepherd’s hut and two apartments. There is an orchard, a campfire area, an archery range and goats.
Camping €14 adult/€8 child, rafting package €121pp for two sharing a double room, additional nights €50pp, raftingcamp.at
Kayak to your cabin, Finland
Viikinsaari Island near Tampere has five new huts. Strictly speaking, the island is on a lake, but the Finnish Lake District is a patchwork of lakes, rivers and canals – this lake, Lake Pyhäjärvi, is connected to Lake Näsijärvi via the Tammerkoski rapids. Guests arrive by ferry (including the 20-minute crossing from Tampere) or can row from the nearest spot on the mainland, 500 meters away. Two cabins are close to the beach and offer lake views, and three are on a nearby ridge overlooking the forest. They are simple wooden A-frame structures with beds, a hob, radiator and fan; guests are the only overnight residents on the island. Viikinsaari has swimming platforms and a sauna, and guests can rent canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. Other island attractions include a nature trail and the region’s oldest restaurant.
From €167 per night, suitable for two adults and two childrennollacabins.com
Family tree house, Norway
River eye is a hand-built, off-grid treehouse high above the water in the Telemark Forest in Southern Norway. Large windows offer views over the river, trees and mountains. You can go swimming, kayaking and rafting, and bathe in a heated pool on the river. The treehouse is suitable for large families or small groups, with one queen bed, two double beds and three mattresses – one bed is under a skylight for stargazing. There is a kitchen, wood stove, terrace and communal campfire. The treehouse is one of only three properties at the family-run A Camp, which promises “a close encounter with untouched nature.”
From £170 per night, for nine people, hostunusual.com
A watermill in a natural paradise, 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 three bright bedrooms, with sitting rooms and balconies overlooking the water. The site is off-grid – the mill generates its own water power – and the site is a haven for wildlife. Guests can relax in a hammock, rent kayaks and canoes in nearby Souillac to explore the river, and walk among the flower meadows and cliffs. There are great swimming spots near the weir or a short walk along the riverbank.
Double from €145 B&Bmoulindelatreille.com