 Introducing Billnäs Gård, a design-led hospitality concept just an hour away from Helsinki. It operates as part wellbeing-focused boutique hotel and part private hire and retreat space throughout the year. Sited on the Svartå River in the heart of the ancient Billnäs ironworks and surrounded by all things natural the Mediterranean-style property offers a blend of wellness, creative and adventure pursuits enveloped in bespoke, modern luxury.
Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld and Chris Langenskiöld are the people behind this new concept. Taina, a design-thinking entrepreneur, is responsible for the interior and garden design which reflect a blend of Finnish sustainable design principles and diverse influences. Billnäs Gård has been a dream project for Taina since the renovation of the property began in 2021. The programme of holistic experiences devised by Chris provides guests with support to slow down, reconnect with themselves and enhance their wellbeing. The aim is for guests to leave this holistic space feeling better equipped to face the challenges of daily life. Whether booked as a private family rental, for a corporate event or filled with solo travellers, couples and friends enjoying celebratory getaways, guests can explore the surrounding pine forest and benefit from a programme of optional, rejuvenating activities designed to realign them with themselves and nature. The property Dating back to 1912, the property features six bookable guest rooms each with private bathroom, accommodating up to 12 guests in all. In summer, guests can spend the night in a riverside cabin offering a more private, rustic experience. There is a heated saltwater pool in the garden providing a picturesque setting for relaxation and rejuvenation and a subterranean spa/meditation space features soft heated concrete benches, sauna and herbal bathtub housed within a candlelit historical structure - all vibrating as a binaural healing soundscape. Staff remain on site whether the property's multiple common spaces are being used for private parties or larger scale meetings, events and celebrations. Billnäs Gård is also available for private hire upon request with or without a curated holistic wellness programme. Design At Billnäs Gård, guests can expect a harmonious blend of sustainable Finnish design principles in natural colour schemes and materials. Vintage and second-hand pieces are complemented with modern furniture classics. William Morris wallpapers juxtapose Alvar Aalto design icons, while locally woven rugs and fabrics lend a soft feel. Bedroom mattresses are handmade in Finland from natural materials such as local wool. Have a look at this time-lapse video showing some of Pas-de-Calais' attractions
Swan Hellenic and SETI Institute announce programme of lecturers onboard specific expedition cruises throughout the year for the ‘Explore Space at Sea’ seriesSwan Hellenic is the expedition cruise company to travel with to see the Arctic, Antarctic and indeed, the rest of the world – from Brazil to Papua New Guinea, Norway to New Zealand, Australia to Africa, Madagascar to the Mediterranean. It has two state-of-the-art expedition ships, SH Minerva and SH Vega and a brand-new expedition cruise ship SH Diana will be launched on 4 May 2023, bringing Swan Hellenic’s cutting-edge fleet to three.
Incorporated as a Californian non-profit corporation, the SETI Institute is a space and earth science research organisation supporting NASA and NSF programmes and partnering with private industry and academia to answer some of humanity’s most profound scientific questions. SETI stands for 'search for extra-terrestrial intelligence'. Swan Hellenic teamed up with the SETI Institute to take its cruise explorations further and deeper, including into the far reaches of space. Now Swan Hellenic has announced further details of its partnership with the SETI Institute to provide guests with expert insights into the history and latest discoveries in astronomy, astrophysics, astrobiology and planetary science – and the quest to find other forms of life within and beyond our solar system. This quest takes SETI Institute researchers to the planet’s most remote and inhospitable corners to explore life, including Antarctica, where the Swan Hellenic fleet is present for several months every year. The new partnership will engage Swan Hellenic's many adventure travellers with never-before-seen presentations on explorations around Earth and beyond, adding an extra dimension to their journey. Where I relived the adventures of Phileas Fogg, Passepartout and Captain Nemo. In 1882 Jules Verne and his wife Honorine moved into the whimsical, turreted house with the glorious spiral staircase. “At my wife’s wishes I settled in Amiens, a sober, civilised town whose society is cordial and cultured. We are close enough to Paris to see its reflection without the unbearable noise and the futile bustle." So wrote Jules Verne to his friend Charles Wallut. They lived here for 18 years and this was where he wrote most of his 62 novels and numerous short stories. Nowadays the house is a museum and somewhere visitors can relive the adventures of his heroes including Phileas Fogg, Passepartout and Captain Nemo. Verne’s most famous novels are Around the World in Eighty Days, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, A Journey to the Center of the Earth and From the Earth to the Moon. It goes without saying he had an incredible imagination and talent and being a great travel writer, he could easily describe whole territories of countries he had never visited. When he started writing Five Weeks in a Balloon the author had no knowledge of ballooning nor had he been to Africa. He probably drew on the writings of others and referred to magazines like Louis Hachette's Le Tour du Monde-Nouveau Journal des Voyages which featured articles on worldwide explorations and included maps and illustrations. The author wrote remarkably knowledgeably about space, the moon landing, air travel, skyscrapers and underwater travel before navigable aircraft, practical submarines or any means of space travel had been invented. This is why he is often referred to as the ‘father of science fiction’ together with H. G. Wells. The house is dedicated to his life and memories and is full of the writer’s personal objects, posters, original copies, magic lanterns, letters, manuscripts and a model of the Nautilus, the submarine in '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'. Do visit when you are in the area. Jules Verne Museum, 2 rue Charles Dubois, 80000 Amiens
images courtesy of Jules Verne house |
