3 days ago
My Favorite Cabin in the Woods: Estonia's ÖÖD Mirror House
'Solitude is the school of genius,' the historian Sir Edward Gibbon once said. Which is why I'm here at this ÖÖD mirror cabin in the forested village of Lohusalu, 40 minutes west of Tallinn, Estonia. It's the perfect place for some quiet 'me' time and a digital detox to get my creative juices flowing.
First morning, I wake up and peel off my eye mask to the sight of blue skies, and dozens of pine trees surrounding the glass walls of my cabin, while a black woodpecker hacks away at a trunk. It's a beautiful way to start my day in my self-catering cabin, which, at 200 square meters, has the feel of a spacious caravan. The queen-size bed's floral-patterned duvet cover lends a faintly rustic and retro homeliness that makes me forget that I'm glamping. But glamping it certainly is: there's a coffee table, two leather armchairs, and the modern kitchen is kitted out with every amenity I need, barring a toaster. It's self-catering, but there is a complimentary selection of teas, coffee and local beers. I boil eggs on the kitchen hob I've pulled out from the drawers, and make myself a coffee on the Nespresso machine. Storage is tight and clever, including in the bathroom, which manages to fit a good-sized shower, toilet, sink, and storage cupboard with its slender proportions. Being alone at a cabin in the woods is no reason to neglect my looks—thankfully, there's a wall-mounted magnifying make-up mirror and a hair dryer I can use before stepping out.
Nearly half of Estonia's mainland is covered in trees, and here in Lohusalu the pine forest extends right up to the white-sand beach on the Gulf of Finland. It adds an extra dimension to my stay: I can step out of my cabin, admire the arboreal scenes reflected in its mirrored exterior, then hit the seashore within two minutes. Back at the cabin, I type my manuscript on the dining table on the wooden deck terrace; solitude in such leafy surroundings has definitely aided my creativity. When the stomach starts growling, I grill beef skewers on the easy-to-use charcoal barbecue and settle down for a tasty alfresco lunch.
The silence and serenity here are fantastically calming (in three days, I see only a handful of dog walkers), yet civilization isn't far away. A 20-minute walk through the quiet forest takes me to the Arvo Pärt Centre, a modern museum space dedicated to the life and works of Estonia's most famous classical composer and musician. A kilometer further south I stock up at the local supermarket before eating a dinner of catfish, cauliflower cream, and pickled cucumber at Wicca, one of two restaurants at the beachside ÖÖD Hötels.
The exterior of the property and its outdoor space
Great views abound, even from the shower
Next morning, at the mirror house, it's a scuttle through the crisp air into the adjacent sauna cabin—shared with the two nearby mirror houses—for a vascular-boosting steam session. As the sweat trickles down, I reflect on the fact that in one weekend I've managed to pack in wellness, culture, nature, and fine dining in a country I've never visited before—it's the kind of well-rounded glamping experience that ÖÖD Hötels lay on so expertly. This might just become my go-to spot for solitary relaxation.
