Hotel Velling Koller

It may perhaps seem a bit over the top to give this place an excellent rating in the first place, considering the standards are far from the best. But as an overall rating for our holiday - that is what I must give. We, a family of four (incl two children of 11), spent 4 nights there in early October 2011. As luck should prove, this was a true "Indian Summer" in Scandinavia, with temperatures far more like the middle of summer than autumn! I suppose this adds to the total experience, naturally. Hotel Velling Koller (which also includes a caravan/camping site) is situated in a very idyllic and rural place, close to a very old forest which is excellent for walks. It also has a nice lookout point a few km walk into it. We were received well, but were disappointed when we came back from a walk in the forest to find the restaurant closed. (We found a terrific pizza take-away in "town" though.) Apparently we had to let the owner(s) know if/when we were going to use the restaurant for dinner, but I don't know whether this is normal or was just because of off-season. Needless to say, I suppose, there weren't many guests there at that time of year (not in the hotel part, at least - there seemed to be more at the camping site). Velling Koller is perfect for families with children! They have horses, donkeys, geese, rabbits, cats (with lots of kittens at the time we arrived, to the children's joy), lots of different bird species - and probably some I can't remember. They also have a play ground. The location is simply perfect if you want to stay somewhere rural and peaceful while still not a long drive away from things. If you want pubs and nightlife, you obviously don't want to stay here. The owners were nice and the breakfast was lovely. Beds a bit hard, and no windows in the room that my husband and I stayed in (on the ground floor). But there were other things making up for it. Cleaning could have been better, and the rooms would clearly benefit from a makeover. So why give it a 5 star rating? Because despite its simple standard, the place is almost too idyllic too be true; because we had glorious weather and a very relaxed few days - which was just what we needed. If you don't have high expectations to standard, are lucky with the weather and want to just relax away from a hectic everyday life, surrounded by animals, beautiful nature and the sound of the wind playing with the leaves at dusk - you have come to the right place.