Allinge Badehotel: A getaway to look forward to

Set in a beautifully renovated 18th-century house on the coast of Bornholm, Allinge Badehotel has so much natural charm that guests would probably come even if it had nothing else to offer. It does, however, have a lot more to offer. Indeed, as proven by numerous top placements on rating sites, the small boutique hotel’s warm and unpretentious hospitality has added that extra something that makes for the perfect getaway.

Next year, Allinge Badehotel will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the building that houses it, an impossibly charming timber-framed building tucked away on the coast of Northern Bornholm. But though it has kept its charm and history, the interior of Allinge Badehotel has all the comforts of the perfect getaway, without being over the top. “Down-to-earth luxury” the owners call it.

“When we took over the hotel, we ripped out all the old interiors of the rooms and the dining hall and renovated and refurbished it all. We wanted to create a peaceful and stylish experience. It is not over the top, but you still get the feeling of luxury because you are so close to the water and everything is the best quality, from the Auping beds to the local and organic produce used in our breakfast,” explains Cathrine Andersen who bought and renovated the hotel together with business partner Christian Rasmussen in 2020.

Apart from its proximity to the water, the hotel is also located just a few minutes’ walk from Allinge, an old market town built around the harbour. Guests can thus easily stroll into town for lunch or dinner at one of the town’s many restaurants, including the local smokehouse.

The Countess Danner Suite suite features a stylish living room with stunning views of the sea as well as the small town of Allinge and the garden.

Lovely, charming and relaxing

“Lovely, charming and relaxing” are some of the words often used to describe Allinge Badehotel by its guests. But on top of being lovely and relaxing, the place also has a historical significance in the local community. Among locals, the house is commonly referred to as “Byskrivergården” (the home of the scrivener). “It is called so because the town clerk moved into the building in 1831,” explains Cathrine Andersen. “Throughout its history, it has had many different functions – it has also been a sort of inn, and there is even a bit of a royal twist in its story as King Frederik VII and his wife Countess Danner stayed here at one time.”

Stunning proximity to the sea and comfortable Auping beds

Today, guests can stay in one of the hotel’s 24 small, cosy rooms, some with unparalleled sea views, others with views of the charming courtyard and the town of Allinge. Inspired by the hotel’s royal association, the hotel has also recently added a suite, aptly named the Countess Danner Suite.

But despite the charm and history of the hotel, the absolute greatest attraction is, says Andersen, its location. “We have sofas and sun loungers located outside for guests to sit and relax while enjoying the sea view. Having a nap right there on a sunny summer day – it doesn’t get better,” she says.

Four of the hotel’s rooms have direct sea views, and as the hotel literally sits a stone’s throw away from the water, that, indeed, does not get any better when it comes to location in Denmark.

Always improving

Having started up several high-growth tech companies in Silicon Valley, Rasmussen and Andersen are no ordinary hotel owners. However, in 2020 the two tech entrepreneurs decided it was time to invest in something new, to create the hotel of their dreams. “When working in tech companies, one of the things we enjoyed was the customer contact, making people happy every day,” explains Andersen. “So, when Christian, who has lived on Bornholm, saw that the hotel was for sale he quickly convinced me. The hotel is very much a passion project – while we want it to be profitable, we are not in it to make millions, and we hope that our guests feel that it is not a moneymaking machine, but about making people happy.”

Perhaps surprisingly, the couple has been able to successfully transfer their experience with customer feedback and product improvement directly from the tech world to the hotel. This means that every time a guest mentions something that is not ideal, the issue is improved. The result has been that, last year, Allinge Badehotel almost exclusively received five-star reviews and was nominated as the Best Hotel on Bornholm on booking.com.

But while the two owners’ approach has created the perfect setting for a getaway, the real credit goes to the daily manager Mie Lavine, stresses Andersen. “Mie runs the hotel as if it was her own, and she takes great care of all details – she is the kind of person who gets joy from making people happy.”

Allinge Badehotel is open from April to October, so now is the time to book the perfect getaway to look forward to through winter.

Web: www.allingebadehotel.dk
Instagram: @allingebadehotel