The Karstad family’s Weekend Getaway

While known for its bright summer nights where the sun barely sets, Scandinavia is also home to endless dark winters. To remedy this, the traditions in the north are centered around ‘hygge’ and cosy family rituals – and in this article the Karstad family shares how they enjoy their winters together.

For them, winter offers a special kind of cosiness. Because it gets dark early, they gather indoors, where they light candles, play games together, read books, cook, and spend quality time with their children. “Our children are older now, so we have to “book” them well in advance for a weekend with us at the summer house,” they laugh.

Getting your older children and teenagers to look forward to a weekend getaway with the family can require a bit more convincing than the little ones. Including them in the planning is a great way to engage them – whether it’s choosing the destination, browsing Landfolk for the perfect holiday home to stay in or getting to decide some of the activities you plan on doing while you’re away. That way, they will feel more ownership and not like they are just being taken along for the ride (away from their friends at home).

There is no guarantee that they’ll be in a good mood or that everything will go as planned, but it’s possible to set a great framework for just that. Spending time together in a different setting can often spark other conversations than at home, allowing you to connect as a family in a new way.

For their weekend getaway, the Karstad family wanted quality time together and a break from the city, while still being close to home. Their choice landed on Christoffer and Line’s architectural gem – a “low impact” house that was designed by architect Thomas Høyer and built by Line’s father, who is a master carpenter, in collaboration with Line and Christoffer.

When building the house, they wanted to minimize their carbon footprint, which is directly reflected in both the materials and construction methods that were chosen. One of these decisions was to build the house on stilts to save on the concrete foundation and to protect the wildlife that called their property home before they arrived.

Explore the house and book it here.

What is your favourite part of booking a getaway closer to home?

It gives us valuable family time without spending too much of it on travel. Even if you’re not technically far away, you quickly leave the city behind and get a sense of being far from home. It brings us peace and allows us to recharge in a way that requires less planning.

How do you prepare for your summer house stay? Do you look for anything specific, such as proximity to the beach or forest, farm shops in the area, or something else entirely?

We are winter bathers and would love to start the day with a dip in the water, so one of the first things we check is the distance to the beach. Walking routes are also high on the list – alongside farm shops where we can buy local produce. In winter, fewer farm shops are open, so we usually bring most of our food from home.

We also want to enjoy just spending time together at the house, so architecture and aesthetics is essential to us. Enough space for all of us is also one of the first things we check off in our search.

What were the three best things about the summer house?

The large communal area with its functional kitchen, the clean lines and minimalist decor, and the house’s location.

We enjoy cooking and made lots of delicious meals while we were away, and we really enjoyed having our morning coffee in the beautiful open-plan kitchen.

What do you love most about the holiday home lifestyle?

The slow pace, the sense of calm that settles in, and the fact that we don’t have to do anything other than just be together.

What were your favourite experiences in the local area?

On Saturday morning, we walked to the beach for our morning swim. After our children woke up, we took a walk along the shoreline, and in the afternoon, we hiked to Røsnæs Lighthouse. At the very tip, there was a stunning view of the coast. We definitely want to come back to walk the full Røsnæs trail, visit Barfod Wine, Dyrehøj Vineyard, and see Røsnæs Harbour Bath – we didn’t have time for that on this trip, so we will be returning.

Here are some of the loveliest handpicked holiday homes on the west coast of Zealand

• Experience this scenic holiday home by Dybesø with sea views
• Stay in this gorgeous home by the beach in Odsherred
• Enjoy this Architectural gem by a lake near Skibby
• Book this wonderful house with French details near Sjællands Odde
• Visit this charming, traditional home with a garden near the water

Is there anything you would highlight about booking through Landfolk?

We really enjoy the great communication we always experience with the hosts – their local tips really add a special touch. The holiday homes we have visited have all been beautiful and lived up to our expectations.

Local tips from Line and Christoffer

• If you love fishing, the west coast of Zealand is a great choice. Christoffer often goes down to the ocean to cast a line.
• Vollerup Forest is the perfect spot for both foraging and outdoor adventures. Here, you’ll find rich wildlife, mushrooms and other things you can forage and a shelter where you can build a campfire and sleep under the stars.
• At the old lighthouse in Røsnæs, you can look all the way to Samsø and have a cup of coffee and pet the goats.
• The couple have also spent countless hours at Røsnæs Harbor, where you’ll find a modern harbor bath with a public sauna and changing rooms. A little gem if you're into winter swimming.
• Asgers Fisk in Kalundborg is one of Line and Christoffer's favourite spots for lunch. They love the smoked delicacies and fish plates with remoulade.

Where do you dream of travelling to next?

Italy! We would love to rent one of Landfolk’s holiday homes in Italy this summer and gather the whole family again.

Last summer, the Karstad family visited Jørgen’s modern cabin with stunning views over Oslofjorden. There, they explored the local area, went fishing and foraged fresh juniper, mushrooms and wild berries. Read all about their summer adventures in Norway here.

Explore available holiday homes for your summer vacation 2025 and let the countdown begin. Can’t wait that long? Use Daisy to curate your dream weekend getaway now.