Bergdala Wärdshus – a dream place!
by Trekki
I was excited when I saw photos of accommodation in the Kingdom of Crystal in a brochure. The workers’ houses have been transformed into B&Bs and youth hostels. And I was even more excited when I saw a picture of the one at Bergdala factory, because Bergdala was very high on my list of glass factories. It looked lovely. Consequently, I didn’t drive around to look for anything but went straight to Bergdala in hope that they had a room for me. It was early August and I didn’t made any reservation anywhere, so my chances were not high. But luckily I must have arrived exactly in time because I could get my bed. The whole atmosphere of this place was so charming that I decided to stay here for three nights, so that I had enough time to explore the glass factories in detail. I didn’t mind at all that Bergdala is located at the western part of the glass region, which meant that I had to drive quite a bit to get to the other factories. This place was worth every minute I stayed there and moreover I am still convinced that they could ask for higher prices than they actually do. I have stayed in less appealing and charming places for more SEK.
Directions:
Drive east from Växjö, road 32. After the village of Hovmantorp, look for the brown sign that says “Bergdala Glasbruk” and turn north (left). Follow the road for approx. 5 km and then turn left (west) at the next sign. It is directly on the right side of the road then. Reception for the wärdshus is in the restaurant building.
Location of Bergdala Wärdshus on Google Maps
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Region: Småland;
nearest airport: Kalmar (international) or Växjo (regional)
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They have rooms in two houses, Vega and Oscar, with different price categories, depending on the room size (single room or double room), if you bring your own bedclothes or not (common practice in Sweden) and if you want to have breakfast or not. I stayed in a double room but on my own paid 350 SEK as bed & breakfast and with bedclothes and towel. If I would have stayed without bedclothes/towel and breakfast it would have been 180 SEK. The room was not big, but enough space for me. I liked the simple interior, it was not overdecorated but had everything I needed. The kitchen is huge, with tables and chairs, refrigerator, microwave, cabinets, stove and enough crookery (sorry, forgot to take photos). We could also sit outside and have our meals on the lawn.
The breakfast they serve is very extensive: bread, rolls, jam, cold cuts, cheese, several different cereals, juice, liver pâté, eggs and of course marinated herring (sill). And of course, most of the plates, cups, glasses and eggcups are of the famous blåkånt design. I swear, corn flakes and milk taste better in these! Martina Nystrand (owner) explained the history of Bergdala and the wärdshus every morning when we had breakfast. She spoke Swedish only, but later, her husband Klas gave me a summary in English.
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there. It was quiet, because Bergdala is located approx. 5 km off the main road (road 32, leading eastward from Växjö). In the evening, I often walked around the property and it was exciting to listen to the sounds inside of the glass factory, a little crack here and there from cooling down ovens and glass. The best though was to walk barefoot over the wet grass in the morning! My goodness, I would have had to pay huge sums for this as “wellness treatment” anywhere else.
And the Nystrands are wonderful hosts and divine cooks! But the latter is topic for the restaurant section.
© Ingrid D., September 2009 (just in case, RickS or others come along and think they can steal texts).
