My time in Germany has been limited to two eight-hour layovers in Düsseldorf, en route to warmer climes. Though I made the most of it (including a Garden Tour we mentioned on Gardenista), I’ve not had the pleasure of experiencing Deutschland—but after compiling a list of the following dozen rental homes spread across the country, I’m ready to pack my bags.
Here’s where you should stay: 12 vacation rental homes with interesting stories and even better looks—all owned by small proprietors, tucked in historic buildings, or perched on the sea.
Above: Designed by Remodelista favorite Studio Oink, Vielleichtnoch Haus is located on the shores of the Baltic Sea in Mecklenburg, in northern Germany, and sleeps up to six people in three bedrooms. It has a private in-house sauna, hand-finished plaster walls, and a garden with two terraces. Note: Prices will be reduced during summer 2018 while construction begins on additional guest houses nearby. Above: Hainichhöfe chalets are located 10 meters from the entrance to Hainich National Park in central Germany, a UNESCO-listed forest with many miles of hiking trails. Six wood chalets have room for four people each, and yoga retreats for both adults and kids are on offer. Above: Located in northern Bavaria at the foot of the Hörnles mountains, Bleibe guest house sleeps six guests in three bedrooms. There’s a fully kitted kitchen, a deck, and small garden, and no TV. Above: There are two Steuermann guest houses on Föhr, one of the Frisian Islands off Germany’s North Sea coast. The house shown here, Steuermann East, sleeps four guests on two floors, while the other house sleeps six. Both are carefully appointed with minimalist furniture, wood and concrete finishes, gourmet kitchens, and woodstoves. Above: A 645-square-foot modern houseboat on Lake Rummelsburg in eastern Berlin sleeps two adults and two kids, and comes with bicycles for exploring the region. For more, see The Urban Rental: A Modern Houseboat in Berlin. Above: Hyt is a tiny “mobile barn” with a woodstove, shower, toilet, and single beds for up to five people. It’s mobile, but is parked in a hunting preserve in Buchet, on the German border with Belgium. It’s owned by the Wild Berghof inn, which has its own restaurant and market, so provisions are nearby.
Above: Strandwood House is a newly built boathouse in a lively marina on Rügen Island in the Baltic Sea. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two large floating decks, and is outfitted in minimalist furnishings in white, gray, and black. Above: We spotted two carefully appointed vacation apartments, called Friedrich & Franz, in Warnemünde, a former fishing village turned resort town on the Baltic Sea. The one shown here, Apartment Friedrich, sleeps up to three people and has a private terrace, a kitchenette, and Danish furniture. Both apartments are a short walk from the beach. Above: Seilerhansenhof is located in the Black Forest in southwestern Germany, surrounded by fields, forests, farms, and nature trails. The house is made of spruce and fir wood, and almost all furniture is custom designed by the house’s architect and fabricated by a local carpenter. The house sleeps up to four people in two bedrooms.
Above: Alte Schreinerei offers a small cottage and loft that can be rented together or separately, sleeping up to 10 people in total. It’s located in Hohenberg an der Eger, on the Eger River and at the foot of the Fichtel Mountains in northeastern Bavaria, a few miles from the Czech Republic border. The 19th-century building has been carefully restored and has a sauna, roof terrace, and an attached play barn for children. Above: Haus auf der Ostsee (“House on the Baltic Sea”) is located in Olpenitz on a narrow strip of land with the sea on one side and a marina on the other. The house has several outdoor terraces, three bedrooms, an outdoor shower, and a modern, beachy vibe. Above: Once a grand manor home, Gutshof Kraatz is now an apple-cider-producing estate in northwestern Germany, outside of Berlin. A renovated coach house on the property sleeps up to six people and sports a terrace with outdoor grill, full kitchen, and views of the German countryside. (The adjacent farmhouse is also available for rent, and sleeps up to eight.)
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