Southern Sweden: Maryhill Estate and Ästad Vingård
A lively resort above the Öresund and an organic vineyard with a spa in the beech forests of Halland: two very different stays on Sweden’s west coast.
Both places lie on Sweden’s west coast, Maryhill about an hour from Copenhagen and Ästad about an hour from Gothenburg’s airport. In June the evenings stay light until late.
They suit different trips. Maryhill is a large, sociable resort with pools, bars and several restaurants. Ästad is built around wine, a spa and rooms in the forest.
Maryhill Estate: a resort above the Öresund
Maryhill stands on a hill near Glumslöv, between Helsingborg and Landskrona, looking across the Öresund to Denmark. ESS Group opened it as a resort in 2024, in two parts a few steps apart. The Sugar Club has 147 rooms, a Mediterranean restaurant and the Pool Club. Hill House, the castle built between 1914 and 1918 for sugar-beet pioneer Carl Tranchell, has 16 rooms and a French-American restaurant. Both have bars.
With 163 rooms, Maryhill is not a quiet retreat; the Pool Club, with pools indoors and out, is its social centre. Families should check the age rules before booking: the Pool Club is for guests aged 16 and over with an accompanying adult, with exceptions for children during school holidays, and in summer children can use the large outdoor pool at Hill House, open from May to September. Room types range from family rooms with bunk beds to windowless “dark rooms”, so check the category.
Ästad Vingård: vineyard, spa and forest
Ästad lies further north up the coast near Tvååker, in Halland, among the Åkulla beech forests. The Carlsson family has farmed here since 1946 and planted vines in 2011. The vineyard is now one of the largest in Sweden, farmed organically, with a focus on sparkling wine.
Ästad is more than a winery with beds. Sinnenas Spa has an outdoor pool kept at 39 °C all year. ÄNG, a glasshouse restaurant in the meadow, has held a Michelin star since 2021 and serves dinner Monday to Friday, by reservation only; Logen and Smakbaren are the other restaurants. Many rooms have their own sauna, and the newest, in Sjöparken, have a jetty onto a natural pool. The spa and Sjöparken rooms are for guests aged 13 and over, wine tastings from 18.
Practical
Fly to Copenhagen for Maryhill, about an hour by car, or to Gothenburg-Landvetter for Ästad, also about an hour away. Varberg station is about 20 minutes from Ästad, but a car is the easiest way to get around. Both are open all year: summer brings the light evenings and Maryhill’s outdoor pool, autumn the harvest at Ästad, and winter suits the heated pools and the spa.
