Eco by StrandNära B&B

This former boarding house for summer guests, from 1926, has been run since 2008 by a couple who have put their souls into the enterprise. Their solicitude shows in every detail – such as the wood-burning stove crackling in the prettily furnished breakfast room, or the personally formulated messages about the best excursions to do on Öland. The double rooms with their own shower and toilet in the garden cottages also have a patio and their own entrance from the garden. Rooms are spacious and decorated in light blue-grey tones, which creates a restful atmosphere. The beach is a few hundred metres away and vary popular with kite and wind surfers. There are no desks in the rooms, which can be seen as a hint that it’s OK not to be working here. Breakfast is divine, with bread made from locally grown Öland wheat and organic eggs from Solmarka farm, on the other side of the Kalmar Strait. The owners’ attentions are not just directed at guests, but also at the surroundings. Strandnära has the highest Krav certification, three stars.