Scandinavian Summer Exclusive Faroe Islands

An exclusive visit to the Faroe Islands to explore villages, cliffside hikes and mountain bike riding in one of Europe’s most remote locations. You won’t find crowds in the remote islands tucked in the North Atlantic Ocean, between Norway and Iceland, politically part of Denmark. The volcanic islands are self-governed and becoming known for music festivals, steep cliffs, dramatic waterfalls and remote hiking and mountain biking. Our bike guide shares the best routes guaranteeing phenomenal views of jaw dropping cliffs and stunning waterfalls.

Wild ponies, puffins, sheep and sod roof homes contribute to the charm. Years ago, a popular Faroese crime thriller series set in the Faroe Islands, showcased the landscapes and authentic Faronese fashion including traditional hand knitted wool sweaters and mittens. Discover mittens and almost anything associated with wool from their abundant flocks of sheep, the Faroese have a multitude of phrases to describe sheep wool. We found a local knitter to specially knit the charming cat face pattern on comfy mittens for our client and her daughter. With a diet of mostly mutton, the locals have created a myriad of methods of preparing, and drying the meat and then using the skins for rugs, furnishings and clothing. The charming Coat of Arms depicts a silver ram passant with golden hooves and horns on an azure shield.

To begin, we welcome you to Copenhagen! VIP arrival and transfer to our favorite Leading Hotel, Hotel d’Angleterre. The d’Angleterre, Copenhagen’s premier hotel, traces its origins to a mid-18th-century love story. In 1755, Jean Marchal, a servant at the royal court, and Maria Coppy, daughter of the royal chef, combined their talents to establish a restaurant on Kongens Nytorv. This venture laid the foundation for what would become the d’Angleterre. Over the centuries, the hotel has evolved into a symbol of luxury and elegance. Following a significant renovation in 2013, the d’Angleterre now boasts 30 rooms and 60 suites, seamlessly blending its historic Victorian architecture with contemporary Nordic design.

Also known for their Spa & Wellness at Hotel D’Angleterre — A Sanctuary of Calm. A serene retreat in the heart of Copenhagen where timeless elegance meets holistic well-being. Designed as a peaceful escape from city life, the wellness space features a relaxing pool, sauna, steam room, and a fully equipped gym for those who wish to maintain their fitness routine on the road. Indulge in bespoke treatments, from deep-tissue massages to restorative facials and signature rituals, all thoughtfully designed to renew body and mind. Whether stretching out with a workout or closing your eyes amidst calming therapy, the spa experience here offers a perfect moment of luxury and restoration within your journey.

Copenhagen – Neighborhood Exploring & Royal Cruise. Your guide will lead you through Copenhagen’s most captivating neighborhoods, revealing cultural and architectural treasures while offering a clear sense of the city’s layout. Explore vibrant streets, soak in the atmosphere, and gain deep insights into the city’s social fabric and rich historical tapestry. Continue with a private cruise aboard a legendary vessel steeped in regal history. Glide through Copenhagen’s harbor and canals, tracing the transformation from industrial hub to cultural hotspot. Admire architectural masterpieces such as the striking Opera House and the ‘Black Diamond’ Royal Library, alongside iconic landmarks including the Little Mermaid and Amalienborg Palace, all from the comfort of an uninterrupted, curated perspective.

Day 3 Faroe Islands Welcome to The Faroe Islands. VIP arrival and transfer to Hotel Føroyar. Set high above Tórshavn, Hotel Føroyar is beautifully integrated into the dramatic Faroese landscape, its turf-roofed architecture blending seamlessly with the surrounding hills.

From this elevated position, the hotel offers sweeping views over the capital, Nólsoy Island, and the vast North Atlantic. With 200 rooms and suites, many featuring panoramic sea views and floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a Nordic Spa & gym – the hotel combines contemporary Nordic design with a deep connection to nature. Surrounded by open skies, rugged terrain, and walking paths leading directly into the landscape, it provides a peaceful yet well-connected base for exploring the Faroe Islands. A place where comfort, scenery, and silence come together in effortless harmony.

Wellness at Hotel Føroyar – Ress Spa Overlooking Tórshavn and the North Atlantic, the spa at Hotel Føroyar offers a peaceful sanctuary inspired by the surrounding Faroese landscape. Designed in a calm Nordic style, the wellness area features treatment rooms, sauna, tranquil relaxation spaces, and a modern fitness centre for those wishing to maintain their routine while travelling. A selection of restorative massages and therapies provides the perfect way to unwind after a day exploring the islands — a moment of quiet luxury framed by sea views and open skies.

Evening Dinner – at Áarstova (Old Town). Located in the old part of Tórshavn, Áarstova is a grass-roofed historic building with a charming soul dating back to 1640. Before it became a restaurant, it was the first hotel in the town, and in 1836 was granted the first license to serve alcohol in the Faroe Islands. The characteristic building also used to be the home of the Áarstova-brothers, beloved poets Janus and Hans Andrias Djurhuus and was named Áarstova, which means “The house by the brook”. The house is wedged between “Havnará” (the Tórshavn brook) and Áarvegur, the main street in old Tórshavn. The impeccable service at Áarstova is only matched by the food and wine menu, which includes fabulous, braised Faroese lamb and carefully chosen wine and Scottish ales.

Day 4  A Day Exploring Vágar and Stóra Dímun. An Exclusive Boat Tour to Drangarnir Sea Stacks. Embark on an exclusive boat adventure from Sørvágur, offering an intimate experience of the Faroe Islands’ untamed beauty. Cruise through pristine waters towards the iconic Drangarnir Sea Stacks,

where the dramatic archway stands as a natural masterpiece. Weather and tides permitting, you’ll pass through the arch for an unforgettable close-up. Continue your journey along the wild coastlines, with vistas of Tindhólmur Islet and its distinctive peaks, and discover the remote islet of Mykines. Here, you’ll explore its cliffs, alive with seabird colonies, including puffins during the summer months.This extraordinary expedition showcases the Faroes’ raw landscapes and marine wildlife, delivering a truly unforgettable day in one of the North Atlantic’s most awe- inspiring settings.

A Journey to Stóra Dímun – The Most Remote Inhabited Island in the Faroes  One of the most isolated places in the archipelago, Stóra Dímun is home to just a single farming family– Eva and Jógvan Jón – who represent the eighth generation living off the land here. With no roads, no harbor, and access only by helicopter, arriving is an adventure in itself. As you fly in, take in breathtaking aerial views over neighboring islands such as Koltur, Hestur, and Sandoy – a prelude to the magic awaiting on the ground.

Once landed, you’ll be warmly welcomed by your hosts and taken on a guided walk across the island’s dramatic landscape. Along the way, you’ll learn about their life with 500 sheep, countless seabirds, and stories stretching back over a thousand years. Highlights include views of Suðuroy and Lítla Dímun, and a visit to Kleivin – the once-perilous cliffside path that was the only connection to the outside world. Before your departure, enjoy a cozy farmhouse refreshment, with homemade treats and, if you’re lucky, a taste of their local wine. This is a true off-the-beaten-track experience – remote, rugged, and utterly unforgettable.

Relax and Reconnect at Leynar Spa. End the excursion by discovering tranquility at Leynar Spa, where Faroese tradition meets natural wellness. Start with an invigorating cold-water sea dip, followed by a soak in a wood- fired hot tub overlooking the dramatic Atlantic coastline. Unwind in a herbal sauna infused with native plants, and sip locally brewed tea in the cozy lounge. This unique spa experience blends the raw beauty of the Faroe Islands with serene indulgence, leaving you refreshed and renewed. Voted best place to go by Conde Nast Traveler 2025.

EVENING Dinner at RÆST A Journey into Faroese Fermentation Dinner Reservation & Tasting Menu. RÆST, located in the heart of Tórshavn, offers a truly unique dining experience, steeped in Faroese tradition. The restaurant is devoted to the ancient art of fermentation — known locally as ræst — a preservation method shaped by the island climate and history.

The menu celebrates the Faroese terroir, featuring fermented lamb, fish, and seasonal local ingredients prepared with both respect and creativity. Each dish reflects the depth of flavor and texture developed through time-honored techniques, interpreted through a contemporary Nordic lens. The setting is as intimate and rustic as the cuisine it serves. Housed in a traditional wooden building, the warm atmosphere evokes a sense of connection to the past. Dining here is not just a meal; it’s an exploration of Faroese culture and culinary history. Every course is accompanied by stories of how these ancient preservation techniques sustained generations of islanders. For those looking to experience the raw and distinct flavors of the Faroe Islands, RÆST offers a one-of-a-kind journey that leaves a lasting impression on the palate and the soul.

Day 5  Faroese Fishing & Dining Adventure in Árnafjørður – Experience the beauty of the Faroe Islands with a day of fishing, local hospitality, and cultural discovery. Begin with a scenic boat tour from Árnafjørður on a traditional Faroese boat, sailing past ravines, grottoes, and possibly seals. Cast your fishing line near Lisshøvdi for species like haddock and Atlantic cod, surrounded by dramatic landscapes.

After returning to the marina, you’ll be welcomed into Kristianna’s cozy 1950s-style home for a delicious meal featuring your fresh catch. Relax as she shares stories of village life and Faroese traditions. Following the meal, Kristianna will guide you to key village landmarks, including the 1904 school, a 1932 self-service grocery shop, and the 1937 church, offering insights into Faroese culture, history, and religion. A perfect blend of nature, tradition, and hospitality awaits!

Day 6  Exploring the Northern Islands. A Private Voyage to Kalsoy on a Vintage Schooner. Set sail aboard, a vintage schooner, for a private journey from Klaksvík to the dramatic Kalsoy Island. Glide through fjords, with towering cliffs and cascading waterfalls as your backdrop, while the crew shares Faroese tales. Stop to admire the legendary Kópakonan statue in Mikladalur, where folklore and rugged beauty meet.

Cruise along Kalsoy’s dramatic coastline, spotting wildlife and soaking in the island’s wild charm. This exclusive sailing tour blends adventure, serenity, and authentic Faroese culture into an unforgettable experience.

An Exclusive Evening with a Faroese Culinary Chef. Tonight, immerse yourself in a one-of-a-kind culinary journey crafted by one of our most celebrated local chefs. With expertise honed in the best Faroese kitchens, your chef will bring the vibrant flavors of the Faroese culinary tradition to life before your eyes. This exclusive dining experience is tailored to your tastes, with a flexible menu showcasing the freshest local ingredients. Prepare for an evening of bold, unforgettable flavors that will linger in your memory long after the last bite.

Day 7 Depart Faroes Islands Check Out & Transfer to the Airport Enjoy your final morning before checking out from your accommodation.

Seeking your Inner Hippie? – Private Healdsburg Ranch Stay

Have you just for a minute pondered escaping the burbs or the city to make a date with Mother Nature? I am not envisioning a sleeping bag or dining on packaged pouches…but perhaps getting in touch with your inner hippie?  I know that’s not my style, but follow along and enjoy a lovely Ranch escape!

Healdsburg Ranch

We are always on the hunt for unique Villa visits, or in this case, a unique Ranch visit. The Ranch is described as an Eco Luxury Farm Stay, I feel the description limits the true flavor of the Ranch. The narrative includes sustainable retreats offering a plant-based lifestyle.

My initial thought was a woo-woo retreat with healthy food, and holistic experiences. Personally, I like a plant-based diet; however, I struggle when dining out and modifying my years of meat-based recipes; after my visit, I completely embraced my weekend experience at the Ranch.

Located a few miles from downtown Healdsburg on a gorgeous pastoral estate set in Sonoma county’s stunning Dry Creek Valley. Guests can wander the 120 pristine acres of Pacific Redwood Forest. The main four-bedroom home sleeps eight guests, an expansive self-sustainable farm. The ranch estate has four expansive ensuite bedrooms equipped with king-sized beds. Several sizable common rooms for a family or a group of friends to comfortably spread out to relax, assemble puzzles or watch the horizon for enormous vultures, hawks, and owls to soar across the tree studded hills. The outdoor space of the main Ranch Home has areas for dining, lazing, and floating in the solar heated black bottom pool.

For those wishing for a Glamping night, the luxury canvas tent is equipped with a wood-burning stove and luxurious king-size bed.  Two deep clawfoot tubs are perched outside, imagine soaking under an open jet-black starry sky.

There is also a newly built two-bedroom Barn residence overlooking the amazing garden of vegetables and flowers. Amazing in the sense that the team has deeply invested in bio dynamic farming which produces show stopping fruit and vegetables. The just picked lettuce for my salad was the size of a small car wheel – not only stunning, but delicious. Everything is grown on property; the garden tour alone is worth a stay!  A sprawling biodynamic farm resides at the heart of the estate, creating a closed-loop food system in which all the cuisine for the plant-based culinary program. The chemical- and pesticide-free farm supplies all your meals.

Several activity options for a stay include joining in the Ranch’s farming workshops who partner with seasoned agriculturalists to learn the principles of self-sufficient ecology, from compost building to permaculture. In the garden, tea-making seminars explore the basics of growing, pruning, hanging, and drying medicinal herbs. The ranch also teaches children the fundamentals of gardening and agriculture, along with crafts classes inspired by the natural surroundings.

Both residences are well furnished and very comfortable – it would be easy to stay a week and wander the Ranch. Hiking and biking through the wooded property. There is a bocce court, a horseshoe pit, and a nearby lake for kayaking or SUP. On property stables for horseback riding for kids or adults, a small animal farm just below the main house kept me entertained…

I relished feeding the two Nigerian dwarf goats, John and Sally and two miniature horses, Horcelain and Ginger, who also wander the field near the chicken coop with 22 hens producing fresh eggs. The stable has bins of treats for these extraordinarily friendly animals – I hate to say pets, but they were beyond fun and sociable – kids can easily hang with the animals.  There are also two of the famed Scottish Highlander Cows roaming an adjacent fenced pasture – not as friendly as the Hairy Coos I saw in the Scottish Highlands, but interesting, nonetheless.

After a few days of cleansing the body through conscious eating, quieting the mind with forest walks, soaking in the warm pool, one can’t help but feel an inner calm, more serene, and certainly a bit healthier. Be as secluded as you wish or we can add discreet staffing.

Ranch Photo Credit Rachel Weill

A couple of friends went with me for our Forest Bathing walk, try getting three chatty women to be quiet on a woodland walk, we followed the instructions from our Forest Guide and experienced nature on another level. The term Forest Bathing emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere”) One experiences nature on a path which improves your overall well-being. Mindful walking can be as simple or elaborate as you desire. Our walk concluded at the lake where one can swim or canoe.

The Ranch invites guests to discover their inner curiosity, Relax, Reset, and Reconnect with what’s around them and restore the mind, body, and spirit. Through an array of spiritual and outdoor excursions, guests become more attuned to how adventure and wellness intersect. There is an abundant offering of walks, baths, to open this world to typically stressed travelers. Yoga alongside 100-year-old Redwood trees, hands-on, plant-based cooking class with chef which guides guests through a seed-to-table meal, an extraordinary mindfulness Wim Hof Experience, a calming Sound Journey as well as flower picking and arranging, nature hikes, tea making and more.

Bike on its untouched land, hike or just sit and contemplate the stillness with the quiet sounds of nature, the wind rustling the trees, and birdsong. Dazzling dragonflies strut and dance across the terrace in the setting sun as they eat half their body weight in drifting bugs.

Outings in the ranch’s Tesla Model X can also be arranged in the surrounding area, including kayaking, paddle boarding and swimming in Lake Andreas, wine tasting and driving up the coast.

Meals: Plant based can be delivered to your refrigerator to be warmed up, an abundant supply of garden-fresh vegetables to compose boundless delicious salads, two pantries of dried legumes and grains are stocked for guests. Chef can be brought in as well if you don’t feel up to preparing meals. At our first peek into the refrigerator, we had a moment of panic, none of us were at all versed in plant-based cooking – we joked that we should call in food delivery from town! We effortlessly heated the yummy, mashed potatoes topped with fresh scallions, a casserole of eggplant and some type of spaghetti bean and composed a very delicious salad.

Ginormous Fresh Lettuce

The next day we enjoyed an enchanting lunch prepared by our chef in the middle of the amazingly productive vegetable/flower garden – the outdoor kitchen has two pizza ovens, and a massive bar for food prep. Join the chef, wander the garden, watch the flight of the hummingbirds, soak in the atmosphere – do whatever feels right. A late dinner back at our Ranch house consisted of a garden-fresh salad, we were sated from the divine garden lunch.

I don’t want to say, I visited with skepticism; the idea of an ice- bath wasn’t on my radar, but I feel this mini-introduction could lead to more expansive experiences. Our all too brief stay was extremely relaxing, we felt no need to escape to town, we lacked for no amenity or comfort. It was a delightful, restful escape, we all could have stayed longer. We padded about in swimsuits and caftans, barely altering outfits for our garden lunch – a slumber party of casual comfort and effortless escape.

Ranch Pond

The delightful hosts Ed & David are either invisible or as sociable as one desires – we loved them and learned so much from both easy-going enlightened Ranch owners. They have made a conscious transition from high powered on the go lifestyles to this calming oasis and want to share the transformative options – whether you choose to make a change doesn’t matter, what matters is taking moments from our structured busy lives to accept calm and absorb a mindful shift – temporary or permanent.

Kids are welcome and with a small fee, dogs may also visit.

Highly recommend this Ranch Escape and I hope to return. Flexible to guests request, this is not a sanctuary hoping to change your life, it is merely a suggestion and the owners will discuss each client lifestyle. The Ranch is a marvelous location for a corporate retreat, a gathering of friends and family – a peaceful private oasis, with or without the ice bath!

Isn’t he adorable? Truly worth a visit!

Live Well, Dine Well, Travel Well.