Dacha – how much has merged in this sound for the Russian heart! It’s so great to sunbathe on the grass, swim in the river, take a steam bath and barbecue. But what if you don’t have your own hacienda, but want to relax outside the city? Here are some alternative options for feeling like a summer resident for a couple of days.
Take a walk in the forest
Previously, vacationers enjoyed the pine air mainly in boarding houses or camp sites, but now they can spend a weekend in nature in eco-hotels. In the struggle for photogenicity, the engine of modern word of mouth, owners come up with interesting architectural forms and themed interiors for houses. For example, in the Vetochka eco-hotel, one wall of the guest houses is completely glass. It is important for weekend summer residents to pay attention to whether there are large forest paths on the territory of the complex. These can be ordinary “wild” trails or well-maintained paths with signs.
In some places, for example, in Nikola-Lenivets Park, you can explore the forest not only on foot, but also look for lost art objects on a rented bicycle. It will take at least one day to discover everything!
Make friends
At the “Forest and Sea” camping in Kalyazin, guests live in separate tents, and spend their free time in the company of other guests in common areas, almost like visiting friends at the dacha. It’s easy to make new acquaintances here. You can even invite someone to an open-air cinema!
And the scientific and creative residence “Chekhov #APi” creates all the conditions for forest walks to generate creative energy in the minds of vacationers. Despite the apparent simplicity of the country house-rooms, five-star service awaits vacationers in this country club. All everyday issues are taken care of by the hotel staff to free up time for guests for scientific discussions in large living rooms with panoramic windows, yoga retreats in sunny meadows, theatrical performances, viewing paintings by contemporary artists and meeting like-minded people.
Visit the village
There are a lot of worries in the village, not like in the country. And milk the goat, and collect the eggs, and make cheese and butter. There are not enough hands for everything. Therefore, modern enterprising farmers invite city residents to help. And they are happy! Agritourism is a new type of recreation that is gaining popularity. Its essence lies in the fact that vacationers live with farmers, observe the production of products and help cope with everyday life. At the Vankovo eco-farm in the Moscow region, guests will learn how to milk a cow, prepare cottage cheese, mow hay, and grow vegetables. Eco-hotel “Zhao Da!Cha” will show rural life in a demo version: you won’t have to work hard, and you’ll be able to communicate with rural animals with ease. In the agricultural tourist complex “Bogdarnya” in the Vladimir region, in addition, you can master horse riding and gain horse breeding skills.
Go fishing
To avoid being considered a poacher, it is better to fish in special places permitted for fishing. Such territories have been identified in many water bodies of Russia. For example, in the vastness of Valdai in the Tver region, sitting with a fishing rod will not only be productive, but also beautiful. The shores of Lake Seliger are the most populated: eco-hotels, fishing bases, and just free houses can be found for any budget. For example, in the “Wonderful World Hut” estate there are even places to prepare fish soup: you can eat everything you catch. For inexperienced fishermen, some residences rent equipment and even conduct master classes. Other lakes also have their advantages. For example, Uzhin is one of the most productive reservoirs, and Lake Valdai has very clean water, since it is located on the territory of a nature reserve.
Collect mushrooms and berries
Silent hunting is one of the most popular summer cottage entertainments. How wonderful it is to return with a full basket and how disappointing it is to return empty-handed. The organizers of the mushroom safari promise a guaranteed catch. Searching for honey mushrooms, boletus mushrooms and other gifts of the forest together with guides is still an exotic form of recreation for Russia. More recently, such a service could only be ordered privately, by finding experts in the matter on the Internet. Nowadays, mushroom safari is increasingly appearing on the list of activities of eco-hotels. There is a shady forest suitable for searching on the territory of the LES Art Resort hotel. True, for now you will have to go hunting there without outside help. But you can pick berries without the risk of drowning in a swamp at the Krem cranberry farm near Kostroma.
Sit under the apple tree
If you ask what a dacha smells like, many will remember the aroma of apples. It seems that orchards are firmly entrenched in the cultural code of Russian people. The city of Lebedyan in the Lipetsk region is called the apple capital of the Black Earth Region. Numerous large and small agricultural firms are located in the surrounding areas. To admire the trees in bloom and taste different varieties of apples, vacationers need to contact the “Center for the Development of Culture and Tourism.” And if you want to stay longer, you can rent a room at the Our Safari Hotel.
Return to childhood
Who hasn’t dreamed of a tree house when they were a child! If at that time your childhood capabilities were only enough for a small hut, it’s time to make the fairy tale come true. To do this, you need to check into one of the unusual hotels with rooms among the branches. Despite the apparent shaky nature of the structure, this “house” can comfortably accommodate several people. For example, in A married couple can stay at the “Tree House” camping in Pereslavl-Zalessky. Well, if you are still tormented by nostalgia for huts, there are hotels of different levels of comfort for such flashbacks. In the Kaluga region you can spend the night in innovative wigwams with panoramic glazing, in the Leningrad region you can relax in a dugout, and in the Hobbitland Eco Hotel near Moscow you can even move into a hobbit hole.
Go to the bathhouse
A bathhouse is a special place for a Russian person. Here you can take a steam bath with birch brooms, chat at the table in the evening, and jump into the cold water with a cheerful cry. In general, relax your soul and body. It’s rare that a country hotel can do without a standard bathhouse. But for those who want to “steam” for the whole weekend, it is better to pay attention to bath residences specializing in spa tourism. In some of them you can do everything at once: lie on the hay in a farm bathhouse, warm up in a sauna, get wet a little in a hammam, dry off in a salt cave, then boil in a Cossack cauldron over a fire and finally plunge into the rejuvenating water of a font. You can relax, for example, in the Aquarelle boarding house near Moscow, which has indoor swimming pool and excellent sauna complex.
Fry kebabs
The ban on making fires in the forest caused a stir in the ranks of bards and lovers of cooking meat in nature. Performers of original songs have moved to the bard cafe, and fans of barbecue without a summer house now need to book gazebos and barbecues in specially equipped public places. There is usually a communal feeling at playgrounds in city parks. You can’t relax here: just make sure that no one comes close to your light. But in country hotels you can rent secluded gazebos among rustling trees or on the shores of reservoirs. Authentic, “dacha-like” barbecue areas are available at the Hilton Garden Inn Moscow New Riga.
Find the way to yourself
Sometimes we go to the country to escape from the bustle of big cities, relax and slow down. Such a vacation helps to restore vitality and even get a little bored with work. A systematic approach to dacha retreat was developed by the creators of the Yoga Dacha project. A large wooden house and a second, slightly smaller one were built for weekend workshops. But now races can last longer. In addition to training, participants will enjoy practice and meditation on the shores of Lake Pleshcheevo, walks in the surrounding area and vegetarian food. Thematic interiors provide the atmosphere. Well, if you want to arrange a retreat yourself, then you can choose one of the eco-houses for secluded leisure. For yoga, for example, the veranda of the Om Dom hotel with a view of the Krasnaya Polyana mountains is perfect.
