7 seaside hotels for pure relaxation
By Anna Skovby Hansen
May 23, 2025
Forget all about stress and hustle. At Denmark’s seaside hotels, you can restore your balance and experience quiet luxury.
Maybe you’ve been captivated by the Danish TV series Badehotellet, where summer in Denmark is shown in all its glory. Whether you see yourself as the hardworking merchant, the beach-loving lady, or the romantic actress, there’s a place for you – even in real life.
With the help of lifestyle expert Julia Lahme and architect Kristine Virén, we’ll guide you to some of Denmark’s graceful seaside retreats, where nature, architecture, and wellness come together in perfect harmony.
Julia Lahme (b. 1977) appeared in the 2014 TV2 series Danmarks Dejligste Badehoteller, where she visited 16 different seaside hotels along the Danish coast.
Julia Lahme is an ethnologist, trend researcher, and lifestyle expert. She runs her own communications agency, Lahme.
1. Henne Mølle Å Badehotel
– Blending seamlessly into the landscape
At the foot of the dunes, where the heath meets the sea, Henne Mølle Å Badehotel lies almost hidden in the rolling landscape. Designed by Poul Henningsen in 1936, the hotel was envisioned as a peaceful retreat – a place where the building would yield to the landscape, not the other way around. With its sandy yellow facade and blue-framed windows, the hotel winds gently through the natural contours of the land.
Photo: Henne Mølle Å
»The seaside hotel is a must-visit for anyone with an interest in design. It’s an incredibly beautiful place with a stunning location. And they serve a fabulous plaice that you absolutely have to treat yourself to,« says Julia Lahme.
2. Stammershalle Badehotel
– Idyllic Cliffside Escape on Bornholm
Perched on a rocky outcrop between Tejn and Gudhjem, you’ll find Stammershalle Badehotel – a former spa hotel from 1911 that still radiates idyllic charm. The hotel rises proudly with its classic red roof tiles and yellow facade. Here, you get the very essence of Bornholm: solid granite beneath your feet, the glittering blue of the Baltic Sea, and the scent of salt in the air.
Photo: Stammershalle Badehotel
»It’s like a kind of Villa Villekulla – beautifully situated and especially known for its fantastic kitchen,« says Julia Lahme.
3. Dyvig Badehotel
– A New Hotel with an Old Soul
At the northern tip of the island of Als, Dyvig Badehotel offers a tranquil escape in the Southern Jutland landscape. Though built in 2010, stepping inside feels like entering a bygone era. The architecture is inspired by Thorvald Bindesbøll’s red-and-white fish warehouses in Skagen, and the interior design draws on the style of the 1920s.
Photo: Dyvig Badehotel
»Dyvig has an incredibly beautiful bathing jetty, where you can go for a swim all year round. The location is simply stunning – and it’s a wonderful way to experience Denmark,« says Julia Lahme.
4. Melsted Badehotel
– Functionalist gem
With its feet almost in the sand and facing the blue horizon of the Baltic Sea, Melsted Badehotel stands as a white Functionalist icon on the coast of Bornholm. The 1932 building echoes Arne Jacobsen’s seaside park in Klampenborg, with its flat roof and whitewashed facade. In 2024, the hotel was named the best seaside hotel on Zealand and the islands by Opdag Danmark.
Photo: Anders Beier
»It’s truly worth a visit for the location and the unique light,« says Julia Lahme.
More Seaside Hotels to Explore
Kristine Virén (b. 1971) is Head of Media and Knowledge at Videncentret Bolius. Trained as an architect, she has extensive knowledge of Danish housing history. She is also an expert on the popular DR television program Hammerslag.
5. Svinkløv Badehotel
– A Historic Treasure Returns to the North Sea Coast
When Svinkløv Badehotel burned to the ground on a late summer evening in 2016, Denmark lost a piece of living cultural heritage. For nearly a century, the long white wooden building had been a beloved setting for summer life, quiet moments, and seaside walks along the North Sea coast. But with great respect for its history, the hotel was rebuilt on its original foundation – in wood, with large windows – and in 2019, it once again opened its doors to joyful guests. The architecture bears clear marks of the National Romantic movement, which delved deeply into Danish and Nordic building traditions.
Photo: Jens Markus Lindhe
»Is an authentic gem in the history of Danish seaside hotels. Denmark has a long tradition of wooden architecture, and Svinkløv is a particularly unique example of that tradition – one that is rarely seen in buildings today,« says Kristine Virén.
6. Hages Badehotel
– A Coastal Retreat Blending into Nature
In the heart of Lolland’s wild wetlands, Hages Badehotel stands as an architectural tribute to building on nature’s terms. The hotel is constructed on stilts, elevated above the ground. By raising the structures, the delicate soil remains undisturbed, allowing the landscape to be returned almost entirely to its original state if needed. Small lakes, pathways, and bridges weave through the grounds like a miniature Venice, and each residence offers views of the surrounding wildlife and scenery. Hages Badehotel is a beautiful example of the Danish tradition of building with wood and natural materials – brought thoughtfully into the present day.
Photo: Hages Badehotel
»Nature appears untouched just outside the home, offering exactly the kind of connection to the natural world that so many of us long for,« says Kristine Virén.
7. Helenekilde Badehotel
– Upscale Comfort Meets Summerhouse Atmosphere
Helenekilde Badehotel is a former summer residence from 1896, carefully preserved with a focus on light materials, sea views, and an atmosphere that feels more like a home than a hotel. The seaside hotel is distinguished by its white balconies overlooking the ocean and its whitewashed facade, while the rooms are adorned with soft pastel tones on the walls.
Photo: Helenekilde Badehotel
»The main building has that wonderful summer vibe you can’t help but love. It stands like a striking, chalk-white sugar cube overlooking the coast, with beautiful lounges that open up toward the sea and wooden terraces built on every floor of the villa, all facing the water. And yet, there’s something wonderfully homely and relaxed about the place,« says Kristine Virén.
The Danish Seaside Hotels
Seaside hotels represent all the good things in life: summer well-being, relaxed social gatherings — yet with a distinct sense of luxury. They were where the wealthy sought refuge in the countryside during the summer – a movement that gained real momentum in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The tradition took hold in especially scenic locations along coasts and landscapes where light, sea, shoreline, and dunes could be enjoyed – ideally in clusters, so the social life could continue throughout the summer. Today, the experience is still exclusive, but as our disposable income has grown, seaside hotels now appeal to a much broader part of the population.
Although much has changed in society over the past 150 years, many of these seaside hotels have evolved in one form or another. From the 1960s, hundreds of thousands of Danes began flying south on charter vacations – and the seaside hotels felt the impact. Mallorca and charred meat became more appealing than plaice and rain on the west coast.
But with the booming 2000s came a renewed fascination with the values and lifestyle of the old upper-middle class, and the elegant seaside hotels re-entered our cultural consciousness. This fascination extended into our year-round homes too – suddenly, we all wanted pantries stocked with jars of tapenade and fermentation projects.
Source: Kristine Virén
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