First there was a door. The front door to my family house, made before
war by some Mazur. Shabby, with flaky azure paint and three small lenses. I loved them. When my parents exchanged them for new ones several years ago, I promised myself that one day I would build a house for them. The door was waiting, and there was a house. Or rather a cottage, modeled on old Masurian arcaded houses. Made of fired logs joined in a dovetail, with a hundred-year-old Masurian tile and, of course, a turquoise door. It was designed by a friend of the architect and named the project Brutka, which is the Masurian `` bride '', probably from the German Braut. So we decorated it with dignity, as befits a bride. We dressed in natural materials, paintings by Polish artists, books and a lot of heart.
We invite you behind the azure door. Here, in front of the village beach on Lake Inulec, is our Chrosiówka, which is almost a hectare of yard and two houses. We live in the first one and we run a cozy agritourism in the attic, while in the second one you rule. An almost 100-meter wooden house is waiting for you. Real food and cordiality await you. In winter, warmth and books, in summer, the beach and sparks above the fire. Come on over. We are not going anywhere yet.
We offer you a nearly 100-meter wooden cottage, which we designed for 4-8 people. The most comfortable place to relax is for 2 couples or a family with children. Two families or a group of friends will also be fine. Our house is located in the village, deep in the yard, opposite the village beach, accessible to everyone.
You will share the yard with the guests of our agritourism located next door. It will not be some crazy crowd, because our agritourism farm can accommodate a maximum of 7 people. Of course, there are also us, our daughters and our dog Tofik.
The house and the area around the house are of course exclusive to you.
On the ground floor, we have arranged a living room with a fireplace, a large table and a kitchen. There is also a small toilet. In the living room, the entire wall is occupied by a library. And not just any library. There are no random books here to fill the space on the shelves. There are a lot of new items here, as well as a lot of classics, fantasy, crime novels and four shelves of children's books.
Upstairs we have arranged 2 spacious bedrooms with bathrooms. The bedrooms have air conditioning, each has a large double bed and two fold-out beds that can be combined into one. The windows of the rooms offer a picturesque view of the hills and the forest and the village. The windows have blackout curtains and blinds.
The house is open all year round, downstairs there is underfloor heating (electric) plus a fireplace, upstairs we have air conditioning that has a heating function and radiators, in the bathrooms there are electric radiators plus underfloor heating.
The walls are decorated with so many paintings that you might think it is a gallery and not a house for rent. Almost all of them were painted by Polish artists. Some are more famous, others less. We auctioned some at charity auctions, others we bought at exhibitions, in galleries or received as gifts. Some of the furniture, lamps and accessories have an interesting history or come from local craftsmen. Some came from far away, e.g. the table in the dining room came to us from Sweden. Karolina and Marek from the friendly bistro-cafe Przechowalnia Marzeń found it in some Loopis. And the towel cabinet is an old cabinet from my parents' house.
In addition, almost 50m2 of covered terraces. And on the terrace there are hammocks, sofas, an armchair, tables and chairs, where you can drink coffee or read a book. On the ground floor there is also one secret room, which we reserved for ourselves. This is our workshop - the kitchen where our cheeses are made. But don't worry, we have our own independent entrance on the side and we only go there from time to time. And if you are curious about what is being cut there, you can take a look and see how Chrosiówka specialties are being made.
Our house is located in the village, so we have neighbors. We have almost a hectare of yard surrounded by trees and bushes and it is usually very peaceful, but we cannot guarantee complete peace and quiet. One of the neighbors also receives guests, sometimes someone mows the lawn, and sometimes someone chops wood... As is the case in the countryside. In the summer, Zełwągi are a bit more noisy and cheerful, but from September to June we have a real idyll here:)
We have arranged the kitchen so that everyone can prepare something delicious in it. Don't hesitate to use it. You will find everything you need here:
- dishes, cutlery, pots, cups, glasses, cake tins, etc.
- induction hob, oven, toaster
- fridge, dishwasher and electric kettle.
And for coffee lovers, a whole set of accessories: a coffee maker, French press, drip coffee maker and Hario grinder, milk frother. And of course the best coffee beans from the Kofikada roastery in Olsztyn.
Next door, you can order home-cooked meals at Małgosia's in the off-season. Małgosia will not only prepare dinner, she also bakes amazing challah (she will make challah even in the season:)) and makes delicious cakes. And her żurek soup is poetry. Let us know in advance, and we'll give you our contact details so you can make an appointment:)
Looking for simple, good food, we started cooking ourselves - we make rennet cheeses, bake sourdough rye bread, make real live apple vinegar and brew beer. It turned out that the devil is not so black and that the secret is good ingredients and a bit of heart. For cheese, we only use milk from Zelwą cows, appropriate bacterial cultures, rennet and salt. In turn, breads are made from organic rye flour from a 600-year-old Reszel mill, grains, water and salt. Drop by for a poem of taste - a slice of bread with butter!
In season, you can eat well in the nearby Królicza Nora, Smażalnia Ryb Muranka (which is worth kayaking to the other side of the lake). Delicious waffles and ice cream are served in Studnia Smaków - just 100m from us! All year round you can eat deliciously in the atmospheric Oberża pod psem or Słowiczówka or in Słoneczny Port or other numerous pubs in Mikołajki. We can also point out more tasty addresses in the area. And the best coffee and breakfasts are served in our favorite bistro Przechowalnia Marzeń in Mikołajki (open from May to September).
In the summer, we recommend the village beach right by the house or the beach on Lake Majcz Wielki in the middle of the forest. On site we have deckchairs and hammocks, right next to Lake Inulec for fishing and kayaking, and nearby forest paths ideal for walking and cycling. On the beach there is also a beach volleyball court, an outdoor gym, a playground.
Cyclists will have a paradise here. The number of bike paths (especially in the field and off-road) is impressive. There is also a 300 km route around the Great Lakes, the Masurian Cycling Loop. Note - there are very few paths dedicated to road bikes - we recommend trekking bikes, a city bike will also do :). We ride a lot ourselves, we will be happy to share the routes with you on mapy.cz or otherwise, if you prefer. We have a few bikes on site, if you want to take yours - we can store them. There are also kayaks for rowing. And board games, cards, balls. In the living room we also have a TV and a DVD player plus about a hundred cult films.
Set aside some time to read books from our library (it's worth it!) and such ordinary pleasures as enjoying aromatic coffee, stargazing, long evenings by the campfire and quiet afternoons in a hammock. Only then can you feel that we have more time for everything.
For those of you who are visiting Masuria for the first time, we also recommend such evergreens as Mikołajki (5 km from us), Leśniczówka Pranie, Gierłoż, rafting on the Krutynia river or the more wild Sapina or Twierdza Boyen.
What’s there for children?
On holiday it is never the same as at home. You can run barefoot on the grass, have breakfast on the terrace, and talk your parents into going to the lake from the crack of dawn. For us, dirty children mean happy holidays. Give up changing wet or stained clothes, make yourself a good coffee and let your children have more freedom. If the weather was totally crap, we have two fancy play areas in the cottage - a few boxes of Lego Duplo blocks, a stove with lots of accessories, teddy bears with all the furniture and a wardrobe full of clothes for dressing up. Plus games, a few hundred books and children's books. There is also a DVD and a box of CDs with fairy tales.
In the yard we have a great playground, which your children will share with the children from Chrosiówka agritourism (if we also have children staying with us). The playground is great fun for school-age children (although more than one preschooler bravely copes). Wojtek made all the toys himself, and our daughters were the designers.
The village beach is right next door. Our children say that the water temperature is perfect from May to the end of September. On the beach, as is usual on a beach, there is also a pile of sand, a playground, half a hectare of meadow and an outdoor gym.
What’s there for employees?
Come and visit us for workation! We don't have optical fiber, but there is really good coverage from most operators (LTE). You can use your own or our WiFi (in the orange network). It is enough to send and receive e-mails, browse websites and send standard attachments. You can also easily make a video call on the camera, not always in full HD quality, but without interrupting the sound and image. There is an eight-person table in the dining room, and in the living room, you can warm your feet by the fireplace while working on the sofa. The best working conditions are in our two bedrooms in the attic of the cottage. Each room has a comfortable desk with a chair, and there is also air conditioning in case it gets too hot or too cold. In summer, we recommend working on the terrace, there is a table with two chairs or comfortable sofas and hammocks.