One summer day in the countryside is worth a month in the city - Christina G. Rossetti once said. Do you feel that too? Do you remember with longing a holiday with grandparents, the smell of hay and the taste of homemade bread? Or maybe you’re looking for a place where the kids will drop their phones to the side and remember them only when they get home? We invite you to immerse yourself in a real Lithuanian village fairy tale. We live here as in the times of our ancestors, preserving and reviving history.
We are 40 km from Kaunas, on the outskirts of the small village of Viliūšiai, in the forests of Kazlų Rūda, next to the Novaraitis ornithological reserve. While drinking breakfast coffee, you will watch the crane birds fly over the homestead, and in the evening their shout will signal the end of the day. That's why the name of our place is translated as Crane's Song. If you want to spend time with your family in a meaningful and memorable way, and return home with clean thoughts and a smile on your face, come and live in a real village for a few days. Clean air, peace, the whisper of the forest and the sounds of nature will be yours only.
We have prepared a guest house that looks as if it has come to us directly from a fairy tale book: with carved shutters, antique furniture and colorful bedspreads. It is easy to imagine that a forest witch or dwarfs live in it ... The cottage is designed for a family of five. On the ground floor there is a living room with a large table, a fireplace and two sleeping places, a kitchen and a shower room. On the second floor - a cozy room with king size double and single bed and a baby cot. You will find white bed linen and towels in the cottage. The water is heated by a boiler.
Around the cottage - a large territory of the homestead with various wooden buildings, a water body, a sauna, an outdoor kitchen, swings, a playground and even an Indian wigwam. It’s safe here with the little ones.
We also have our own rules in the homestead. Ancient Lithuanian traditions are respected and cherished here. We don’t run noisy events and celebrations, we don’t let loud music and fireworks. Alcoholic beverages are not consumed in the territory of the homestead.
Our guests can prepare meals in the modern kitchen with refrigerator, electric stove and sink. There are all the necessary tools, utensils and pots. The kitchen is inside the house and belongs only to the guests living in it. You can sit in the whole company in the living room at the large dining table, or on the outdoor terrace.
An outdoor kitchen with an oven-stove is a great experience for everyone. Food prepared on a live fire always works great and the dishes quickly evaporate from the table. You ask why? Only those who have tried it know the answer.
There is also an outdoor bread bakery built by us, really great-baked bread for the great-grandfather to spread a magical smell throughout the homestead. The soup, especially during camps, is boiled in a large pot hanging over a campfire. There is also a barbecue with tools if you would like to make a barbecue, firewood and everything you may need.
But the branded dish of our homestead is smoked cheese. We get the cheeses from the neighboring farm, then smoke them in our smokehouse. If you want, we will not only feed you, but also reveal the secrets of Suvalkian smoking.
If you still need something from the store, the nearest is in Jankai, but it will take 10 km to drive there. Therefore, it is best to take everything with you immediately. And don’t forget to ask the hostess what the neighboring farmers can offer you at the moment.
In our village it is said that only bored people get bored. But there have been no such guests with us yet. We have a variety of activities here - both in summer and in winter, and when the gardens are in bloom and when it is raining.
First of all, various traditional crafts. You will want to - try to cast candles, embroider with a cross, wash and iron clothes in ancient ways, spin, twist ropes, bake pancakes. Have you ever tried weaving? We have real weaving looms, of a very respectable age, made by hand a hundred years ago. There is a separate wooden house for educational activities, it is fun to sit in it even when it is dark, wet, windy, when you do not want to put your nose outside.
Secondly, we are fans of the Baltic bath. If you want to rediscover the sauna, book a sauna evening: during it you will learn about the Lithuanian steam sauna tradition and participate in the ritual sauna program. We will teach you how to behave in the sauna, so that after the sauna you will feel more familiar with yourself, relieving tensions, fears and stresses. Number of participants: up to 6 people, price: 160 euros / 4 hours.
As for the water, there is a pond suitable for swimming in the territory of the homestead. True, the water in it is cold. We offer to warm up after bathing in the hot tub (ofuro bath). Rental price: 60 euros / 3 hours, up to 8 people.
When the weather is good, all nature awaits you. Then we go playing sports, fishing, berries, mushrooms, collecting herbs, listening to winches. It is possible to communicate with sheep or wander the paths of rabbits. Everyone can do what they want.
If you wish it, you can organize trips around the area from the Song of Cranes. Close to our many attractions. To the south of the homestead - the bunker of the leader of Tauras district Aleksandras Grybinas - Faust has been restored, to the east - the Novaraistis bird-watching tower and the oldest July in Lithuania, to the west - the ensemble of Zypliai manor.
What’s there for children?
It is very important to everyone whether his child will have anything to do during the holidays? I assure you, during the whole life of the homestead, I have not met anyone who is bored in the homestead. What child will resist the temptation to pet a rabbit or pet a sheep? Our animals are accustomed to humans and are happy to take care of themselves, and for children it is a great entertainment and therapy.
Away from the main buildings, but in a prominent place, we set up a play area. An outdoor kitchenette with real utensils, a sandbox, swings, a jogging tub, a rotating log, a hammock, a rope and a forest hut - children will be able to entertain as much as they can.
We also offer volleyball, duel with bags, rope pulling, antique games, badminton, bagging, weeding, candle pouring, tea making in a real witch's pot, and many other educational programs we offer. You will find many and very different board games in all the cottages, which we are constantly updating.
