During the pandemic, I fell in love with saving old furniture. Many of them went to my first slow-hop house for guests in Płowce, but the rest (and still appearing) lacked rooms. And as it was a pity for them to be forgotten again, I started the action of looking for a new place. Some for them, some for me. This is how I ended up in Orłowo with a former German house from 1910. He was looking for someone, I was looking for something, and somehow we found each other together in this search.

Over the next few months, the garden was blooming with rubble, and I saved as much as possible from the original building. I converted the door from the pigsty to consoles, and used the old window frames as mirrors. In the corner there is a wardrobe from Silesia, and guests are welcomed in the hall by cinema armchairs.

Come for endless lakes, furniture with history, and gaze up at the starry sky from a swim position in the garden pool.

In 1910, the house belonged to a German family, who expanded it in 1929 for the needs of their son. After the war, the building passed into Polish hands, and recently into mine. Most of the furniture came here with its own history, creating a coherent, if slightly patchwork decor. The stone countertops were made by Paweł from Mrągowo, the sculptor Mateusz from Warsaw was responsible for the metal accessories, and I took care of the collection of mirrors on the wall personally.

The plot itself - on which, by the way, there used to be a sawmill - is 1.5 hectares, but only part of it is fenced. A flower meadow belongs to the house, located behind the gate, which will lead you to the river and forest pool.

The house can accommodate up to 10 people, each with its own bed (not a fold-out couch in the living room).

The kitchen is all yours and you do the cooking yourself. Well, unless you also took your leave from the pots. In such a situation, within a dozen or so kilometers, you will find restaurants - incl. in Kruklanki and slightly further Giżycko.

You are only 200 meters from the village shop with soap and jam. Just in time for a morning walk for fresh rolls.

We are in Masuria - there is no time for boredom here! Here are some of my suggestions to implement while on vacation:

# 1 Swimming in a private pool. I guess nothing needs to be added?

# 2 Getting to know the nearest Lake Łękuk from each side. Here you will find a beach and a water equipment rental, where the owners try to have everything from SUP, to kayaks and fishing boats with an echo sounder.

# 3 Speaking of lakes, you have a dozen or so in the immediate vicinity. You can spend each day on the new shore, in good company of swimming trunks and / or books.

# 4 A walk or a bike ride in the Borki Primeval Forest will provide you with flashbacks from geography textbooks. As befits a postglacial landscape, there are peat bogs, springs, lakes, streams and hills.

# 5 Bison sighting. You may be surprised - bison are found not only in Białowieża and Wolin, but also in our country, in the Borecka Forest, specifically in Wolisko. The viewing platform provides a great experience, especially during bison feeding!

# 6 Gallop in Masurian meadows and forests. The conditions are favorable, because only 2 km from the house there is a friendly Gajrowskie stable. So on the horse!

# 7 Kayaking trip with the Łaź stream. Equipment, transport and route proposals are provided, among others, by Łękuk farm and the aforementioned stable.

# 8 Discovering stories from Masuria. I encourage cycling enthusiasts to ride at least a fragment of the Masurian Legends Cycling Trail. This trail takes you through the places described in old legends and introduces you to past beliefs.

# 9 Fishing. Remember when I said there are a dozen lakes around?

# 10 Seeing the remains of the SS headquarters in Pozezdrze. A piece of history happened here that is now overgrown with forest and moss. It's a good idea to take a traditional flashlight with you, the one from the phone may be too weak.

The number of proposals is limited only by children's imaginations. The very space of the house and the immediate vicinity encourages you to play hide and seek, swim in the pool, run in the woods or jump into the lake.

In addition, I recommend canoeing trips, horse riding and visiting bison in Wolisko.