The lakes of the Suwałki region have different colors. There are gray, silver, turquoise, brown and almost completely black lakes. They owe their diversity and abundance to the glacier, which 15,000 years ago. years ago he sculpted the local landscape, and he was kind enough to leave his melting waters in each basin. Also know that entering the Suwałki forests is like entering a jungle. Nowhere in Poland is there such lush, pristine nature as here. Giant horsetails, mosses and lichens bring to mind the mysterious landscapes of Scandinavia and one almost expects that a troll will jump out from behind a tree at any moment. In our opinion, few people know how beautiful it is here. We dream that it will stay like this, because here is Poland, untouched by Poland: without stimuli, colors and shapes of houses built however anyone wanted, roads, cars and sounds. There's nothing here. And that's why everything is there.
We didn't plan this habitat - we just rode by on our bikes and there it was. A dilapidated cottage standing by a pristine pond, sheltered from the road by trees and no one drives it anyway. And somehow she had to be saved. We didn't change anything here, because change is not something that serves the Suwałki region: we renovated the house to make it like it used to be, and we decorated it in our own way: with a pinch of color and sympathy for vintage furniture. I used to professionally search for furniture for theater sets, and my husband, a Frenchman by birth, had several family gems from the Seine in his collection. We inserted them here. And now we invite you to an idyllic rest by the pond: for a maximum of 8 people, maybe 2 families or groups of friends, because each level of the house has a separate entrance, kitchen and bathroom. We believe that you will only whisper about how quiet, deserted and wild it is here later only to those you trust.
In our habitat, by the pond, there is an old wooden house renovated by local carpenters. It consists of two levels, each with a separate entrance. You can rest here with a maximum of 8 people.
House has:
– 3 bedrooms:
with a double bed on the ground floor,
· with 2 single beds on the ground floor,
· with 3 beds: a single and a double on the first floor,
– 2 kitchens combined with dining rooms,
– living room with a fireplace downstairs,
– terrace with garden furniture.
We put a lot of heart into its device, so that it is comfortable, but also colorful and atmospheric. The terrace in front of the house invites you to linger, and the pond overlooking it to swim.
The habitat is not fenced, and all the good around is at your disposal: apart from the pond, a piece of orchard and many green corners where you can relax on a hammock or deckchair.
We work like this: in the season we rent only the whole house, outside of it you can also rent the ground floor alone. Each floor has a separate entrance, kitchen and bathroom, so we are a great holiday choice, e.g. for 2 families who want to relax together, but also have freedom just for themselves.
Each floor of the house has its own kitchen, so there are two places at your disposal where you can prepare your meals. However, as in the northern Suwałki region, there is not much around, and there is no choice of shops either. It will be best if you stock up on groceries on the way.
You will have the opportunity to taste the local cuisine in the nearby Gospoda Jaćwing. They will serve you the famous potato cake and grapeshot.
You must also know that the area is famous for its outstanding cheeses. There is talk of "cheeses from Wiżajny" - excellent, rennet, produced by local housewives. They are seasoned with herbs: nigella, garlic, thyme. On the way to Wiżajny, in every second farm you can buy homemade cheese and sękacz, so it's worth keeping your eyes peeled.
It's as if nothing has changed in decades. As if you came on holiday to your grandma in the countryside - idyllic as a kid, with running barefoot in the meadow, swimming on your back in the pond and staring at the clouds. And when you get bored, get on a bike or go ahead along the country road and see what we don't have here (almost nothing!).
In the Suwałki region, in every valley, in every hollow, behind every hill there is a larger or smaller lake. Just look at the map: there are plenty of them in the area. Every day you can spread over a different one. From us you will be close to Hańcza - the deepest lake in Poland. If you like diving or want to learn, be sure to try its crystal clear waters.
If you like going forward more than going deep, get on a kayak. You can go canoeing on Czarna Hańcza or Szeszupa, and then through the following lakes: Gulbin, Okrągłe, Krejwelek, Przechodnie, Postawelek and finish the route on Lake Pobondzie. When you want more, you can sail from Pobondzie to Rutka Tartak, then Wiżajny, Potopy, Poszeszupie and so you can reach the border.
At the turn of June and July you can experience white nights here. The sun never sets completely! If you dream of holidays in Scandinavia, know that this is the most Scandinavian holiday you can experience in Poland.
Turtule, a hamlet of the village of Malesowizna, is one of the oldest settlements in the Suwałki Region. A mill operated there from the 17th century, and its name comes from the name of the miller (turtuolis). Today, you can see the ruins of the mill and the miller's house from the 1930s standing next to it. It is in Turtul that the seat of the Suwałki Landscape Park is located.
We also recommend a trip to the molenna in Wodzilki, i.e. the village of the Old Believers. This is one of the few still functioning temples of the Old Believers in Podlasie. It comes from 1921, and the village itself was founded in 1788.
The Polish pole of cold is a treat for winter sports enthusiasts. Due to the microclimate that this part of Poland owes to the glacier, winters are frosty, snowy and sometimes last over 100 days. So you can go cross-country skiing, sledding and skiing here. Jesionowa Mountain on Lake Szelment Wielki has 10 ski trails of varying difficulty. There is also a ski and snowboard school on a separate part of the slope.
In Smolniki (20 minutes by bike) there is a vantage point to admire the panorama immortalized in Wajda's "Pan Tadeusz" and Konwicki's "Issa Valley". From a height of 225 m above sea level you can admire the north-eastern part of the Suwałki Landscape Park, the lakes: Kojle, Perty and Purwin, and in the distance the mountains: Jesionowa, Krzemieniucha and Cisowa. The latter is called Suwałki's Fujiyama, because when viewed from a distance it resembles a volcano.
Have you ever visited the highest Polish viaduct? About time. If you are going south on your way back from us, head towards the now closed railway line in Stańczyki. Don't forget to visit the nearby Camaldolese Monastery on the peninsula of Lake Wigry.
You have 15 km from here to the border with Lithuania. So maybe a trip to our northern neighbors? You can get to beautiful Kaunas in 2 hours, to Vilnius in 3. And if you get carried away by your imagination, in 3.5 hours (mostly by highway) you will get... to the Baltic Sea. There are truly wild and empty beaches over this Lithuanian one.
What’s there for children?
There was no one here who wouldn't love to bathe in the idyllic pond next to our house. There are even fish in it, so it will be just right for the first fishing (you will have to take the rods with you). Just keep in mind that the pond is relatively deep, it's better for kids to swim under your supervision.
In addition, there are gravel roads everywhere around, on which you can ride a bicycle and hills, as you know, from which wallpaper, from which you can roll, run on them with your hair flowing, weave wreaths of wildflowers and collect the best stones on them (in the Suwałki region we have exceptionally beautiful boulders!).
What’s there for employees?
We have the Internet here "from the air", i.e. the one that you can catch on your phone. There is no wifi. But if you make a hotspot, the connection speed is impeccable - you can check e-mails and even watch a movie. So if you need to put out a fire at work: no problem, but it's more of a place for a vacation than a job.