How would you describe Maidla Nature Resort in a nutshell?
Maidla is a unique, luxury nature resort featuring small, architecturally designed villas that offer a completely private and personal experience. It’s located within a 16th-century manor estate, so guests can time travel while staying in modern houses designed by Estonian architects. Recently, we opened SOO Restaurant, which has been ranked as one of the top restaurants in Estonia.
What is the story behind Maidla Nature Resort, what was your inspiration to create it?
Maidla Nature Resort is owned by a private investor who works as a startup entrepreneur. He is a bit of a travelholic and has visited a lot of exotic destinations. The more he travelled, the more potential he saw in Estonia to create something unique.
First, he had an idea to build a treehouse hotel. But at the time, he couldn’t find a suitable forest. Instead, he found Maidla Manor and thought the complex was a suitable place to create an exclusive accommodation experience for guests. It’s in the middle of nature but very close to Tallinn.
Estonia has a lot of forests and unique bogs, which are considered by locals to be a romantic place where you go skinny dipping in the summer. It’s something we take for granted here, but the more you travel, the more you start to miss these things and appreciate them. During the springtime, the bogs flood, which is quite special. So he thought he could create something unique that you can’t find anywhere else in the world.
Within 12 months of purchasing the estate, we opened our first villa to guests and we now have three villas. Each is designed by a different lead architect and has an Estonian name that is inspired by nature. Our plan is to build five more, creating a total of eight, before renovating the manor house, which is heritage listed.
While Estonia has become renowned as a startup hub, we also want to put the country on the map as a place with amazing, nature-based architecture.
How would you describe the atmosphere and interior design of Maidla Nature Resort?
Whichever villa you choose, you will have the full Maidla experience. It’s designed as an adults-only escape and a place to switch off for a couple of days. There is no Wi-Fi — it’s about being in nature and enjoying high-quality food.
We asked all of the architects to incorporate large windows into their designs, so you feel as though you are connected to the surrounding environment. While all of the villas have an outdoor space, each is very different, so if you stay in one, you can return to stay in another.
One is very small at just 21 square metres while the other is more than double that at 50 square metres, with a sauna and an outdoor fireplace. The third is 34 square metres and with an outdoor jacuzzi.
