Lakeside Ensemble

Lakeside Ensemble’s motto is “a house made by friends, for friends”, but this statement doesn’t start to do justice to the warmth and care that you’ll experience while staying at this woodland wonderland.

Hidden amongst trees, and without a signpost, the handful of huts blend effortlessly into the landscape (wooden structures, topped with grass for insulation), so you’d be forgiven for passing by. Everything here is deliberate, especially the lack of signposts, in fact, you won’t find Lakeside Ensemble on social media - it’s a haven that needs to be experienced in person rather than via a screen. Owner Bernhard waited nearly a decade for the perfect place to create a retreat for himself and his loved ones, and he has begun to craft spaces that nurture the body and the soul. Each hut has been handbuilt by him and his friends, and are thus all completely individual. They are dotted across the sprawling piece of lakeside land, having been built in locations where there was a powerful energy pull.

The heart of the ensemble is the main house, a quaint villa-style building that acts as the communal living area (all huts share a bathroom, kitchen and living room, which are in the main house; only Berghütte has its own toilet, bathtub and mini-kitchen). We ended up spending hours in the kitchen with the other guests, cooking, swapping stories and listening to music in comfortable silence. There is a magic here that allows for an openness and contentedness that is hard to achieve with strangers in your daily life.

Start your day with a dip in the lake and end it in the sauna - the hours in between are yours to wile away in nature. We’ll be back here for sure, alone, with friends or we’ll book the whole location for celebrations.