Rent a Cabin with a Dog

We stayed at a hotel with Hugo once. Once.

It was in Gothenburg, a "dog-friendly" hotel near Liseberg. Hugo barked every time someone walked past the door in the hallway. The neighboring room complained. We barely dared to leave the room for breakfast. The kids were frustrated, we were stressed, and Hugo understood nothing.

Since then, we always book cabins.

A cabin with its own yard, preferably fenced, where Hugo can run out in the morning without a leash, where the kids can play in the garden, and where no one cares if there’s a bit of barking – that’s a vacation for us.

Here’s everything we’ve learned about finding the right cabin and making the stay smooth.

Why a cabin works for us

We live in an old house in the countryside. Hugo is used to space, to being able to go out into the garden, to moving freely. A hotel room of 25 square meters with carpet is the exact opposite of his everyday life.

A cabin gives us:

Our own space. Hugo can lie wherever he wants – on the sofa, by the stove, on the kitchen floor. He doesn’t have to be tied to the bed or locked in the bathroom when the cleaning staff comes.
Own yard. The morning pee at six becomes an open door instead of a stressful elevator ride down to a parking lot. If the yard is fenced, Hugo can run freely while I drink coffee in my bathrobe.
Own kitchen. We can prepare Hugo's food as usual, store his food in the fridge, and have access to water and bowls without having to pack everything down every time we leave the room.
No neighbors in the wall. Hugo barks sometimes. Most dogs do. In a cabin, it’s no one’s problem.
No dog fee (most of the time). Hotels charge an extra 100-300 SEK per night for dogs. Cabins rarely have that.
Space for all of us. With two kids and a dog, a hotel room gets cramped. A cabin with two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen allows everyone to breathe.

Where we find cabins

We have rented cabins through most platforms over the years. Here’s our experience:

Stugknuten – Swedish site with a large selection of private cabins. Usually direct contact with the owner, which makes it easy to ask about details like fencing, dog rules, and the local area. Prices vary enormously.
Airbnb – Good filters for pets. Read the reviews carefully – other dog owners' experiences are invaluable. Some hosts write "pets allowed" but actually mean a cat.
Booking.com – Easiest to use, but the information about dog-friendliness is often thin. We always call to double-check.
Novasol and Dansommer – Large selection of cabins in Sweden and Denmark. Clear rules and often good pictures of the yard. Usually have higher deposits with dogs.
Blocket – Underrated. Many private cabin owners advertise here, often at lower prices. Requires more research but can yield great finds.

What we check before booking

We have learned to ask the right questions. "Dogs welcome" can mean anything from "we love dogs" to "we tolerate dogs if they are not seen or heard".

Is the yard fenced? This is number one for us. A fenced yard means that Hugo can be off-leash outside, that we don’t have to worry about him running away, and that mornings and evenings become so much easier.
What type of fencing? A fence of 80 cm won’t hold a dog that really wants out. We ask about height and condition. Pictures are best.
Can the dog be indoors everywhere? Some cabins have rules that the dog cannot be in bedrooms or on furniture. That works for some, but Hugo sleeps by the bed – that’s non-negotiable for us.
Where is the nearest walking area? A cabin in the middle of a residential area without proximity to forest or nature doesn’t work well. We want to be able to walk directly from the yard into nature.
What are the floors like? The question sounds strange, but carpet plus a Cavapoo that loves mud puddles is a bad combination. We prefer wooden floors or tiles that can be wiped clean.
What is the deposit fee? With a dog, it’s often higher – sometimes an extra 2000-3000 SEK. Not a problem if you know it in advance.
Are there other dogs nearby? Not always possible to find out, but worth asking. Hugo is not always the best at greeting new dogs, especially when he feels at home in "his" territory.

Our packing list for cabin stays

Besides the usual (food, leash, treats, poop bags), we bring:

Long leash or line. If the yard is not fenced, or if we want to sit on the porch while Hugo sniffs around, a 10-meter leash is invaluable.
Extra towels. Old towels that can get muddy, wet, and disgusting. The cabin's fresh towels are for us, not for Hugo's paws.
Cleaning supplies. A small bottle of all-purpose cleaner and a roll of paper towels. Accidents happen – especially the first night in a new place.
Hugo's favorite blanket. Smells like home. Makes the cabin feel safe faster.
Dog gate (sometimes). If the cabin has stairs or rooms we want to block off, a portable dog gate can be worth its weight in gold.
Vacuum bags. Cavapoo fur gets everywhere. We vacuum every day and extra carefully before departure.

During the stay

The first hour. We let Hugo explore the entire cabin and yard before we unpack. He sniffs through every corner, pees in strategic places outside, and decides where his spot will be. Only when he lies down do we check in.

Routines. We try to keep Hugo's usual feeding and walking times even on vacation. It makes him calmer and us happier.

Ongoing cleaning. We wipe off paws at the door every time we come in. It takes 30 seconds and saves a huge amount of work later.

No furniture ban. If Hugo is allowed on the sofa at home, he can be on it in the cabin too. We bring a blanket to lay over so the fur doesn’t stick.

Before departure

This is important. A poorly cleaned cabin after a dog stay ruins it for the next dog owner – and for all of us who want cabins to continue being dog-friendly.

Our checklist:

Vacuum all floors and furniture Hugo has been on
Check beds and sofas for fur
Wipe off any nose marks on windows and doors
Check the yard for dog poop bags and toys
Wash the dog bowls
Take all trash related to the dog

We leave the cabin in better condition than we would expect to find it. It takes an extra hour on departure day, but it’s worth it.

Combine cabin and hotel

A tip that has worked for us: cabin as a base, hotel for occasional nights.

Last summer, we rented a cabin in Småland for a week. Midweek, we went to Kalmar for a night at a hotel – the kids wanted to see Kalmar Castle and we wanted to eat out for real. Hugo managed a night at a hotel well when he was relaxed and rested from the cabin.

But a whole week at a hotel? Never again.

Cabins abroad

We have rented cabins in Denmark and Norway with Hugo. The process is roughly the same, but a few things differ:

Denmark: Very dog-friendly country overall. Many cabins have fenced yards as standard. Check the leash laws on the beaches – they vary.

Norway: Fantastic mountain cabins, but check vaccination requirements and customs rules for dog food. Norway is outside the EU, so the rules are different.

In general: Book cabins through established sites (Novasol, Booking) for trips abroad – then you have better consumer protection if something goes wrong.

Our best cabin experiences

Småland, summer 2022. A red cabin by a lake with its own dock. Fenced yard. Hugo could swim every day, the kids fished, we grilled every evening. No phone, no stress.

Dalarna, winter 2023. A mountain cabin with a fireplace. Hugo lay in front of the fire for hours. Skiing for us, dog walks in the snow, hot chocolate. His fur smelled like smoke for weeks afterward.

Gotland, autumn 2021. Maybe not the best cabin – a bit worn, the yard not fenced – but the area was fantastic. Sea stacks, empty beaches, deserted roads. Hugo and I walked miles every day while the family explored Visby.

A cabin is more work than a hotel. You have to clean yourself, cook yourself, manage everything yourself. But for us with a dog, it’s not even a choice anymore.

Hotels are for couples without kids and without dogs. Cabins are for us.

/Love & Hugo