On Hiiumaa, the country’s second-largest island, there’s a fleeting period between winter and spring known as Springrise. Snow melts, the days stretch out and the island starts slowly coming back to life. It’s this five-season rhythm that sits at the heart of newly opened Eha Retreat.
And Hiiumaa is quite the place to disappear for a while. Part of the West Estonian Archipelago Biosphere Reserve, the island has just nine people per square kilometre, with around two-thirds of it covered in forest. Throw in wild beaches, ancient woodland, Baltic Sea air and skies largely untouched by light pollution, and your nervous system is already looking considerably less frazzled.
Eha has been designed to follow the island rather than fight it.
Estonian architect Tiit Trummal looked to traditional local architecture for its buildings, with thatched-roof suites and forest hideaways keeping things suitably low-key.
The retreats change with the weather too. Autumn is about slowing down and forest therapy. Winter gets serious about sleep, with red-light movement, thermal rituals and restorative treatments. Springrise follows the snowmelt with a five-night reset, while spring and summer dial things back up with foraging, movement and plenty of time outside.
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Food follows much the same philosophy. What lands on the plate depends on what Hiiumaa is doing outside, from preserved vegetables and rich stocks in winter to herbs, berries and orchard fruit as the island warms up.
Founders Eva Maran and Sonny Aswani have also pulled heavily from local traditions, craftsmanship and ancestral approaches to healing, while working with ecologists and island suppliers to keep Eha connected to the place it calls home.
Disappearing into an Estonian forest might be just what the doctor ordered…
Why It Exists
Because sometimes the answer really is disappearing to a Baltic island with more forest than people.
The Vibe
Thatched roofs, deep forest and quiet Nordic design on an island that operates at its own speed.
Your Bed Tonight
A low-key hideaway tucked into the Hiiumaa landscape, designed with a nod to the island’s traditional architecture.
The Thing You’ll Brag About Later
Staying on an Estonian island with nine people per square kilometre, and five seasons instead of four.
Eat / Drink This
Whatever Hiiumaa is growing, gathering or preserving at the time, with menus shifting from berries and herbs to orchard fruit, vegetables and slow-cooked winter comforts.
Steal This Local Move
Get outside after dark. Hiiumaa’s lack of light pollution means the night sky gets properly dark (read: you’ll see soo many stars).
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