Bday at Haikko Manor

Hubby had his birthday in early October and I decided to pamper him with an overnight stay and dinner at Haikko Manor & Spa. This is one of those places where we return regularly for relaxing minibreaks away from the daily grind. The manor hotel was opened in 1966 and expanded in 1974 when the spa hotel was completed and again in 1983 when the congress center was opened. Today the hotel has over 200 rooms of which 24 are in the manor house and 184 in the spa hotel.

The first historical recording of Haikko manor is from 1362 and the manor was owned by the Stenbock family until 1871 when it was sold to General Sebastian von Etter, whose family owned the manor for nearly 100 years. The manor has housed many famous guests including the grand duke Kirill Vladimirovitš Romanov and his family, painter Albert Edelfelt, and Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. The current manor house was designed in 1913 when the previous manor house had burned down. Due to the war, the construction was not completed until 1932.

The Mano House, picture from booking.com
Inside the spa, picture from booking.com
We arrived at Haikko on Saturday afternoon and spent time in the spa, after which we withdrew to our room to have some champagne and relax before dinner. Dinner was a four course Menu Nordic  designed by Chef Pekka Terävä, who is the co-owner of the one Michelin star restaurant Olo in Helsinki. The dinner was served at the Manor restaurant, in the main dining room, which was originally planned as a chapel. The restaurant has an historic ambiance of the Russian imperial era.

Manor House entrance hall, picture from booking.com
Dining room, picture from booking.com
We started with an aperitif, I had a G&T and hubby had a Bloody Mary. Then we were served Cep soup with deep fried kale. The soup was lovely with good-sized chunks of mushroom. Next came a Tartar of lamb from Åland served with pickled chanterelles. The meat simply melted in the mouth and the pickled mushrooms provided a nice vinegary contrast to the meat. The main was fish: Roasted trout with horn chanterelle consommé. The fish was very well seasoned and cooked. Dessert was Apple porridge with Kyyttö’s milk ice cream, which was a nice refreshing dessert. With dinner we enjoyed a nice bottle of white wine. The menu was a well though through whole that was very tasty. To round off the meal that left us stuffed we headed to the Manor Club for a night cap. The surroundings were a bit shocking but the whiskey went down well.









In the morning we went for a morning swim, had breakfast in the Romanov Dining Room which is part of the Manor restaurant, and then we headed back home. This was a great way to spend a weekend relaxing in historic surroundings with a cozy spa and delicious dinner. And the best part is it’s only a thirty minute drive from home. We will probably be back again in a few years.

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