Padaste Manor

To people who hail from less, shall we say, climatically challenged parts of the world, the idea of an island getaway in the Baltic Sea probably sounds perverse. But before there were budget airlines (or cars, or trains) the people of northern Europe made do with what they had close at hand: places like Estonia’s Muhu Island, home to Pädaste Manor, a charming, intimate luxury hotel and spa.

The estate is five hundred years old, and in fact the whole island feels caught in a sort of time warp — while Tallinn is increasingly filled with cut-rate revelers on vodka cruises, Muhu is scenic, quiet, pastoral, largely untouched by the outside world. All of which makes Pädaste the ideal place to unwind.

With just fourteen rooms in the main house and eight suites in the carriage house (plus a stand-alone farm house for parties of up to six) it’s no sprawling resort. The accommodations are luxurious in an old-fashioned way — they do have all the modern conveniences, but in moderation, and are mostly remarkable for their sheer old-fashioned comfort. The spa, on the other hand, throws moderation right out the window — if, as the locals do, you use the “Siberian cold tub” in between sauna sessions, you’ll find your pulse anything but even.

How to get there: Pädaste Manor offers chartered limousine or helicopter service from either Tallinn Airport or Riga International Airport. Complimentary pickup from Kuivastu Port is also available for guests taking the ferry from Virtsu on the mainland.