Log villa and private forest spa by Lake Saimaa! “The world fades away when we drive into the garden”
A century-old wooden villa near Lappeenranta captured the hearts of a couple who were initially seeking just a small sauna cottage. The historic setting has just the right amount of rustic charm and offers plenty of enjoyable activities for green thumbs.
If only we could travel back in time to the early 1900s. Then we could see how summer life was enjoyed in the garden of the brand new wooden villa. Legend has it that a Russian nobleman had Honkasaari built as a summer retreat for his mistress.
Fast forward a few decades in our time machine, and you would encounter a different scene: either lively Midsummer celebrations or people resting to recover from their heavy factory work.
From the 1950s onward, the island served as a recreational retreat for the staff of Paraisten Kalkkivuori. The company constructed the causeway to the island to improve accessibility.
“The Kalkberg employees could rent site hut cottages for summer use. The sauna was also heated twice a week throughout the year,” Eija Johansson says.
Being enthusiasts of historic houses, Eija and Jari were searching for a cottage near their Lappeenranta home. Though their original goal was to find a modest sauna cottage, they decided to view the old villa that was on the market.
It was love at first sight. Located on an island and sheltered by towering pine trees, the villa utterly captivated the visitors. During their first visit to the island, there was an almost stagnant ambience.
“We fell in love with both the accessibility and the location itself. You can access the island by car, and it’s only a six-kilometer drive from downtown Lappeenranta. We can get here from our home in fifteen minutes,” Jari explains.
The Johanssons viewed the villa only once in early spring 2019, and the purchase was finalized that September.
“To be honest, we had almost forgotten what it looked like,” Eija chuckles.
The Johanssons ended up buying not only the villa but also half of the two-hectare island.
“We fell in love with the accessibility and the location of the cottage. You can access the island by car.”
On this June afternoon, the waves of Lake Saimaa surge in the storm. There’s bustling activity by the shore as a duck family proudly shows off their ducklings to the cottage owners. A common merganser has reportedly also checked out a potential nesting site beneath the villa.
“Honkasaari has a rich and varied history. In the old days, passing boats would stop here, and before the road was built, Hulda the boat delivered supplies and transported guests to the island,” Jari explains.
The over century-old villa has proudly withstood winds, blizzards, and rains alike. Eija and Jari are in no hurry to make major renovations to the building, as they feel that a bit of roughness is part of the place’s charm.
“We’re not aiming to modernize everything just for the sake of renovation. We want to let the passage of time show,” Eija says.
There are, of course, necessary repairs to be made. The porch roof had to be renovated to protect the wooden structures from moisture.
“All the stoves need to be repaired as well. We’re currently looking for a professional to do that work,” Jari says.
“For us, this pine forest-embraced villa is an oasis of relaxation.”
The remaining half of the island was purchased, to the Johanssons’ delight, by their acquaintances. There was already a sauna on the island, which remained on their acquaintances’ plot. The Johanssons haven’t yet started building their own sauna but enjoy bathing in a mobile sauna built on a trailer.
Other small improvements have been made for added comfort: the lake view has been opened up by selectively felling a few trees and carefully clearing vegetation.
The spectacular view can be admired right from the porch. Beyond small birds, they regularly spot foxes, hares, squirrels, and even deer.
They also make the most of Lake Saimaa. The whole family loves stand-up paddleboarding, both as the morning mist rises and when the sun sets in the evenings.
“For us, this pine forest-embraced villa is an oasis of relaxation. The world stays behind the gate, and our heart rates slow down—or at least that’s how it feels when we drive into the garden,” Eija says.
