My first post

So, it all starts here.  2015 – the year of change.  The year my husband and I move to Sweden to take over the running of Urshult Hotell.

To be honest, 2014 was pretty change-filled too:

• the love of my life proposed to me
• we married 3 months later
• I moved home to Archway, north London (my first time living north of the river!)
• I became a step-mum of 2 children aged 8 and 12
• and last but not least…I bought a hotel in Sweden

This is my story.  The story of how I bought Urshult Hotell with my husband, our move from urban London to rural Urshult, how we change career from musicians to hotel owners and how I adapt to life in a new country.  I will regularly post text and photos to chart our progress so keep logging in to find the latest news!

First, a little bit about the hotel and what made us want to buy it:  Following our wedding in July last year, we began to look at houses to buy and discovered that buying in my husband’s native Sweden was far far cheaper than my native London.  In London we could afford a 1 bedroom flat and for the same price in Sweden we could afford…………………..a 14 bedroom hotel, with 3 bedroom flat for the owners, restaurant-style kitchen, bar, shop, large garden, car park and barn.  No contest really!

Urshult Hotell

We went to see the property in October last year and, after 2 visits, met with local banks to discuss our business plan.  We were attracted to the hotel partly because it is just 45 minutes drive from my husband’s family in Smaland and situated on the banks of a beautiful lake called Asnen.  It is also HUGE, including a total of 3 separate buildings – a far cry from our cramped one bedroom flat in Archway.  Also, this part of Sweden is teeming with lakes and pretty villages – worlds apart from where I grew up in Peckham, South London.  I love that!

After talking with the current owner about what it is like running the place and living in Urshult, we decided to go ahead with the sale.  My husband and I have had many talks about what we want out of life long-term and we both feel that Sweden offers us better quality of life than London.  Of course, buying the hotel is a risk.  We might fail.  I might miss London terribly and hate my new adopted home.   But I strongly suspect that we will both love Urshult, enjoy the challenge of learning new skills, get satisfaction out of running our own business together, have more time together as a couple and enjoy meeting interesting guests from around the world.  Stay tuned for how we get on!!