SovGodt8 - Bed and Breakfast at Tønder - host article

SovGodt8 - Bed and Breakfast at Tønder
When you drive by road - in the marshlands - you can see as far, as the eye can see. I drove out of Tønder south towards the border. On a corner of the road I could from a distance see a beautiful old house and a large garden. I had arrived at Sæd - a tiny village just south of Tønder.

And what a house it was. An old march house with wings. Two old beautiful trees fringed the entrance door. Flowers and a Stilleben decorated the stairs. A fine knocker invited to knock.

Hanne opens the door with a large, and welcome smile and invites me in for coffee and a talk. Hanne says, she and Uwe have run Bed and Breakfast for 24 years. They have held together, as a couple for 38 years - since they first met at karate. They soon found out, that they hit it of, and they bought their first house together, as 18-year-olds. Hanne trained as a teacher, and Uwe were engaged in agriculture.

It was agriculture, that led Hanne and Uwe to Sæd. Or rather - it was actually Hannes father, who found the house, and surgested it to them as a good opportunity for the development of Uwe's agriculture. The house was big, and Hannes father also suggested, that they could rent out some of the rooms in the house in the summer: As Zimmer, Rooms and Værelser - as it back then was called.

Hanne and Uwe grabbed the idea - started SovGodt8 in Sæd. And as things often go, the Bed and Breakfast slowly and quietly turn into a business. Four rooms were detached with private bath rooms en suite - always as winter work, when Uwe had time away from farming.

Today there are eight bedrooms - all en suite, large and lovely common areas indoors. Great cuisine, delicious, delicious dining areas with the opportunity for the guests to cook their meals, outdoor areas with gazebo, numerous terraces and a beautiful old garden. Everything in and around the house is Hanne´s and Uwe's work and handycraft - constructed and built with their own hands - and what a job. This year the project has been to build a huge terrace behind the house in the beautiful old garden. With split levels and flowerbeds. It is absolutely beautiful.

And right now they are building on a Pétanque terrain to the delight of the many guests on site.

Well now - back to the story. Hanne and Uwe had, as I said, great success with their Bed and Breakfast in Sæd. Soon followed the purchase of a townhouse in Tønder, also for holiday rent. And then a farmhouse at Ballum. Now Hanne and Uwe has room for 34 guests in 3 locations near and in the home. Everything is beautiful and wellappointed - simply high class. In Sæd the entire place is oozing of Hanne and Uwe's good taste and their attention to detail. A feeling of plenty of time and peace, friendly hospitality and warmth.

3 years ago the couple decided to devote all their time and focus on welcoming guests full time. Uwe farmed out the land and took over the artisanal internship of the Bed and Breakfast, whilst Hanne is responsible for working with bookings, reception of guests and preparation of the rooms. Breakfast is served and consists mainly of local products, and as far as possible ecological - everything is homemade - of course.

Hanne and Uwe are enjoying their lives as hosts. It's so nice to meet so many different people, says Hanne, while Uwe walks through the door and greets us. We are pleased to give our visitors the service, they are so happy to recieve. We guide in fact, quite like a tourist office here on site. Our local Tourist Office is more or less shut down.

That means our guests lack the personal advice, that belongs, when you come as stranger to a new place. It becomes a more and more important role for us as Hosts, now that the guest can not find this help elsewhere. And we do it all with great joy, concludes Hanne, as she looks lovingly at Uwe.