SWEDEN - Scandinavia - page 814

those original hobos, these days they choose this lifestyle and live as strange
little barnacles attached to Grinda. Once each summer they have a progress-
ive tent-crawl bender before heading to the Wärdshus to blow a week's food
budget on a fancy meal.
The island just across from the Södra Grinda dock (to the right) is Viggsö,
where the members of ABBA have summer cottages and wrote many of their
biggest hits.
Sleeping in Grinda
(7 kr = about $1, country code: 46, area code 08)
You have various options, in increasing order of rustic charm: hotel, hostel,
and cottages. You can reserve any of these through the Wärdshus. This hub of
operations has a restaurant, bar, free Wi-Fi, and conference facilities (tel. 08/
5424-9491, www.grinda.se , [e-mail] ) .
Grinda is busiest in the summer, when tourists fill its hotel; in spring and
fall, it mostly hosts conferences. If sleeping at the hostel or cottages, arrange
arrival details (you'll probably pick up your keys at the Expedition shed near
the dock). The hostel and cottages charge extra for bed linens. If you have a
tent, you can pitch it on the island for 80 kr.
$$$ Grinda Hotel rents 30 rooms (each named for a local bird or fish) in
four buildings just above the Wärdshus. These are modern, comfortable, and
made for relaxing, intentionally lacking distractions such as TVs or phones
(Sb-1,600 kr, Db-2,000 kr, larger suite-2,600 kr, 120 kr less/person if you skip
breakfast, extra bed-400kr,ifdiningattherestaurant the“Wärdshus package”
will save you a few kronor).
$ The 27 cottages —most near the Södra Grinda ferry dock—are rentable,
offering a rustic retreat (kitchenettes but no running water, shared bathroom
facilitiesoutside).Frommid-Junetomid-August,thesecomewithaone-week
minimum and cost more (2-bed cottage-3,000 kr/week, 4-bed cottage-3,500
kr/week, 6-bed cottage-4,000 kr; at other times rentable by the night:
2-bed-1,000 kr, 4-bed-1,100 kr, 6-bed-1,300 kr).