When you first visit Jackowo Manor, it’s a bit like listening to a new record, where you need a moment to hear how great it is. The historic building is still being renovated and the grounds still look somewhat unfinished in places. But then you realise: this place is just perfectly imperfect! The holiday flats that have been newly built around the old greenhouse could be featured in any style magazine. And through the personal contact with Anna and Nicole Mazus (mother and daughter), you quickly feel part of the project there – especially when you cook together (voluntarily) in the large communal kitchen, preferably with products from Anna’s own farm. Horse riding is the other big thing that connects many here. For everyone else, the omnipresent sight of horses in the paddock simply provides that special relaxation, which can be deepened even further in yoga classes. By the way, some of the most beautiful Baltic Sea beaches in Poland are only a few kilometres away.

Situated directly on a bathing lake, this tastefully decorated manor offers everything you could wish for on a family holiday: wonderful relaxation as well as a lot to experience and to do. The Drawsko Lake District, also known as the “Little Masuria in West Poland”, lies directly on the manor’s doorstep – a natural landscape that still seems quite wild and untouched, similar to the more famous lake district in eastern Poland. How about a little adventure paddle to a deserted island, for example? This natural paradise can be reached from Berlin in just a few hours by car. With prices that are noticeably below the German level.

The Tollense Valley with the large Tollense Lake is an insider tip for all those who like things a little smaller and more tranquil than nearby Müritz River District. Schmarsow Castle is yet another insider’s tip: the historic building, sensitively restored with old and modern elements, is an experience in itself because of its special interior design that provokes many visitors into wanting to move in right away. But you can also spend your holidays here to start with, in stylish holiday flats where it stays pleasantly cool behind old stone walls even in at the height of summer. Outside, the nature garden invites you to relax and the Tollense Lake to swim. It is equally rewarding to explore the area by bike or car. There are many other manors to discover, waiting to be brought back to life – it’s hard not to start daydreaming. Back in Schmarsow, chef Erwin Seitz serves an inspiring reimagining of traditional regional cuisine with local ingredients, in keeping with the building.

Looking down from “Rambynas Hill” to the wild untouched natural landscape of the Nemunas River, you realise why for Lithuanians this mountain and this region have something mythical about them. The whole area really has a special fluidity, a special atmosphere. This is the cradle of Lithuanian culture and at the same time this “Prussian Lithuania” is a place where the most diverse cultures have met and inspired each other over the centuries. The Memel, the German name of the river, flows a little further into the Curonian Lagoon with the Curonian Spit and its famous sand dunes. But nature-loving and culturally interested explorers don’t have to travel that far – the Rambynas Regional Park itself has a lot to offer. For example, the open-air museum with the remains of the Šereiklaukis Manor, a picture and sculpture garden as well as the “Paradiesstraße Trail”, which, like the bestseller of the same name, tells of the life of the German farmer Lena Grigoleit. A recommended starting point for all tours (on foot, by bike or motorised) is the Hotel Senasis, which is located in a converted school building and is situated by a small bathing spot in the middle of the forest.

What could be more soothing for the soul than cycling through the Mecklenburg Lake District? And at the Müritz, the Fleesensee Lake and the Kölpinsee Lake – you really should go there at least once. This also applies to the time-honoured buildings for you to marvel at along the way and where you can also stay overnight with the so-called “Schloss-zu-Schloss” deal, such as Castle Ulrichsusen, Castle Marihn as well as Ludorf Manor, which was built in the Danish clinker brick Renaissance style. The  tour begins in Ludorf, and before setting off you should definitely enjoy the rural cuisine reinterpreted with regional ingredients at the “Morizaner” restaurant. Taking a trip on the hotel’s own sailing boat on the Müritz, which the owner family Achtenhagen invites you to do, is also highly recommended. If you are in Ludorf on Sundays, don’t miss the historical tour “1000 Years of Mecklenburg”, where Manfred Achtenhagen himself guides you around the estate and brings history to life. Afterwards, lace up your walking boots and get going. By the way, there is a little bit of luxury in this rustic way of travelling – the luggage is sent ahead from place to place.

If you think you don’t have to go to Sweden because there are plenty of beautiful Baltic Sea manors in Germany and Poland, you’re mistaken. Skåne, the southernmost tip of Sweden, has some unusual variants of the Baltic Manor culture that are well worth seeing. And this is not only due to the special light this region has, which is often compared to the light of Provence and has attracted many artist colonies. There is, for example, the stately Christinehof Castle, built in the 17th century by a successful businesswoman whose memory is now upheld by a women’s cultural association. There is Svaneholm, the “people’s castle”, which became a cooperative back in the 1930s. Even today, you can become a shareholder for a small amount. A total of seven special places are connected by the “Slottsrundan”, which runs along beautiful beaches, horse farms and fishing villages. A wonderful goal that can easily be covered as a 7-day hike or in a shorter time by bicycle, motorbike or car. Children have a lot of fun taking part in the digital treasure hunt led by the squirrel Count Korre. You can find accommodation in two of the castles (Kronovalls or Bjärsjölagårds) as well as in the numerous small guesthouses and B&Bs in this region.