At the Fabriken Furillen, located in a remote former lime quarry site turned nature reserve, offbeat travelers will find a soothing cocoon in the midst of a rough yet inspiring natural experience. A high-speed ferry or plane from the Swedish mainland takes you to the medieval city of Visby, a UNESCO World Heritage site surrounded by ancient stone walls. From there, it?s a 45-kilometer drive to the hotel, during which the landscape becomes progressively weirder and wilder. Finally, a striking gray structure rises before your eyes: the Fabriken Furillen, a lime factory and eco-friendly design masterpiece created by photographer Johan Hellström.

Inside, you experience a warmly welcoming interior that utilizes modern Scandinavian design and incorporates the myriad shades of gray and white found in the surrounding landscape. In the restaurant, formerly the factory workers? canteen, heavy chains still hang from the ceiling. Sleep in a grand studio, a spacious suite, or one of 14 double or twin rooms, where you?ll enjoy a magnificent view of the Baltic Sea or the quarry?s dramatic gravel hills. Alternately, find perfect solitude in one of two electricity-free hermit cabins on the peninsula?s southern tip.