Holidaymakers on Wheels 

Anne and Felix are a nice couple from Germany who fi rst found their way to Saaremaa in 2014, while touring in a caravan. Today, they are building a house on the island. How did it come to that?

Why did you decide to visit Saaremaa in your caravan?
As we planned our fi rst trip in 2014, we read many travel books and online forums. They all recommended the Estonian islands as something not to be missed. This is how we came to Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Kihnu. Of those, Saaremaa became our fi rm favourite.

What did you enjoy most about touring Saaremaa in your camper van?
Saaremaa is a large island, offering a wide range of landscapes and activities. As nature lovers we enjoy walking on the beach and hiking in bogs. Of events, we very much enjoy the Mustjala Music Festival and the Open Farm Days, for instance. Even though we have visited Saaremaa many times by now, there is still so much to discover. A few years ago, we started learning Estonian, which enabled us to get acquainted with many locals. They are super nice! And Saaremaa became our ‘home in Estonia’.

Saaremaa is a good place for travelling in a caravan, because there are many places to stay. For us, Tehumardi Camping turned out to be the favourite. It is a lovely place and the hostess Tiiu is very kind. Tehumardi is in a good location for taking a bike ride to Kuressaare, to the seaside for a walk or, for example, to Anseküla Teelistemaja to enjoy authentic food of Saaremaa. So many options!

Compared to other, smaller islands, Saaremaa has the advantage of a frequent ferry service. It can be di cult to go to the small islands if you do not know how to book an e-ticket, because the ferries are often full. This has been the experience of many other caravan travellers as well.

Now, you have your own home in Saaremaa. How did it come to that?

It did not take long for us to become big fans of Saaremaa and to start dreaming about our own home. There is no other place where we feel as much at home as in Estonia, especially Saaremaa. We kept an eye on real estate listings for several years and in 2019 we bought a small property in the village of Möldri. Currently, a small log house is being built there. In the future, we hope to spend half a year in Saaremaa.