Kastellet Bed & Breakfast

TOURIST TRAP - don't book without reading our review *********************************************** Unusual, clean, and comfortable place... but a distressing and disappointing experience of isolation. We stayed two nights at Kastellet Bed & Breakfast. From a material point of view, nothing to complain about: the room was clean, pretty, and comfortable, the bedding excellent. Breakfast was comprehensive and well-presented, and the hallway was nicely decorated (even if the life-size statue of a knight in armor seemed very intimidating in this context). Stayed from September 3 to 5, 2025. However, some key elements deeply disappointed us: - An isolated and deceptive island: Kastellet is not located on the island of Vaxholm (lively and touristy), but on a tiny island just opposite, occupied only by an old fortress and the B&B. The museum was closed for our entire stay, so absolutely no visitors or staff, just us. This information only became clear after payment, in a long, barely legible message. - Total and distressing isolation: we slept two nights completely alone on this 16th-century fortress island, with no way to reach Vaxholm at night in case of an emergency. No ferry, no boat available: the atmosphere was oppressive and it was difficult for us to sleep peacefully. - Significant additional costs: each ferry crossing costs €5 per person. Over two nights, this added €60 in unexpected expenses, in addition to the frustration of not being able to return to our room during the day to rest. - Unreliable ferries: one morning, the ferry didn't arrive until noon, forcing us to wait on the quay for an hour and a half and ruining an entire morning. - Lack of management and reception: upon arrival, we received only an envelope with our key, no welcome, no reception. Worried, we sent an email the first evening, requesting a meeting with a manager the next morning. The response was cold and impersonal: "It's all written in the Booking.com message." The next day, still no manager. At breakfast, a young woman was present, but very discreet and didn't spontaneously come to greet us: no hospitality. 👉 In summary: the Kastellet B&B is clean, comfortable, and original, but the experience remains marked by extreme isolation, the absence of staff, and an anxiety-inducing atmosphere at night. For travelers seeking solitude and history, this can be appealing. But for city dwellers unaccustomed to isolation, the experience is more distressing than pleasant. A tourist trap, deceptive, frightening, and dangerous because it's impossible to get out in an emergency. If you want a safe and comfortable stay in Vaxholm for the same total price (without ferry surcharges), we recommend "Hotel Waxholms" on Vaxholm Island, which even offers a view of this fortress.

Cozy little B&B with nice rooms. Shared toilet and shower but well-kept and never "queued". The breakfast was good, three types of bread and basic selection of other things. A bit tricky to get to and from as the regular ferry has been …

Nice B&B and nice large rooms. Hard beds. Shared bathroom and shower but very clean and never a queue. Will get a lower rating as the regular ferry between Vaxholm and Kastellet was closed -23. The Waxholm boats run rarely and the paid boat costs 110:- p/p round trip. The boat should be free for guests staying there and that lowers the rating.