Staying in the Baronessëns Veerelse room at the 14th century manor house, Steensgaard Herregårdspension made me feel like Danish royalty.
Steensgaard Herregårdspension is a 14th century manor house nestled in an idyllic setting with a backdrop of 24-acres of park grounds, with a lake, a tennis court, a Jersey cow dairy farm where they make their own butter and cheese used at the restaurant, and even grow their own herbs and vegetables at the farm. The beautifully appointed Steensgaard Herregårdspension has been open as a hotel since 1956, and Niels Raahauge and Anne Bille-Brahe graciously invite guests to make themselves at home and feel like lords and ladies of the manor.
Edward F. Nesta and I indeed made ourselves at home and felt like lord and lady of the manor when we stayed at the 20-room Steensgaard Herregårdspension in May 2006, where the grand antique furnishings confirm its manor house status. There is a red and white marble tile floor in the entry, ornate carved wood paneling on the walls, and prerequisite armor stands near the heavy staircase covered with a deep red patterned carpet leading to the guestrooms on the second floor. Antique weaponry and animal trophies shot by the owner hang on the walls, an ornate brass chandelier graces the ceiling, and there are many rooms in the manor house to wander about in and explore.
We stayed in the Baronessëns Veerelse room, a charming large king-bedded room with views overlooking the lake and the bucolic countryside. Floor-length chintz draperies graced the windows, and two antique chairs upholstered with floral fabric flanked a ladies kidney shaped vanity with tri-mirror and vanity chair. A sculpture of a woman sat on one of the wide windowsills, there was a small round table next to the window, and there was a painted armoire, a mini-bar, and a clock radio on the bedside table. The bathroom had a walk-in shower and ADA amenities.
The red brick and red tiled roof Steensgaard Herregårdspension would be beautiful at any time of the day, however we arrived in the late afternoon when the sunlight was perfect for photography. We took advantage of the light and strolled through the park and the gardens snapping away, and made a trip to the dairy farm just before it closed, and petted the adorable calves as they fed off their automatic feeders. I loved watching them eagerly nursing with such abandon that that they usually ended up with milk on their faces. Later we took a walk through the countryside and petted the Jersey cows in the pasture that approached the fence when I held out long strands of fresh grass for them.
In the evening, we enjoyed an aperitif in the comfortable wood-paneled library browsing through the many books lining the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. We later discovered that the library has a resident ghost, as all manor houses should, although this was not something that we personally experienced, as according to the legend, the ghost only visits after midnight when we were already sound asleep in our bed.
We followed our aperitif in the library with an excellent four-course dinner in their restaurant, where the elegant dining room features deep red walls, creamy damask linens, and sparkling crystal on the tables. Read the Chefs’ Recipes section where Chef Lars Petersen shares his recipe for his decadent White chocolate mousse flavored with eucalyptus served with rhubarb consommé and filled with fresh rhubarb and sorbet.
The next morning after a sumptuous breakfast featuring the butter and cheese from their dairy farm, we reluctantly bid a fond farewell to Steensgaard Herregårdspension and set off to return our rental car in Odense, and take the DSB train to our next destination, Aarhus, Denmark. Steensgaard Herregårdspension is located on the island of Funen, and is 1½ hours from Copenhagen crossing the Great Belt Bridge.
Read about Steensgaard Herregårdspension in the Restaurants and Chefs’ Recipes sections.
Steensgaard Herregårdspension
DK-5642 Millinge
Denmark
Telephone: +45 62 61 94 90
Fax: +45 63 61 78 61
Email: steensgaard@herregaardspension.dk
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Steensgaard-Herregaardspension
Read our articles on Denmark in Destination: Copenhagen, Denmark, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs’ Recipes, Liquor Cabinet: Olfestival, Music Scene: Saxopaths Saxofonkvartetten and Music Scene: Mickey Lee – She’s The Girl Marie Marie.
For additional information on Denmark please contact: VisitDenmark at www.visitdenmark.com, VisitAarhus at www.visitaarhus.com, VisitOdense at www.visitodense.com, Fyntour at www.visitfyn.com, and Wonderful Copenhagen ® at www.visitcopenhagen.com. For SAS Scandinavian Airlines information, please contact them at www.scandinavian.net. For information on DSB rail service, please contact them at www.dsb.dk.
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