Tuule Villa

Travelling to Kuressaare (which for the uninitiated is a town in Saaremaa island about a two hour bus ride and another hour ferry trip from Tallinn the capital of Estonia) I arrived having experienced the beautiful countryside and endless skylines that are ever-present here in Estonia. Kuressaare is a small lively town full of classy bars and restaurants, we sat outside of one on the main street and people watched whilst drinking ice cold locally made beer. Deciding to stop the night I asked the local waitress could she recommend any B&B's and was given directions to the Tuule Kodumajutus B&B which was a short walk from the Town Centre. The lady who answered was very friendly and showed us to our rooms which were airy, cool and spotlessly clean. The house was built in the traditional style and had a beautifully kept garden brimming with fruit trees and flowers. Lunch was served and we weren't disappointed in the traditional home cooked meal of Pork cooked in apple sauce, home grown veg and my favourite home made rice pudding with a cinnamon topping (I've not had that since childhood). That night we headed off to town and weren't disappointed as there were half a dozen lively and welcoming bars and we even tasted the local nightclubs which were free and offered a mixture of young and old clientele and modern music. The following morning after a hearty breakfast from our ever smiling host we headed first to Town Beach which was literally on the doorstep and then to the Castle which was about an easy five minute walk, the castle was fascinating and regally stood out as a fantastic structure with it's moat and turrets. Later we sat outside in the warm sunshine at a restaurant just outside the castle and ate locally caught pike fish with fresh salad which I must say was the highlight of the trip culinary wise and a bit of a revelation. So to our adopted Estonian mother (ema) who looked after us in her B&B, and the friendly people of Kuressaare I say a heartfelt thank-you. So if your looking for somewhere a bit different, somewhere that has both traditional and olden values and ways together with a lively modern nightlife try Kuressaare, indulge yourself, go local and enjoy, Estonians are like a ripe coconut, hard on the outside and difficult to crack but once you do worth the effort. And to our adopted Estonian babushka earth mother at Tuule Kodumajutus Tuule 1 B&B we say thank-you for your smile, your food and most of all your friendship, who knows when we will return as our busy lives don't afford us much time off to travel but you will be forever in our memory.