The future hotel at the gateway to Southeast Estonia on the forested slope of Põlva primeval valley
The Journey Begins
Metsa 7 is an extraordinary hotel. Everything needed for an active getaway in the midst of Estonia’s primeval nature is already here — everything except the hotel itself. We invite you to build and launch this hotel together with us. We will share the story of Metsa 7 from the very first sketches and the laying of the foundation to the first menu tastings and the opening of the doors. We will introduce you to South-Eastern Estonia and Põlva — its nature, adventures, sports trails, the region’s best restaurants and saunas. Who knows, we might even hint at a few mushroom spots… Because Metsa 7 is not a solitary hotel somewhere on the edge of a primeval valley, but a part of a community. A pure, authentic and real community. The hotel is currently in the design phase, led by MARIHUNT Architects, and we hope to begin construction at the end of 2027.
Between Two Worlds
South-Eastern Estonia is an undiscovered beacon on the ancient and powerful border between two worlds. This boundary has been held in place for millennia by an invisible force among the region’s bogs, forests, and primeval valleys, at once connecting and separating East and West. Just nearby the Russian state was born, and in the same landscape the Mongol Empire’s advance into Europe was finally brought to a halt. South-Eastern Estonia is unique today as well — the north-eastern edge of Europe where old farmsteads, ancient landscapes, and small schools using artificial intelligence meet. Taevaskoja. Meenikunno. Süvahavva. Saesaare and Kiidjärve. Tilleorg. Ilumetsa. Piusa. These landscapes were shaped by Ice Age meltwaters, and their primeval valleys with million-year-old sandstone outcrops cannot be truly experienced from a car window. There is a force in South-Eastern Estonia that cannot be pinned down, yet can be felt by coming here in person — through nature, through people, through tastes and scents, through presence. Read why Põlva is the key crossroads
PURE, LOCAL FLAVORS
The forests of South-Eastern Estonia probably yield more chanterelles per square kilometre than anywhere else in the world. The markets of Estonia’s big cities and the sign “Chanterelles from the forests of Põlva” — sounds familiar, doesn’t it? There is an abundance of fish, bogs full of berries, forest clearings rich with wild produce, and palm-sized strawberries from local farms. These are real flavours. The Metsa 7 hotel restaurant will be located on the top, sixth floor, with views over Intsikurmu Park. The hotel roofs will serve as our food-growing beds, and the glasshouse on the restaurant’s rooftop terrace will offer — in addition to tomatoes — a private space for dinners with friends. We don’t yet know who the head chef will be, but we do know that the food, both in the restaurant and the café, will be one of the reasons to set out for Põlva. Until then, true culinary joy can be experienced through the finest food gems of South-Eastern Estonia.
In the mood for sports or sauna?
The Metsa 7 hotel is located on a hill, right on the edge of a primeval valley. On one side lies a protected natural landscape; on the other, an outdoor athletics stadium invites you to move. The centre of Põlva, with its lake, is within easy walking distance, and unlimited opportunities for sport surround you in every direction. Come alone or with family, with colleagues or training partners. Switch yourself off — or on — and shape your time with us to be as calm or as active as you wish. South-Eastern Estonia is rich in experiences — and at the same time primordially quiet. The landscape around Põlva is ideal for endurance sports: cross-country skiing, gravel and trail cycling, running, hiking, orienteering. The region’s winding rivers, with their stunning views — the Võhandu, Ahja, Piusa and Koiva — attract canoeists and kayakers for much of the year, while the trails along their banks call out to hikers.
Põlva itself is an active town. Metsa 7 is surrounded by untouched forest, tennis courts, an athletics stadium, and a basketball court, while beneath the hotel lies a historic shooting range where Estonia’s top athletes and Olympians train. Lake Põlva is home to the region’s longest-track wake park, and forest trails beginning in Intsikurmu can take you all the way to visit the men of Haanja. Just a five-minute drive away is the Mammaste Health Sports Centre, with its demanding cross-country ski tracks and summer opportunities for running, hiking, and disc golf.
Why Põlva?
Between the bogs, forests, and rocky outcrop-lined rivers of Southeast Estonia, alongside untouched nature (and drawing strength from it), lies the town of Põlva on both sides of an ancient primeval valley. Põlva is the center of Southeast Estonia — easy to reach by both train and car, and an ideal base for exploring the region in every direction. We are just a 40-minute drive from Tartu Airport — but also close to Seto tsäimajas, the Piusa caves, and the world-famous ski trails of Otepää. Metsa 7 — at Metsa 7, Põlva — opens the way to the real world, into the embrace of nature, into gently flowing time and mellow sensations. Come discover it in sneakers, by bike, on skis, or in hiking boots.
