• The past season
• Few mosquitoes
• A new addition
• Our website and AI (Artificial Intelligence)
• Savonranta is getting smaller and smaller
• Herbs
• Booking with discount
• Mini survey / Kysely (Finnish)

Dear readers!

Here is our 35th newsletter.

The season is over and we can look back with satisfaction.

One of our German guests gave Finland a new name: Fintalia, because of the sometimes very high temperatures.

That's why we have a new addition to the cottage. Also news about our website and AI, about our village Savonranta and about herbs.

You can read all about it in this Newsletter.

Kind regards,
Han van de Graaf

The season is over, the last guests have left, so it's time to look back.

The season started on the 20th of May, when the first guests arrived.

The winter was long and it remained cold also into spring, it was so cold that I lit the wood-burning stove for my first guests. Fortunately, it wasn't long before we could feel the warmth of the sun.

In total, we had 35 guests. Once again, they were all very nice people who enjoyed our cottage, the peace and quiet, the space and nature.

The contributions in our guestbook (Vieraskirja, in Finnish) were once again so nice and positive! I really appreciate that, because it shows that I can happily share my “dream place” with others, who were also able to enjoy it.

I received this beautiful guest book from my friend Irma

In July, the temperature began to rise rapidly and it became very warm, sometimes even too warm. Occasionally around and above 30 degrees, which I have never experienced before in Finland. It was good to have the lake nearby to cool off.

Unfortunately, the weather deteriorated somewhat in August, with occasional rain and lower temperatures. However, the rain was necessary for nature and also beneficial for this year's low water level in the lake.

All in all, it was a successful season.

I would like to thank all guests for their visit and their pleasant presence.

I hope to see you again!

Because the high temperatures continued in July, I purchased an air cooler that can both cool and humidify the air. The fan in the device can blow cold air into the room in different settings. My guests were happy with it.

You hear it everywhere: AI (Artificial Intelligence). But what exactly is AI?

It is a technology that allows computers to think and learn like humans do.

It is everywhere: in your smartphone, your navigation system, translation apps, smart thermostat and also in, for example, the recommendations from Netflix or Spotify.

How does it work? AI learns from mountains of data, recognises patterns and can thus predict, advise or even become creative — think of writing text, making music or designing art.

Handy and smart, but also a little scary: what about privacy, fair use and jobs in the future?

One thing is certain: AI is changing the world... and we are only at the beginning.

We recently added a virtual (artificial) assistant (Wendy) to our website who welcomes visitors in four languages. Necessary? Not really, but it's fun and inviting, because I like to keep up with these kinds of new developments. You can hear and see her here.

And here in Finnish - Suomi.

Wendy, our virtual assistant

Savonranta, our small and beautiful village in the province of South Savo, is part of the municipality of Savonlinna.

The number of inhabitants is steadily declining. The reason for this is that the number of amenities in our village is steadily decreasing. Two years ago, the upper grades of the primary school closed, last year the library closed, and now the Savonlinna municipal council wants to close the entire primary school. This would mean that even small children would have to take the bus to school in Kerimäki and that more jobs would be lost. This is a sad development, because it is causing more and more people to move away from Savonranta.

Two years ago, there were still around 850 residents, but that number has now dropped to 700.

We do hope that the existing facilities, such as the health centre and the supermarket, will remain in our village.

There is one advantage for newcomers: the number of houses for sale is quite high, which means that prices are low.

Every year, after winter, I plant fresh herbs in the planters. I do this for myself, but guests are also welcome to use them. It's a little extra service.

Although it is still very early, you can already book for next year, because the best periods are always booked up quickly. You can also easily cancel if necessary. You can also book via booking . com and via natuurhuisje . nl, but you will pay a (much) higher price there.

But . . you can book even cheaper. In our next newsletter, you will find a voucher that gives you a 10% discount if you book before the 1st of January 2026!

So don't miss our next newsletter.

Cheapest rates
Did you know that our rates are the cheapest in the whole Saimaa region? It is really true, you can compare it yourself on f.e. booking . com. It is because I am not commercial, I just want to share my 'dreamplace' with you and to see other people enjoying the same beautiful place as I do.

I would like to know whether you find the Newsletter enjoyable and/or useful, and whether you have any ideas or suggestions.

It would be great if you could take the time to participate in this mini survey; it will only take 2 minutes!

Click here to go to the survey.

For our Finnish guests: go here to the "kysely".

Previously published newsletters are available here.