Picture this: it's seven in the morning, the air smells of pine resin and salt, and you're walking barefoot across sun-warmed granite toward the water with a coffee in hand. That's not a fantasy — that's a Tuesday in July at Bastuvägen 20.
Resö is one of those places that Swedes quietly keep to themselves. A small island off the Bohuslän coast in Tanum municipality, connected to the mainland by a bridge, it sits right alongside Kosterhavet — Sweden's first and only marine national park. The water here is some of the clearest on the entire west coast. Local fishermen still pull langoustines and prawns from the Skagerrak, and you can buy them straight off the boat at the harbor before lunch. That kind of detail tells you everything about what life on this island actually feels like.
The cottage at Bastuvägen 20 was built in 1970 and covers 64 square meters across a layout that makes sensible use of every room. Three bedrooms, a living room, a proper kitchen, and one bathroom — nothing wasted, nothing missing. Large windows and glass doors pull the outside in. On a clear summer morning, light floods through the glass and hits the timber walls in a way that makes the place feel twice as big as it is. The traditional Swedish timber construction keeps things cool in summer and surprisingly snug when autumn rolls in off the water.
The plot itself is 1,114 square meters — generous by any measure, and particularly so for an island property of this caliber. There are multiple seating areas scattered around the garden, each catching the sun at a different hour of the day. It's the sort of layout you discover slowly: one corner for morning coffee, another for evening wine when the light goes golden over the treetops. Children have room to run. There's space to grow tomatoes or herbs if you're inclined. And when the whole family shows up in high summer, the separate guest cottage handles the overflow without anyone losing privacy. A storage shed handles bikes, kayak gear, fishing rods — the practical stuff that accumulates when you actually live in a place rather than just visit it.
The property is connected to the municipal sewage system, and there's the option to connect to municipal water. These aren't trivial details — they mean you're not managing a septic system or hauling water, and that makes both full-season stays and long-term ownership considerably more straightforward. There's no permanent residency requirement attached to this property, which matters for international buyers: you can use it as a pure holiday home, rent it out, or eventually make it a year-round base without bureaucratic friction.
Resö itself rewards people who like to move through landscape rather than sit behind glass and look at it. The island is laced with walking trails that cut between sandy beaches, open meadows, and dense pine forest — you can take a different route every day for a week and still not repeat yourself. The Kosterhavet National Park, directly adjacent, is extraordinary for kayaking and snorkeling; the seabed around the Koster islands hosts species found nowhere else in Sweden. In summer, the guest harbor at Lexö fills with boats from all up and down the coast, and the Lexö restaurant is genuinely good — not tourist-trap good, but the kind of place where locals go on a Friday night and actually enjoy themselves. Breakfasts at Panget, served during summer months at the harbor, are worth planning your morning around.
Gothenburg is about 90 minutes south by car along the E6. Oslo is roughly two hours northeast. Both are real-world options for a weekend trip, or for international buyers flying in and driving out. The island has a year-round grocery store, which sounds minor until you realize it means you can arrive in October or March and just live normally without a logistics operation.
Autumn on the Bohuslän coast has its own particular appeal that summer visitors often miss entirely. The crowds thin out, the light turns horizontal and golden, and the seafood gets even better — crab season runs into late autumn, and the stone beaches feel like they belong to you alone. If you've only considered Swedish west coast properties as summer toys, this island will change your thinking.
The property has been inspected under Anticimex's Varudeklarerat program, which includes 10-year hidden defects insurance that transfers directly to the buyer. For international buyers especially, that kind of structural assurance removes a significant layer of uncertainty from the purchase process. Sweden's property transaction framework is transparent and well-regulated, and foreign nationals face no restrictions on purchasing vacation or second homes here.
Key features at a glance:
- 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom across 64 sqm of timber construction
- Generous 1,114 sqm south-facing plot with multiple outdoor seating areas
- Separate guest cottage for additional sleeping or workspace
- Practical storage shed for bikes, gear, and equipment
- Connected to municipal sewage; municipal water connection available
- No permanent residency requirement — full flexibility for holiday or rental use
- Short walk to saltwater swimming spots on the Skagerrak
- Adjacent to Kosterhavet National Park, Sweden's first marine national park
- Year-round island grocery store; Lexö restaurant and summer harbor market nearby
- 10-year hidden defects insurance via Anticimex Varudeklarerat, transferable to buyer
- Approximately 90 minutes to Gothenburg, 2 hours to Oslo by car
- Asking price: 439,500 SEK
At this price point, on an island with genuine year-round appeal and direct national park access, properties like this don't sit on the market. Get in touch through Homestra today to arrange a private viewing and see for yourself what a Tuesday morning in July at Bastuvägen 20 actually feels like.
