A laid-back, family-friendly rustic mountain retreat in the middle of a long Ukrainian winter? Yes, please!
In late February, after seven months of suburban Kyiv city life, we made our way to Voevodyno, a family-friendly resort in the fresh air of the Carpathian Mountains. It was the break we needed.
Relaxing by the freshwater stream that runs through Voevodyno Resort
family-friendly getaway in the carpathians
We were so happy to be away from crowds, in a beautiful, pristine location with evergreens and mountain streams. We cozied up in a spacious, two-bedroom log cabin with fireplace. Who doesn't love a fireplace in the mountains in February, am I right? We fished, swam (indoor heated pool for the win), snow-tubed, hiked, baked, danced, painted, roasted marshmallows, hit the sauna and Jacuzzi, visited the horses, and chilled. All of this in February. In the mountains. Of Ukraine.
So here's the thing. If you are in Ukraine and you are looking for a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city, Voevodyno is the sanctuary you need. The best part is, the resort offers a plethora of activities to choose from year-round. We visited in the dead of winter - imagine the spring, summer, or fall! Horseback riding, a ropes course, zip-lining, bike rental, nature walks, tennis, archery, and an outdoor pool . . . add these warm-weather activities to the list and you can see how it would be hard to get bored at this family-friendly outdoor-driven retreat.
Even better than explaining with words, I'm going to share some pictures of our time at the resort, so that you can catch a glimpse of what Voevodyno is like . . . and then decide for yourself if it’s the respite you’ve been looking for.
Rent a pole and some good ol' worms, hook yourself a trout, and once you've caught it, it's yours. You can even have them bag it up so that you can take it to one of the resort's two restaurants and ask them to prepare it for your dinner.
The resort hosts a whole cabin full of sleds, snow tubes, skiis, bikes, and other gear that you can rent for a very minimal fee. With snow still on the ground, we took advantage of the snow tubing hill and had a grand old time!
My kids absolutely adore any time we stay at a resort with a pool . . . especially when it is February in snowy Ukraine and the pool is heated!
Impromptu s'mores and mulled wine makes both kids and parents happy!
From baking to painting, dance parties, Xbox, and more, my kiddos really enjoyed the large Kids’ Club and we loved the emphasis on making kids feel welcome at the resort. Perhaps the best part of Voevodyno is the way that the Kids' Club staff treated my family. They always went out of their way to make my kids feel comfortable, have fun, and try new things. My six-year old got her own private baking class!
The resort offers horse-back riding and sleigh rides, depending on the time of year. We enjoyed just taking a walk down to the stables to see the horses.
carpathians escape: voevodyno in pictures
And if you want more of a glimpse, here’s a whole gallery of photos from our time at Voevodyno.
If this looks up your alley, you can book Voevodyno here. You’ll certainly make some memorable moments and enjoy seeing a beautiful part of western Ukraine.
Things to know before you go:
Voevodyno is located in Zakarpattia, very close to the Slovakian border. The resort is a good 10-hour drive from Kyiv. We broke it up by spending a couple of nights in the town of Lviv on both ends, which I highly recommend. More on how to visit Lviv with kids here.
The last 30-45 minutes of the drive is off-highway and bumpy. Make sure you bring some patience and have a spare tire, just in case.
Most of the staff at the resort speak Ukrainian and Russian, so be prepared to have Google Translate handy when you need to communicate.
There is not much close by outside of the resort, except for DreamPark snow tubing (which is, awesomely, less than 1km away). That being said, there is so much to do at the resort that you won't even notice.
