Column
by Malin Åkerman

I’ve just left North Carolina. The filming of the second season of Hunting Wives is wrapped. As the cabin crew prepares for landing, I catch a glimpse through my small window of a stretch of coastline and a place very close to my heart – the Falsterbo Peninsula.

I’ve been coming here on visits almost every year since my dad moved down more than twenty years ago. Often in summer, when the sun stands high and the sea is warm, but also for shorter stays during the winter months.

From the train crossing the Øresund, I feel the anticipation growing stronger. Finally arriving at the “Riviera of Sweden” – a place filled with experiences you never quite get enough of. Like the obligatory morning dip from the Falsterbo pier. Even though I’m a bit of a cold‑water coward and often skip the actual swim, I love being out there by the sea. The same goes for the bike ride out to our beach hut. Settling under the parasol, feeling the wonderfully white sand between my toes, and enjoying simple packed lunch sandwiches – it’s pure magic.

On the way back, a mandatory stop at Villa Olympia adds a sweet finishing touch, for homemade gelato and perhaps a scoop of their irresistible princess‑cake ice cream. So good!

Cargo bikes are all well and good, but no stay here is complete without a drive in my dad’s 1966 Cadillac. Winding country roads with scenic pauses at Ängavallen and Annedalsgården, where you can fill your basket with locally produced delicacies. As the sun slowly sinks over the sound, we round off the day in Skanör Harbour, enjoying a lovely dinner at one of the many restaurants.

That’s what I appreciate most about this place – the closeness. Half an hour by bike is all you need to reach world‑class beaches, stunning landscapes, and local gems where you can sit down and simply enjoy life. It’s something almost unimaginable in my everyday life back home in Los Angeles.

My annual visits to Falsterbo always pass far too quickly, but even just being able to long for this place brings me an incredible sense of joy – I just love it.