The feeling of being whisked away to an adorably charming hotel where you know all the sweet and eccentric guests, with the tension of a war looming in the air.

Seaside Hotel, or Badehotellet, is a Danish show that follows the guests of a quaint hotel in a small beach town in Denmark. Viewers watch as the hotel evolves over a series of summers, beginning in 1928. Each season represents a new calendar year passing, and each season the guests return for another summer of relaxation. The setting is absolutely peaceful and lovely, with impeccable set and wardrobe design. The guests are wealthy, without serious concerns or worries. The waitstaff are charming, and it’s easy to get wrapped up in the dramatic and comedic love stories that transpire among both the guests and waitstaff alike. But the genius of the show is that the story begins before the onset of World War II, and through the seasons, there is a very gradual build-up that creates real-time tension. Mixed alongside the individual romances and comedic gaffes, viewers feel a war-like atmosphere creeping into the characters' lives. It starts with subtle changes, but slowly, the economy shifts and the war engulfs these people's lives, each one touched in a different way. The writers successfully pull off a multi-genre series: it's hilarious, heart-wrenching, feel good, and beautiful.

This series is brilliant, and after the first few episodes, I didn’t notice the subtitles! My mom recommended this show to me and I watched it with some hesitancy—I was in the mood for something that immediately grabbed my attention, and a Danish show about a hotel didn’t seem like it would fit the bill. She made me promise to watch a couple episodes, and she was right! After settling into the show, I was absolutely HOOKED. I can't wait for the next and last season to be released (it’s a perfect time to get caught-up!). I honestly found myself wanting to learn Danish because I loved it so much! The romance between Fie and Morten is as sweet, innocent, and sincere as it can be. And the repeated hilarious love affairs of the womanizer Edward Weyse are the stories you didn’t know your life was missing! Even with World War II looming, it was a show I loved getting lost in.