Norway Hotel Tips by FletteMette

Walaker Hotel is situated in the tiny little (but oh so picturesque!) village of Solvorn, near the small town Sogndal in the county of Sogn og Fjordane. (For a little more info on Solvorn, see my Sogn og Fjordane page.) Beautiful Urnes stave church (which is on UNESCO's world heritage list, read more about it on my Sogn og Fjordane page) is just a short ferry ride away.

The hotel is situated right beside the fjord and a small sandy beach. It has 24 guest rooms in three buildings, all decorated in different styles. The main building is from 1934, and is surrounded by lovely gardens with fruit trees, lilacs and roses. The hotel has been run by the Nitter family ever since 1690, and today's hosts are the 8th and 9th generation. Walaker Hotel is a member of an organization called "Historic Hotels", comprising many of Norway's most charming hotels.

An art gallery, Galleri Walaker 300, was opened at the hotel's 300-year anniversary in 1990. The gallery is located in an old barn, which was built in 1883 using timber from Solvorn's old 17th-century church. (!!)

The hotel restaurant focuses on traditional Norwegian dishes made with local ingredients - and it is supposed to be *very* good (I haven't eaten here).

The hotel is open from May 1st to September 30th. See their web site for more info re prices etc.


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Theme: Hotel

Phone: +47 57682080
Address: Solvorn, Luster. Sogn og Fjordane county.
Website: http://www.walaker.com/eng/om.html
Other Contact: hotel@walaker.com

I wasn't going to include chain hotels in my tips on this page, but Quality Hotel & Resort Vøringsfoss was such a great hotel and I think it deserves to be mentioned. :o) The hotel is situated in the tiny village of Eidfjord, by the Hardangerfjord in Hordaland county, western Norway - about 2,5 hours by car from Bergen (via Voss). Eidfjord is on one of the main roads (rv7) between Oslo and Bergen.

I stayed at Quality Hotel & Resort Vøringsfoss in August 2007 - and I must say I absolutely loved this hotel. The hotel is beautifully situated right by the Hardangerfjord (even though the hotel's name - Vøringsfoss - sort of implies that the hotel is situated by the Vøringsfoss waterfalls - you'll have to drive 20 km or so up through the Måbø valley to get to the waterfalls).

We had booked a standard double room - but the room we got was huge, quite a bit bigger than the other standard rooms so we must have got an upgrade. Our *very* spacious room had two wonderfully comfy beds, a work desk - and a seating area (sofa, two chairs and table) by the big windows, with lovely views of the fjord. Our room (#421) was on the top floor, and the view was excellent - ask for a room on the upper floors if you want a great view. WiFi is available throughout the hotel, free of charge, and the connection was fast and reliable - pick up an access code from the reception. The entire hotel is non-smoking.

The buffet breakfast was very good - as in most Scandinavian hotels in this price range. A decent selection of breads, crispbreads and crackers, cereals, yogurt, fruits, cheese, cold meat, eggs - and of course an opportunity to try some Norwegian specialties such as kaviar and brunost - brown cheese. (You'll find more about those in my restaurant tips)

Quality Hotel & Resort Vøringsfoss is somewhat pricey - expect to pay ca 1500 NOK for a double room in the main tourist season (from 800 low season) - but it's worth it. The location is beautiful, the staff very friendly and helpful, and our room was simply perfect.


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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: most expensive

Phone: +47 53674100
Address: Nedre Eidfjord
Directions: Nedre Eidfjord, by rv 7 - right by the fjord. Quite impossible to miss, really - Eidfjord is a small place... ;o)
Website: http://www.choicehotels.no/hotels/hotel?hotel=NO087