Ålesund, Norway

Hotel Brosundet

Price per night from$151.10

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (NOK1,642.86), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Norwegian art nouveau

Setting

Former fishermen’s warehouses

The two historic buildings that make up boutique Hotel Brosundet are some of a select handful of listed art nouveau edifices in Ålesund. Originally a pair of warehouses, this sleek Scandi stay sits right above the town’s main waterway; you can watch fishing vessels pass by on their way to unload the catch of the day as you enjoy leisurely breakfasts. By day, explore the colourful town or sail through the dramatic fjords, then return for multi-course, mod-Norwegian dinners and warming digestifs by the fire. Skål!

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

A selection of chocolates; GoldSmiths will also get champagne and, subject to availability, an upgrade to the next room category

Facilities

Photos Hotel Brosundet facilities

Need to know

Rooms

131, including five suites.

Check–Out

Noon. Earliest check-in, 3pm. Both times are flexible, subject to availability, for NOK100 an hour.

Prices

Double rooms from £134.04 (NOK1,840), including tax at 12 per cent.

More details

Rates include Continental breakfast.

Also

Themed events are held in the bar on Thursday nights – wine and cheese pairings, charcuterie tastings, celebrations of International Chardonnay Day and more.

Hotel closed

The hotel is closed every year from 18 December to 2 January and over Easter weekend.

At the hotel

Free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, free bottled water, Nespresso coffee machine and Sprekenhus bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Frankly, we love any room that looks out over water, and luckily there are some in each category here. Seeking the most secluded spot for your romantic break? Room 47 of Hotel Brosundet is the Molja Lighthouse; a five-minute walk from the main hotel, it sits at the end of the city jetty, staring out to sea towards the outer islands and still guiding incoming ships with its flashing lights.

Packing tips

Bring your fisherman’s beanie (and a serious appetite) and you’ll fit right in.

Also

Due to its historic nature (and a fair few stairs), the hotel is not easily accessible for wheelchair users.

Pet‐friendly

For NOK250, your canine companion can stay with you (except in suites); dog bowls will be provided. Check dog-friendly room availability when booking. See more pet-friendly hotels in Ålesund.

Children

Welcome, but not catered to.

Food and Drink

Photos Hotel Brosundet food and drink

Top Table

Make tracks for a table by the arched windows so you can gaze out over the harbour.

Dress Code

Take a cue from the sleek interior design and channel ‘award-winning-architect-on-holiday’ style.

Hotel restaurant

At Apotekergata No. 5, the menu revolves around unique local produce. For dinner, indulge in multi-course tasting menus that explore the topography of the region through taste – which means you’ll have dishes inspired by the fjords, the sea, the garden and the fields. Ingredients are dictated by what’s in season and the catch of the day, but expect a fishy focus – smoked mountain trout and plenty of cod. Choose from three-, five- or seven-course menus with optional drink pairings – of beer and cider, as well as wine.

Daily breakfasts – buffets spreads of cereals, organic breads, eggs-many-ways, juices, Fairtrade coffees and Pukka teas – are served in the channel-facing lounge next to the lobby.

Hotel bar

Arkivet Bar gets its name (which translates to Archive Bar) from its former life as the personal offices and archives of local trader Peder Devold, who ran his fish-oil business on the premises in the early 1900s. Facing the cobblestoned streets, it could easily be mistaken for a storefront from the outside, until you spot the copper bar. Dark and moody, it’s loved by locals (and visitors) in need of  a nightcap. Vintage cocktails are the name of the game, but you’ll also find a selection of wines and local beers.

Last orders

Breakfast is served from 7am to 10am during the week and 8am to 11pm at weekends, and dinners are served from 6pm to 10pm. Lunches (from noon to 3pm) are available in summer from 17 May. Arkivet Bar is open daily from 6pm to 2am.

Location

Photos Hotel Brosundet location
Address
Hotel Brosundet
Apotekergata 1-5
Ålesund
6004
Norway

Hotel Brosundet is smack in the centre of multi-coloured Ålesund; its outer walls extend directly over the waters of Brosundet – its namesake and the town’s main waterway.

Planes

Flights from Norway’s major cities – Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger – Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Gdansk land at Ålesund Airport, Vigra. The hotel can arrange private transfers (NOK1,500 for up to four guests) for the 30-minute journey.

Trains

The closest rail station is in Åndalsnes, 130 kilometres from the hotel. You can catch a train there from Oslo, Bergen or Trondheim, but you’ll need your own set of wheels to make the two-and-a-half-hour drive to the hotel.

Automobiles

You won’t need a car in Ålesund, but if you’re exploring the wider region and coming with wheels, you can leave them at a nearby public car park for NOK250 a day.

Other

Daily ferry services run between Ålesund and many of the other villages that line the fjords.

Worth getting out of bed for

There are outdoor activities for every season in Ålesund: kayaking and swimming in the summer, and snowshoeing and frigid-fjord sailing in the winter. There’s no shortage of scenic hiking trails that start nearby – strike out to Fjellstua Viewpoint for sweeping views over the sea and islands or explore Atlantic Sea Park. Plan an action-packed day out with 62Nord – choose from helicopter sightseeing tours, RIB-rafting trips or sea safaris. Rather stay warm and dry? Get your fix of art, history and culture with visits to Kube Art MuseumAalesunds Museum and The Fisheries Museum.

Learn about the region’s seafaring history (and present) at prettily striped Alnes Lighthouse.

Local restaurants

Combine a lunch outing with a sailing trip: take a boat out along the fjord to visit Hotel Brosundet’s mountain-surrounded sister property Hotel Union Øye and stay for a meal of hearty, traditional Norwegian fare. In Ålesund there’s on-trend Bro for lunches of avocado- and cod-topped rye toast, shrimp and mussel soup, and grilled catch of the day. Get a panoramic view with your dinner at French-inspired Polarbjørn (open Monday to Saturday from 6pm to 11.30pm). Can’t decide which dish sounds best? Opt for a four-, five- or seven-course tasting menu. Book a table for dinner at waterfront Sjøbua​ (closed Sundays), where the seasonal menu centres around locally sourced ingredients. If lobster soup’s on offer, it’s a can’t-miss. For a more relaxed evening meal, head to cod-centric XL Diner​; start with smoked trout and beetroot salad, then move on to your chosen style of the famous fish for the main event. Try Spanish-style red bacalao with tomato-dried cod or make it Italian with pesto-drizzled potatoes, aioli and bacon. Don’t forget to save room for dessert – the berry-topped chocolate fondant is served with rich ice cream.

Reviews

Photos Hotel Brosundet reviews

Anonymous review

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this boutique hotel by the fjords and unpacked their fisherman’s beanie and mod-Norwegian cookbook, a full account of their Norway break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Hotel Brosundet in Ålesund…

Cosied up between a quiet cobblestoned street – with a neighbourly mix of historic buildings and traditional shops – and a pretty waterway, boutique Hotel Brosundet is the perfect base for exploring two of Norway’s most striking fjords: Geirangerfjord and Hjørundfjord.

Stepping inside the hotel, you’ll be greeted by a soaring, four-storey fireplace, which takes centre stage in the lobby; just beyond you can hear the gentle percussion of the cocktail shakers in the retro-style bar. Settle in for leisurely multi-course dinners (with dishes inspired by the region’s dramatic landscape) and watch through the arched windows to spot the resident seals splashing in the bracing seas below.

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Price per night from $151.10