Storfjord Hotel

We travelled to Norway on a mission. A mission to leave city life behind for a few days and soak in the extraordinary Norwegian landscapes. What we hadn’t anticipated was that we would never want to leave.

Our plane touched down in the teeny airport of Ålesund and we headed to Storfjord Hotel. After ooo-ing and aah-ing for the entire 40-minute drive, we were in the remote Norwegian wilderness we’d come for. We had arrived at our home for the next few nights: the grass-covered, handcrafted, quaint, cosy log cabins of Storfjord. It was February, the winter snow had melted, but somehow it still felt like Christmas. There were fire pits dotted around, adding to the festive feeling. It was pure magic at first sight.

As we entered through the huge and satisfyingly heavy front door, we were handed a welcome drink. Andrès, Storfjord's brilliant manager, soon showed us around. The hotel is simply a haven. Cosy tartan-filled corners, a scattering of crackling open fires, curated bookshelves bursting with some serious inspiration, stunning antiques, blue and white crockery reminiscent of my grandmother's hanging perfectly on the walls. There was a complete sense of calm.

We had some lunch and even the ‘soup of the season’ managed to set the bar pretty high for the culinary delights to come.

We were kindly offered the choice of two different rooms for our stay — both of a similar category — one having a view over the snow-capped mountains and fjord, the other looking out to the forest. It was a pretty hard call to make. We opted for one of the forest rooms, which are slightly newer in design, with magnificent floor-to-ceiling windows and a log burner making them — if at all possible — extra cosy.

The afternoon very slowly floated by, as we wandered around the property and had a dip in the outdoor hot tub, while watching the sky turn purple and the mountains around us glow. London? Work? I don’t know what you’re talking about. 

We did have to draw ourselves away from the spa at some point and head to dinner, which was a Norwegian feast cooked by the masterful chefs you can see busily working away in the open kitchen. While the views over the fjords do their best to steal the show, the food at Storfjord certainly gives them competition for centre stage. With every mouthful, you can actually taste Norway. For my starter, I opted for local monkfish with crayfish sauce, green oil, herbs, fennel, caviar and winter cabbage; followed by a reindeer fillet from Jotunheimen (only a few hours' drive away) with celery root purée, baked carrot and a creamy sauce… are you hungry yet? It was a hearty, authentically Norwegian experience and we were all particularly happy with our life choices that night.

On our return to our room, we sunk into a bed so soft it could double as a cloud (definitely one of those beds where you lift up the sheets to see where they are from — does anyone else do that?). Seriously though, a night at Storjford is like a big hug and when we woke we were ready for our next adventure.

First up on the list was to try the local delicacies at breakfast. I’ve heard that you haven't truly experienced Norway until you've eaten brown cheese… tick! And yum. It was almost like caramel. Breakfast here is an experience in itself and one not to be missed.

Once the breakfast buffet has been devoured, there's a lot to do with your days at Storfjord — it really is the perfect playground for adventure seekers. Guests can take to the skies in a helicopter, which I can only imagine is an epic way to witness the jaw-dropping scenery we were surrounded by, and hit the waters on a kayak. You can also ski, snow-shoe, go fishing, join a cookery lesson, embark on a cruise or simply set off on a walk around the area. 

There are two holidays you could have here. The first, to do absolutely nothing but sink into the slow pace and tranquility of the lodge. The second, to head out and dive into the drama of the surrounding landscape. This trip, we did mainly the former, but I want to experience this incredible pocket of the world in all its seasons. So we’ll be back in the summertime to head deep into the fjords — with our adventure hats firmly on.