the times Saturday June 11 202242 Travel
living area, old paintings on the wall
and a private terrace for meals beneath
the perma-light of Arctic summer.
This luxury package includes activities
such as polar plunges, surfing and
RIB tours, plus a stay at the Nusfjord
Arctic Resort.
Details Seven nights’ B&B from
£3,200pp, including transfers and
bespoke activities (blacktomato.com).
Fly to SvolvaerKolarbyn Eco Lodge
Vastmanland, Sweden
Don’t expect pillow menus at the
self-described “most primitive hotel in
Sweden”, a collection of tiny huts (or a
cottage for softies) two hours from
Stockholm. Don’t expect wi-fi either
as there’s no electricity. For wholesome
back-to-basics stuff, however, this forest
stay beside Lake Skarsjon is just the
ticket. You’ll swim from a floating sauna,
perhaps join nature walks to see beaver
and moose then barbecue dinner (maybe
not beaver or moose — awkward
otherwise) before bed in a hut made
toasty by a wood-burner.
Details B&B doubles from £130
(responsibletravel.com). Fly to
StockholmArctic Wilderness Lodge
Alta, Norway
Jeff Bezos was a recent guest — that’s
the sort of visitor prepared to travel to
Norway’s north tip to sample the new
retreat at the Sorrisniva Arctic resort. I
could tell you about the modern-retrochalet feel of its cabins and the fine-
dining menus, but you’ll be too busy
gawping at the mountain wilderness and
views of the Alta River to listen.
Included in this package are a gourmet
boat trip up the river canyon, Europe’s
largest, plus king-crab fishing.
Details Four nights’ full board from
£3,175pp, including flights, transfers and
activities (best-served.co.uk)Hotel J
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm: a harbour city with few
waterside hotels. That’s why you’re in the
J in the Nacka Strand neighbourhood. In
summer it’s Swedish cool meets New
England yacht club, all navy fabrics and
white walls in sunny rooms, waterside
yoga classes in the mornings, and
sundowners by the sea at dusk as
Stockholm shimmers in the half-light.
The centre is 20 minutes away, which
sounds annoying until you do it by ferry
(every 30 minutes) and see how much it
adds to a stay.
Details B&B doubles from £111
(i-escape.com). Fly to StockholmIsland Cabin
Vest-Agder, Norway
Is there a ten-year-old who isn’t excited
at an island cabin? Exploring a lake by
canoe, splashing in a hot tub, stoking a
fire pit, are all on offer here. Better still,
that cabin is actually a rather smart
treehouse with views of trees and a
balcony over the lake. It was built by
Knut, a farmer (and carpenter). Pop toLake Paijanne, Finlandare a blend of Danish design: think
raw concrete and wood panelling with
vintage fisherman-style furniture. Out
front there’s windsurfing and big skies,
plus a beach bar with a restaurant.
Expect occasional gigs in summer.
Details B&B doubles from £125
(welcomebeyond.com). Fly to
TrondheimNamsen Salmon &
Train Experience
Trondelag, Norway
Atlantic salmon of the Namsen River
are to their British counterparts what
monster trucks are to Minis — clearly
related but on an entirely different scale.
From June to the end of August, 40-
pounders are common. After a day of
tight fishing lines, you’re staying with
uninterrupted river views in a sleeper
compartment of a train carriage parked
on a disused viaduct. Though they’ve
spruced it up, it retains its original
Sixties character, while also offering a
shower block, bar and restaurant in
adjacent carriages. On the menu?
Salmon, naturally.
Details B&B doubles from £144
(nste.no). Fly to TrondheimManshausen Seacabins
Vestfjorden, Norway
After ticking off the first solo expedition
to the North Pole, Borge Ousland set
himself the more difficult task of
promoting “harmony between people
and nature”. The result is Manshausen,
an island retreat in the Steigen
archipelago. The nature bit comes via
larch-clad, glass-fronted cabins. They
project off the jetty as if hovering above
sea and coast. Your job is to find
harmony in this landscape that quietens
minds. It’s not so hard, actually —
borrow a kayak, take a sauna and watch
the light shift.
Details Five nights’ half-board from
£1,865pp, including flights and transfers
(best-served.co.uk)Fisherman’s Cabin
Lofoten, Norway
Here’s a unique stay in the most
photogenic corner of Norway’s most
awesome destination: a red-painted,
turf-roofed cabin propped on stilts
above the silver bay of Reine harbour,
itself wrapped within peaks like
dragon’s teeth. It’s quite a place. Inside
remains nicely traditional: there’s
accommodation for seven, a panelledJuvet Landscape Hotel
Valldal, Norway
WIf you saw the 2015 film Ex Machina
you may recall the awesome mansion
of its tech billionaire. Juvet Landscape
Hotel is even better in real life. This is
a retreat where award-winning
architecture — glass-walled boxes,
rustic-cool cabins, or the ultra-modernist
writer’s cabin in the film — meets the
raw nature of a remote birch and pine
forest. There’s a spa above the River
Valldola and activities include kayaking
and climbing. But the thing they most
recommend here? “Do nothing.” Bliss.
Details B&B doubles from £230
(juvet.com). Fly to Alesund
Sauna Float
Lapland, Sweden
I needn’t tell you much about Sauna
Float. It’s a floating cabin for four with a
sauna and a hammock on the deck. It’s
anchored in a remote bay of a forested
lake in the Rane River valley. The
swimming’s great: water hitting 22C,
stepladders, diving boards. So are the
canoeing, kayaking and fishing trips run
by an outdoorsy crew at the shoreside
Aurora Safari Camp base. Oh, and a chef
comes out by boat each day with your
meals. Think that covers it.
Details Two nights’ full board for two
from £1,570 (wherethewildis.co.uk).
Fly to Lulea
Helenekilde Badehotel
Copenhagen, Denmark
We’ve all done it: fantasised about a
simpler, lovelier life beside the shore.
This pretty white spa hotel on the
Kattegat sea will definitely do in the
interim. An hour from Copenhagen, it is
a reminder that the best holidays are
usually the simplest. Rooms are
understated in a smart, homely way.
You’ll start days with a quick swim or
yoga class. Breakfasts on the terrace are
soundtracked by the soft slosh of water,
and days slip past between books on the
terrace and slow bike rides.
Details B&B doubles from £211
(helenekilde.com). Fly to Copenhagen
Stokkoya Beach Hotel
Trondelag, Norway
All set for holidaying Norwegian-style?
Then to Hosnasand on rural Stokkoya
island we go (it’s linked by bridges),
kicking off our shoes as we check in to
this beach stay. It’s a budget bolt hole for
Wallpaper magazine addicts — cottages
Juvet Landscape
Hotel, Valldal, Norway