We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
We've already checked out a Norwegian hotel once this week and since that one turned out to be a bit boring, we're back on the hunt and have this killer view from the Stalheim Hotel overlooking the Naeroe Valley, in the middle of the Western Fjords of Norway.
It's a hotel with such fantastic views that if you check the TripAdvisor reviews, half the recent guests don't even mention the hotel itself: they just make comments like "Stay for the view!", "views don't get much better than this" and "breathtaking views". The tip is that you need to request a room at the back of the hotel to be able to fully appreciate the view over the valley--they have large windows to make the most of it, too.
As far as the hotel itself goes, reports suggest it's comfortable and clean, although sometimes swamped by tourist buses. The average room rate starts around US$230 a night which is pretty reasonable for Scandinavia. Especially with those views.
If you are pining for the fjords of Norway, maybe it's time to check in to Engø Gård, one of those hotels that comes with a couple of odd-looking letters in its name. (And we can't even get how to pronounce them right).
But seriously, the Engø Gård small country inn on the coast about an hour and a half from Oslo, and travelers have been enjoying staying there off and on since it was first built in 1845. In its most recent incarnation, it labels itself a "country house hotel", which reopened in 2000. It's got just 13 rooms and 11 suites, but it also has a restaurant called the Relais Gourmand which seems popular. (Note: The hotel is a Relaischateaux property.)
Their website is still only in Norwegian--although English is on the way--but we can just figure out a few coming attractions that help summer visitors to Engø Gård get the most out of their stay. For example, they're holding a classical music performance there in early July; jazz singing and dinner dances are set to follow.
Remember Norway is a particularly independent part of Europe, not part of the EU let alone using the Euro, so their room rates show up in Norwegian Kroner: rooms starting at 1800K (US$340) and suites from 2450K (US$465). Don't be too surprised: nothing is cheap in Norway.
In the July/August issue of the European Travel Commission's newsletter, they highlighted several new and upcoming hotels in Europe. We'll be taking a closer look at some of these hotels this week but we're always interested in hearing your recommendations for hotels in Europe. So send 'em our way.
If you're looking for a hotel that's on top of the world then Norway's The Other Side, opening next spring, is a place to try. A pretty exclusive-sounding place up on the top of the map at Neiden, near Norway's borders with Finland and Russia, The Other Side is a design hotel made up of 12 "houses" arranged in groups of three. The houses are designed to match the elements: for example, the "Wind House" is suspended midair and the "Water House" is on top of a pond.
The innovative architects behind The Other Side are in fact a Swedish and French pair, Birgitta Ralston and Alexandre Bau, and they've made a special effort to incorporate the traditions of the local Sami people into the design process. On top of that the hotel is intended to provide "an ultramodern interpretation of luxury" and sounds really worth checking out in Spring '08.
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by amandak
