5 min readThere are nearly 500 islands that make up Træna, the Norwegian archipelago at the edge of the Arctic Circle, but only four of them are home to permanent residents. Husøya—about a five-hour ferry ride from the nearest mainland city, Bodø—is the most crowded, with an estimated population of about 400 people. Plenty of us say we’re taking a vacation in order to get away from it all; very few of us are going so far as to plan a trip to someplace as remote and sparsely populated. That could all be about to change.
Earlier this year, Ytri opened on the edge of Husøya. The 38-key hotel is both warm and modern feeling, with architecture inspired by the fishing villages of the island. Design elements like terrazzo and wooden flooring are made using regional and island-based materials, but among the most important features in any room are the blackout shades, which combat the Midnight Sun the island gets in the summer months, and the tall, yellow rubber boots made for marching across the property’s almost-lunar landscape. In spite of its recent debut, what’s already notable about Ytri is the juxtaposition of soft touches—the fine-dining restaurant Alma that leans into local produce and fish (and, it needs to be said, the occasional whale dish) and also boasts an impressive Norwegian cheese cart, the excellent morning yoga classes, the seemingly clairvoyant staff—and rugged terrain, which guests are meant not just to observe but to wholeheartedly engage with. On my own recent trip, it all started to make sense when I heard someone refer to Træna as the Arctic Riviera.
Ytri, a recently opened Relais & Châteaux property on the Norwegian island of Husøya.
Courtesy Ytri Island Retreat Hotel
Ytri’s restaurant offers views of the nearby island of Sanna and equally impressive food.
Courtesy Ytri Island Retreat Hotel
And while there are some similarities to the beloved coastlines of France and Italy, it’s important to note that this is not exactly Aperol spritz territory. First of all, it’s a destination that takes determination to reach; my own journey involved a flight to Oslo, a layover long enough to accommodate breakfast, lunch, and a museum visit in the city center, a second flight to Bodø, and an hour-long helicopter ride. And while upon landing—either by chopper or ferry, which takes a few hours but isn’t a remotely bad option—you’ll be struck by the gorgeous water all around you, it won’t bring to mind To Catch a Thief.
The landscape is instead almost lunar. Rocks crunch beneath your feet, the mountaintops of neighboring Sanna (full-time population: two) loom in the distance, and any interaction with the water is bracingly chilled. And while Ytri provides a comfortable perch on the island, the purpose here isn’t to be protected from the rougher edges of the island but instead to interact with them. Over the course of my visit, we took a small boat to Sanna, where we explored an ancient cave—used today as part of an annual music festival that’s the area’s big tourist draw—hiked through a very Stranger Things military tunnel to the top of a peak for a truly remarkable view, and sat with locals on the patio of the island’s one cafe; we visited the island’s small but mighty museum (you won’t believe the strange link Husøya shares with Hawaii) and a charming church; after complimenting a guide on his Norwegian sweater, I found myself in the home of a local knitter who sold me one she’d made. Ytri could insulate visitors from the world around them and let the scenery act as a backdrop to its luxurious offerings—glass-walled saunas, a plunge pool you can order drinks to, a restaurant that sets its tables with candles made of local butter that you eat as they melt, design by Oslo’s Bonaparte Interiør.—but instead the hotel, which is part of Relais & Châteaux, treats its home as its greatest feature.
Hotel Union Øye, which has been open in the Sunnmøre Alps since 1891.
Courtesy Hotel Union Øye
A bedroom at Hotel Union Øye, where guests have included Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Courtesy Hotel Union Øye
As charming as the islands of Træna are, however, they doesn’t reflect everything that Norway has to offer and visiting the country’s two other Relais & Châteaux properties is a delightful way to see a variety of Norwegian destinations and experience different brands of local luxury. (The company offers a “Road of Happiness” package, which puts together a customized itinerary like this one across its properties in a region or country.) Our next stop—after a boat ride, two flights, and a helicopter—was Hotel Union Øye, a Wes Anderson fever dream of a property in the far-flung Sunnmøre Alps. Open since 1891, the hotel has the feel of a life-sized gingerbread house plunked between a fjord and a mountain range—a setting that has no doubt helped attract a clientele including a mess of European royals and the likes of Henrik Ibsen and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—and indoors there are reading nooks, portrait-lined hallways, and a nightly ghost story circle that give the place an infectious offbeat charm. (On a more wholesome note, the oatmeal offered at breakfast, great-grandma Ingvarda’s recipe, apparently, is perhaps the best I’ve ever had.) The hotel’s surrounding area doesn’t have the same end-of-the-earth appeal as Træna, and instead offers hiking, mountain climbing, e-bike tours of the Norangsdalen valley, and a must-visit floating sauna. If being at Ytri felt like a trip to another planet, Hotel Union Øye offered an experience that was more akin to stepping back in time.
The Norangsfjord, just steps away from Hotel Union Øye. Guests who enjoy the floating sauna (at left) can jump into the water for a cold plunge. It’s not as bad as it sounds, we promise.
After those two stays at different ends of the spectrum, a final stop at Storfjord—about a two-trip trip from Øye, including a stop the Instagram-famous Trandal swing—offered a delightful middle ground. The 30-key hotel has a design that’s closer to Ytri’s modern offering than the storybook vibe of Hotel Union Øye, but is less far flung, plunked down in a lush corner of Glomset, about 40 minutes outside of Alesund. Like both of the other properties, this one has a strong connection to its surroundings, and we weren’t there long before we’d been fitted for gear and tossed into kayaks to explore the nearby waterways; other guests come for hiking, skiing, or a program that puts you in a Porsche to drive along the fjords. And while the kayaking was a great way to see the surrounding area—and sneak peeks at the nearby vacation homes dotting the banks—at this point in the trip, I was spent.
Storfjord, near Alesund, offers a mix of modern Norwegian design and amenities and a feeling of escape from the world.
Lucky me, then, that one of the greatest things to do at Storfjord is nothing; the hotel has plenty of nooks which to hunker down, the restaurant, which offers delicious and easy food, has a serve-yourself cake and coffee station set up in the afternoon, and there’s no reason not to sit out in the back yard and just take in the view unless, of course, it’s to browse the shop which boasts some absolutely stunning sweaters that I still regret not buying. For dinner, we made our way to the property’s boathouse, which is used for private events, and enjoyed a menu—local langoustine, reindeer, mussels, and more—custom made by the hotel’s 26-year-old chef, Florian Harnisch.
The author during a stop at the Instagram-famous Trandal swing, a must on the trip from Øye to Glomset.
After dinner we made our way back to the hotel. An early flight was looming, but it was nearly impossible to send ourselves to bed. At this point, it was gilding the lily—one more drink and, OK, another piece of chocolate—but who could blame us for not wanting the adventure to end. After all, we’d made it to the end of the world and back.
A hike through the Norangsdalen valley near Hotel Union Øye.
Adam Rathe is Town & Country’s Deputy Features Director, covering film, theater, books, travel, art, philanthropy, and a range of other subjects.