Restaurant review: We enjoyed our first meal at Ullensvang…read moreGjesteheim so much we ate there again! Other restaurants in town were either over priced or had weird hours so Ullensvang Gjesteheim became a reliable option for us. The serve both Scandinavian and Thai food with lots of local beers and ciders. The shrimp Thai dish we had on our first visit was over-peppery so on our second visit we asked for less pepper and the dish was perfect. You can eat your meal inside, outside, or take it to go. I'd definitely recommend Ullensvang Gjesteheim for a delicious, casual, and well-priced meal in the Ullensvang / Lofthus area.

Note: This review is for the restaurant only. We stayed elsewhere down the road and this was…read morerecommended to us by our local host as a place to eat. It should not be classified as a $$$$ restaurant IMO, as it had extremely reasonable prices when you consider that Norway is a very expensive country. The guest house Ullensvang was easy to locate on our drive. It's a beautiful red building right off the narrow fjord road. There is a small parking lot in the rear that is reserved for guests, so no need to worry about where to park. In mid-September, nearing the off-season for hiking, we didn't have any trouble getting a spot. The restaurant is downstairs in the main building, but still has lots of windows and natural light inside. We came for dinner the night before hiking Trolltunga, thinking it'd be a good idea to stock up on carbs and not stress about cooking anything ourselves. Outside was a little stand selling local fruit, and a few other goodies - but get something before dinner if you're so inclined as they were packed up by the time we left later in the evening. The menu might seem a little odd at first...Thai and Scandinavian, say what?! But the couple who runs the restaurant reigns from each place and knocks their own cuisine out of the park. The last page of the menu was great as a reference key for any type of allergy. There were notations for shellfish, nuts, different seeds, and gluten. I really think the restaurant is knowledgable about their ingredients and would be able to ensure any allergy request was met based on this page. In diving into the menu, I will say that some of the translations from Norwegian to English aren't as descriptive of the traditional Norwegian dishes, so we did do a little looking up to see what the components were (more than just a basic translation). My husband and I decided to order something from both sides of the menu. When in Rome! (Or Århus?) He chose the traditional Hakkasteik while I selected the Kaeng Keaw Wan Khai. Both portions were larger than expected - definitely a good value! The green curry was most definitely spicy, as described on the menu, and tasted very fresh. There was a great balance of veggies mixed in and plenty of rice to soak up that delicious sauce. Originally there was a thought of, "Hey, this would make great left overs. I should really take some home for later", but who am I kidding? I cleaned that plate. The Hakkasteik wasn't as much to my taste, but I knew it probably wouldn't be my favorite dish ever based on the description. It was an excellent take on a traditional Norwegian dish though, and my husband loved it. The Hakkasteik comes with a wafer thin cracker crisp that you can put the meat mixture on. This gave the dish some texture variation (a crunch) since it is a fairly uniform consistency otherwise. His dish was much heavier due to the blend of meats and barley, and VERY filling. My husband somehow finished the entire thing (by now I really shouldn't be surprised by this). We decided to make room for dessert and I'm so glad we did. We ordered the apple cake as the entire nearby region is filled with orchards. It was incredible. We kept joking (kind of?) about licking the dish for that sauce. While I didn't order anything to drink, my husband did have a glass of cider. I snuck a sip and it was absolutely delicious. I would have indulged in a glass had I not been driving. I'd definitely recommend being the passenger on a trip here! Overall, I'd 100% recommend this to anyone in the region and will definitely be back should we travel to this area of Norway again. We were so satisfied after dining here versus some of the other meals we indulged in during our trip that were just as pricey, but left me hungry.

If you are traveling and jet-lagged and need some coffee early in the morning, don't expect to find…read moreany here.  It is not available in your room and not available in the lobby and not available anywhere nearby.  You'll have wait until 7:00 AM when the restaurant opens.  That being said, everything else about the hotel is perfection: the room, the interior decor, the Fjord views, the service, the food- perfection.   You'll enjoy your stay here.  Just be sure to sleep in late if you like coffee. (If you're not a coffee drinker, they will bring you hot chocolate @ your table for your to-go container, and you'll be happy as a clam!) Oh, there is one tiny negative: the toilet paper, you'll come nose to nose!

If you drive by here, a must stop. A very quaint place with beautiful setup inside. The fish soup…read moreis amazing. A very warm and cozy place.

Only 4 items at this quaint 17th century hotel, but the reindeer stew and sausages were DIVINE! And…read morethe cloudberry creme was delightful.

Flam can be hard to find a hotel/accommodations during the summer, so we were not sure when this…read morewas our only option, but we were pleasantly surprised at this hotel. The check-in was a breeze and the rooms were modern and well maintained with modern bath and comfortable bedding. Our refrigerator was not working properly and they replaced it efficiently. The breakfast buffet is large and plentiful, but note it gets crowded, so best to go early and/or get a reservation. The onsite brewery/restaurant is quite good but you should also book a reservation there for dinner during busy season.

As quaint as they come! The Flamsbrygga Hotel is in the immediate center of the little hamlet of…read moreFlam, with proximity to the tourist excursion piers, restaurants, shops, and cultural/eco walks. The rooms on the front feature balconies with chairs and table, offering wonderfully scenic views of the main fjord harbor. The baggage-stow area is unlocked and does not offer tags or other security, but other than that, the hotel is a total delight!

Very nice hotel in Flam! The hotel has the most rooms in the area so probably won't have too much…read moretrouble finding a room, and it's situated very close to the train station The breakfast that is included is absolutely delicious. Probably the best selection of all the hotels we stayed at in Norway, as it has the typical scrambled eggs bacon sausage and all that, but also a wide selection of Norwegian favorites, include smoked salmon, trout, and meats. Their smoothie was also very delicious! You also overlook the fjord from the dining area which is a big plus in the morning Though the common areas were nicely furnished and renovated, the rooms were on the older side. Still clean and functional though, but don't expect top of the line quality. One thing about the doors is that when you close them, the room door only auto locks after a set period of time. You can manually lock it by scanning the key card outside as well. Took us a bit to figure out.

My wife, daughter and I had a pleasant overnight stay here at the Fretheim. The room had some…read moreshortcomings but the restaurant was nice. It is an imposing large white building that can't be missed when leaving the train station. Checkin was quick and easy and the staff friendly. Our family room had two twin beds put together and a set of bunk beds. The beds were soft and comfortable with plenty of pillows. There was a desk, small wardrobe, sitting chair and shelves for suitcases. The bathroom had a heated floor and a mediocre shower at best. It was impossible to set a consistent water temperature and water pressure was low. No washcloths were provided either. We enjoyed a Christmas holiday buffet for dinner in their restaurant and also had the included breakfast there in the morning. There are commanding views of the fjord out the restaurant windows and I suppose rooms facing the front of the hotel as well. The staff working here were very helpful and friendly our entire visit. They also spoke English which made everything easy.

I loved this hostel so much that I didn't want to leave, and I've recommended it to a bunch of…read moreother friends.... said no one ever, until they came to this hostel. I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical of staying here because the word "hostel" conjures up images of my days as a 20 year old self, big rooms with 10 bunkbeds and lots of people and noise that prevents you from a good night's sleep, and shared bathrooms down a hallway. I guess it was good I came in with lackluster expectations, because I really loved this hostel and glad that I stayed here for 2 nights. In truth, I could have probably stayed here for 5 days or a week as Voss is super pretty, there's lots of things to do, and we had such a peaceful and relaxing stay. The location is great, just a 10-15 min walk from the train/bus station, so it's not very far to get downtown where all the food, restaurants, and bars are at. It's also right on the lake, and our room was a corner room with a lake view, and we were probably only 100 feet from the lake. The view was a million dollar view, and a better view than most fancy hotels in Hawaii I've stayed at. Obviously, the room is not Hawaii-fancy-hotel, but I wasn't expecting to get amenities from a $800 a night room in Hawaii in the $120 a night hostel in Voss. The check-in process was easy and painless, and the staff was nice and organized. They give you sheets to make your bed, and towels upon check-in, which is pretty standard for hostels. When you leave, you'll have to strip the bed and put the used sheets and towels in a bin at the end of the hallway. The room itself was nice - we opted for a private room with en-suite bathroom, which cost us $127 per night. It had 2 double bunk beds and one twin bed. The beds were pretty comfortable, so no complaints there, and it was quiet since we had a corner room, and also a beautiful view of the lake. The bathroom was tiny with one shower, a sink and toilet all in one room, so if you wanted to brush your teeth, go to the bathroom, and shower all the same time you basically could. Although it was small, it was clean and was just fine. My favorite part of the stay was the breakfast buffet, which was included in the cost of the stay, and easily worth about $20 per person. And if you have ever been in Norway, you'll know that the food is expensive (i.e. I had paid $10 for a piece of bread with smoked salmon and some egg on it, in Flam) so this breakfast buffet will seem like the best thing ever. It puts most American hotel breakfasts to shame, with fresh organic fruit and vegetables (some even from their own garden/farm), multiple types of bread, pickled fish, smoked salmon, eggs, cereal, coffee, homemade jams. And then you can eat outside with a magnificent view of the lake and it's amazing. They do not serve lunch or dinner, so plan accordingly. We also rented mountain bikes here (they were nice Scott bikes), you can rent for different amounts of time, so just ask. We did a full day rental and it was roughly $45 per person, but totally worth it, as we went around the lake twice - once in the morning and once in the evening because it was that pretty. It's around 14 miles around and I highly recommend doing this -- it was one of the highlights of my entire Europe trip. I'd definitely stay here again and have already recommended it to a few friends. One of the best hostel stays ever!

This spot had amazing views The food and service was great! Just be mindful the portions are large…read moreand we over ordered! Definitely recommend this place!

Absolutely beautiful views! Great customer service! And a gastropub on site too! Wow wow wow!read more

Our bus from Gudvangen to Voss stopped by the Stalheim Hotel to give the riders an opportunity to…read moretake in the views and use the restrooms. This review only covers the amenities accessible by us. The restrooms here were pretty awful smelling inside. Significant improvements needed. The views from the back of the hotel down into the Nærøydalen valley would've been nicer on a clear day. One could just make out the old winding road below us. Too bad as others have posted some beautiful photos on a clear day. We did a quick walk through of the hotel and found the decor was of an older style with a mixture of antique statues, furnishings and other items. A gift shop also sold drinks and snacks so it was good opportunity to grab a quick snack before continuing on the bus to Voss.

Came here as a coffee and pastry break during a tour…read more Highlights: * the back terrace is the place to sit back and relax as it has amazing views of the Nærøy Valley * there is a rather larger gift shop that is split into multiple levels * the restrooms are located on the lower lever, and there was an elevator for those who couldn't use the stairs * they was a mini museum that was made of of various items from the previous hotel owners collection *the did off a nice gluten free brownie ***the main road getting into the hotel is narrow and two way, though really wide enough for a single car in a section, so there might be a brief queue when tour buses arrive/depart

Conveniently located only 200 m from the Håreina stop, and a lot less expensive than the hotels in…read moreFlåm, where most people book. So glad I booked this place because it was a nice break away from the stressful and crowded Norway in a Nutshell tour. It's a 2 mi / 45 min scenic walk to Flåm, where you can explore the small town that includes a free museum, some seafood places, a Coop grocery store, and a nice view of the head of a fjord. It's around $7 to take the Flamsbana from Håreina to Flåm. I would suggest walking to town and then taking the train back, or if you're up to it - walking both ways. This place is a great escape from tourists (and society, in general). It was so peaceful, tranquil, and completely unreal to be able to walk outside and read a book on a hammock with the cleanest air around me and the mountains as a backdrop. Our host was incredibly wonderful and sweet. She even fed us some of her homemade flat bread. She was considerate enough to send us a message saying that she wouldn't be in when we arrived, so she made arrangements for us to check in otherwise. The apt is so cute and was perfect for my girlfriend and myself. I think it'd be a great getaway for a small group or family of 4. The beds are queen-sized, and there's even a small kitchen if you ever want to cook your own meal. Plates, glasses, and eating utensils are provided. There was even tea bags, instant coffee, and a kettle for use. The laundry machine isn't very user friendly, but the user manual is provided. It definitely works, but can take a while. Linens and towels are not provided and can be rented. She just asks that you wash your dishes and throw out the garbage before you check out. Also! Her daughter has a forest cat that roams around the front of the apartments. She's sweet, friendly, and not afraid of people. Just a warning for those who are allergic.