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!
