An hour by boat west of Bodø, far out to sea, you will find The Arctic Hideaway. Twelve unique buildings, which together form a holiday destination unlike anything else you have seen or experienced. Learn more about Norway’s Arctic Hideaway.
«Here we are reminded that immersion, calm, and silence is something that nowadays needs to be raised as an intrinsic value. That it is something we must seek out,» said the then President of the Norwegian Parliament Olemic Thommesen in his opening speech in August 2016.
The Arctic Hideaway is an architecturally stunning collection of five individual eco-friendly cabins on the edge of a tiny island in the Fleinvær Archipelago deep in the Arctic Circle of Northern Norway.
Far out to sea, the passionate jazz musician and composer Håvard Lund runs the hospitality project like no other – and it takes all his improvisational skills to keep it going. It’s a destination unlike anything else you have seen or experienced.
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The Arctic Hideaway is designed by local Norwegian architect firm, TYIN tegnestue in collaboration with Rintala Eggertsson architects. Håvard Lund acquired the site in 2004. “initially it was meant as a workplace for myself, a writing lodge of sorts,” explains Lund. “As time went on, I felt an urge, a need, to share what I had found on Fleinvær with others. I wanted to create a workspace unlike anything else in the world.’
The result is a tiny hotel with just four modernist sleeping cabins. Views from the highest point on the island take in the dark slivers of surfacing whales, soaring sea eagles and the endless expanse of the Arctic Ocean. But perhaps the biggest attraction for visitors is the new perspective they may gain on life.
Your senses will be reset through the absence of artificial noise, or visual clutter. Changeable weather massages you in peace, and provides relaxation that heals. Our guests sleep deeply and grow in appetite out here in the arms of the ocean.
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Whilst it may look like a typical collection of cabins, what’s unique about the Hideaway is that instead of renting particular rooms, the entire facility is 100% yours. This means that the kitchen, studio, bathrooms, sauna, and all five cabins (up to ten beds) are your private space and only the caretaker will be in the vicinity.
Visitors arriving by boat are greeted with a sauna that hovers above the water. A former waiting room in the old docks has been refurbished to accommodate overnight guests, while four small sleeping units are found further up the hillside. Two of these are short and wide with twin beds, with the other two each containing two bunk beds. A pathway leads through these lodges towards the concert room and the canteen.
There are no cars or shops on the island, but that does not mean that you will be missing out on the important things.
A breakfast buffet is available between 09:00 and 10:00. Simple, fresh, good food to start your day. Lunch is ready at 14:00. The weather determines whether the meal will be hot or cold, but either way it will be local and fresh. Dinner is served at 19:00, and focuses on seafood sourced from the rich, blue storehouse of the ocean.
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Activities are decidedly slow paced, and up to you to do as much or as little as you feel you need. You can go on trips in the beautiful archipelago, and collect heart mussels, elbow mussels or scallops for the freshest seafood pasta dish.
The Arctic Hideaway operates as a hotel for nine months of the year, supporting a creative residency program for the rest. Some people come looking for space to think and write; others are bird watchers, divers or musicians looking for inspiration in nature. Once they’re here, it’s all about the simple things: exploring the nearby uninhabited islands; watching otters play along the shore; and witnessing orca teaching their young to hunt in the bay.
Norway’s Arctic Hideaway, written by Tor Kjolberg
All images © The Arctic Hideaway, if not otherwise noted