ROOM FOR TWO – SORRISNIVA ARCTIC WILDERNESS LODGE, NORWAY

Reviewed by Matthew Brace

Intro

Deep in the forests of far north Norway is a luxurious, 24-room wilderness lodge that offers couples one of the most romantic stays in the Nordics.

Overview

The Sorrisniva Arctic Wilderness Lodge is most famous for being the site of the world’s most northerly ice hotel, which an expert team carves each December for the winter season. But more and more visitors are booking sumptuous lodge rooms in summer now too, making the place a year-round destination. Winter activities such as snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice-bathing and seeing Northern Lights are all fabulous but summer is just as thrilling. It’s the season for fishing in and packrafting down the Alta river, taking nature hikes, horseback rides and e-bike adventures through the forests, and spending long evenings marvelling at the phenomenon of the midnight sun.

Location

The lodge is almost 400km north of the Arctic Circle, near the town of Alta, which is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to nearby and better-known Tromso.

Look and feel

The two-storey lodge sits on the grassy east bank of the Alta river, which burbles away prettily, making a comforting sound that the locals call sorrisniva, hence the name of the hotel. Its design is stylish and modern but also understated.

The 24 rooms and suites occupy both levels of the main arm of the property, sharing long, wood-panelled corridors adorned with delightful photos of this place and its people through the years.

These corridors lead to the lodge’s central atrium, an airy space with a black, underheated floor and a lofty, multi-aspect ceiling that looks more like a concert hall than a hotel lobby. Cosy sofas and chairs are scattered throughout the space, offering great views through the floor-to-ceiling windows to the river.

A welcoming log burner pumps out the heat, and when we visited, there were several art installations in the shape of birch branches with ‘nests’ of twigs inhabited by fabric birds of all colours. It was a cute touch and, we assumed, designed to celebrate the abundance of nature here in summer.

The spa offered a few basic treatments, and while the minimalist sauna was nice and quiet during our low-season summer stay, it runs on a strict booking system when the place is full in winter.

Service

The Norwegians – like most Nordic nations – can be cool and reserved, but don’t take this as rudeness. They are a stoical bunch and super-efficient, so expect everything to work like clockwork. We must mention Petter, the guide who took us on a packrafting adventure down the Alta river one day. He was superb and full of information about the river – one of the most celebrated salmon fishing waters in Norway – as well as the flora and fauna along its banks. If you get the chance, definitely book a packrafting day with him; worth every krone.

Best room for two

The lodge has 17 River Rooms, five River Suites and two dual-room Premium Suites.

We had a River Room on the ground floor. The 30.5sqm of space was wood-lined and included a super-comfy bed, a sitting area with two blue-velvet armchairs, a charcoal-grey-stone bathroom and a small deck with two chairs; it was the perfect spot to enjoy the mild summer evenings watching white wagtails scurrying around catching insects as the river flowed beyond.

There was a skylight for watching the Northern Lights in winter, and blackout blinds to help you sleep on summer nights when the sun never sets.

Most of the River Rooms are on the ground floor, while all five River Suites (37.6sqm) are on the top floor – they each have a larger deck, slightly larger skylight and a bathtub. Both the two-room Premium Suites are upstairs too: the 51.1sqm Mary Suite and the 62sqm King Suite that is frequented by a real king, the King of Norway, who comes here every year to fish.

The best crash pad for couples is a toss-up between a River Room and a River Suite – both are amazing; it just depends how much you crave a bathtub.

Food and drink

We ate at fine-dining restaurant Maku on asparagus soup and pickled cucumber to start. Our main was cod caught in the Barents Sea off the wild island of Sørøya, served with local kale, potato foam, a chive sauce and chive flowers. Then we shared a truly amazing dessert: Norwegian strawberries (the most flavoursome we have ever eaten) with basil ice cream and caramelised chocolate.

Maku means ‘taste’ in kven, a recognised ethnic minority language in Norway, but we wondered if it also means ‘taste’ as in style, because every dish was immaculately created and presented; each was a work of art.

Breakfast the next morning was at Sorrisniva’s other restaurant, Lavvu, which resembles a traditional circular Sami yurt, although made of pine wood rather than reindeer hides. We ordered Eggs Benedict with melt-in-the-mouth, smoked Alta river salmon and Norwegian waffles with traditional brown cheese, jam and sour cream. We confess we greedily asked for extra salmon because it was so incredible – and got a plate full. Marvellous. Just what we needed to fuel up for another day exploring the Arctic wilderness.

Sustainability

The lodge is certified in standards ISO 9001 (which focuses on quality and consistency) and ISO 14001 (which focuses on environmental impact and sustainability). It is reducing CO2 emissions, sorting waste and implementing energy-efficient measures. Also, it offers very low-emission activities in summer, including packrafting, e-biking, horseback riding and hiking through the surrounding forests.

Couples will love

Drifting together down the Alta river on packrafts, warming up in the sauna, fine-dining on fabulous local cuisine at Maku and cosying up under blankets on their River Room deck with a Norwegian Linie nightcap to watch the midnight sun.

Book via Melbourne-based company 50 Degrees North (1300 422 821) whose Nordic natives tailor-make romantic trips, or direct with Sorrisniva: website https://www.sorrisniva.no/, call (+47) 784 33 378, email info@sorrisniva.no.